30/4/2020

Cardiff Council has developed a range of ways to address the issue of digital deprivation so that children and young people can continue to access online learning, whilst schools are closed due to COVID-19.

The Council has been gathering information for recently on how many pupils require digital support which has been carried out using a variety of methods including phone calls, letters and utilising school's existing electronic parent communication platforms, usually via mobile phones.

Cardiff's schools know their families well and many of them already have a very good idea of what access their pupils have at home, with some already providing devices to digitally disadvantaged pupils. 

In addition, some schools have gone above and beyond to ensure pupils can continue to learn at home by printing off work for families without access to devices and/or printers as well delivering resources including books and stationary.

Cardiff has placed orders for 1000 chrome books in addition to the 3000 already purchased via the Education Technology Project Fund. This is in addition to re-purposing existing school equipment.A dedicatedproject team has been established to deliver the new scheme which will supply both end user devices and MiFi broadband devices to all those pupils who are digitally disadvantaged.

Importantly, Cardiff intends to make this a long term solution to tackling the issue of digital deprivation, following the lockdown.