Asda promises 80 laptops for school children across Northamptonshire

Asda says it will donate 80 laptops to schools across Northamptonshire for children who do not have the tech to learn from home.

The supermarket says it is working with Dell Technologies to donate £2m and provide 7,000 laptops to schools nationally.

It comes in light of reports that school children who learning from home are facing "digital exclusion" by not having the technology to join online lessons.

According to Ofcom, around nine per cent of children in the UK – between 1.1 million and 1.8 million – do not have access to a laptop, desktop or tablet at home.

It puts children from a disadvantaged background at risk of falling behind in their education during the pandemic.

The supermarket chain says schools will be chosen if they have a large proportion of families struggling to support home learning.

Roger Burnley, CEO and President of Asda, said: “It’s clear that digital exclusion is an issue affecting many thousands of children who attend schools in communities that we serve.

"These children have been disproportionately affected by the lockdown and are at risk of falling further behind their peers. We want to do all we can to help break down the digital barriers so they can continue their education remotely.”