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3. As we explain further below, the Department for Education has since the announcement

of the school closures on 18th March 2020 made clear in its guidance documents that,

during this lockdown period, there is a shift to online learning. Many schools across the

country, in line with your guidance documents, have offered online resources as the sole

replacement for in-person education. Some schools and local authorities have loaned

laptops or provided tablets to disadvantaged children, for example – but it is estimated

that approximately one million children are unable to access online educational

resources and are thus simply unable to access education during this period. A recent

survey from Teach First made clear that only 2% of teachers working in the UK’s most

disadvantaged schools believe that their pupils have adequate access to online learning.

4. We are aware of children who do not have electronic devices themselves and live in

households which have no adults with electronic devices. We are aware of many

households in which only one adult has a mobile telephone (often on a on a pay-as-you- go contract and with limited internet access), yet multiple children of compulsory school

age live in the house and this single telephone is their only potential source of access

to online learning. We are also aware of households with no broadband access at all.

These children have no realistic means of accessing the range of online educational

resources published by the Department for Education on Tuesday. These children do

not feature in any of the guidance documents on the Government’s website.

5. When the school closures were announced on 18th March, you said:

“Fighting Coronavirus and protecting the vulnerable and our NHS are the

Government’s top priorities right now. That’s why we are asking schools,

nurseries and colleges to close – except for vulnerable children and the

children of key workers.

We are facing increasingly extraordinary circumstances, but by asking schools

to support our key workers and vulnerable children I am confident we will help

beat this virus. I am deeply grateful for the civic spirit and dedication of

everyone working in education, and I will continue to provide my full support

throughout this crisis.”