Home ›› 09 Apr 2023 ›› Biztech
Starting a new school can be daunting, but for British pupil Archie Ruff there was a silver lining – a free laptop to help him keep up with his work.
The laptop, loaned to him by a school programme that provides computers to children from lower-income households, was a relief for his parents too, as inflation running at more than 10per cent eats into the family’s spending power.
“In the past couple of years, post-Covid, things just seem to have spiralled in terms of costs,” Archie’s mother, Karen Ruff, who works as a care assistant, told Context over a video call from her son’s school in the central English city of Birmingham.
“I look at the figures and every month, trying to move things around to work out what it is that we can miss out on.”
BiancoBritish inflation is running at 10.4per cent, causing a cost-of-living crisis that rights groups and researchers say is widening digital divides for poorer households who may be forced to cut back on non-essentials such as tech and internet costs.
Archie, 11, has dyslexia and attention deficit disorder which affect his ability to take notes and spell. Having his own laptop has helped him enormously, his father said.
“When he writes things down they’re illegible a lot of the time. He can’t even read his own handwriting,” said Leon Ruff, a medical secretary.
“But he’s quite confident with technology ... It gives him more confidence as well, because he’s happier.”
Digital poverty
The Summit Learning Trust, a consortium of seven schools and one further education college, has provided hardware and wi-fi services to Archie and 200 other students at his school alone.
About 60per cent of the trust’s 8,000 students come from lower-income backgrounds and 15per cent have benefitted from its digital assistance programme.
Students at a UK primary school using computers provided by the Summit Learning Trust
Students at a UK primary school using computers provided by the Summit Learning Trust. Summit Learning Trust/Handout via Thomson Reuters Foundation
“The sector as a whole was certainly surprised by the level of digital poverty that we were faced with”, said Vince Green, the chief executive of the trust.
Strong digital connectivity enables pupils to work independently, Green said, and supports those who have to be out of school for medical reasons.
Schools have also had to stay open for longer so students have access to the internet and electricity to complete their homework, Green said, which has contributed to a 300per cent rise in the trust’s average monthly energy bills.
But the problem goes beyond just schools. In 2022, Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom reported that 6per cent of homes did not have any access to the internet, while another 5per cent relied solely on mobile internet connections.
It said 2 million households had difficulties in affording internet access in 2021, and poorer, disabled and older citizens are more likely to suffer digital exclusion. British lawmakers in February launched an inquiry looking at how rising living costs are affecting digital exclusion.
“The ability and resources to operate effectively online are increasingly vital for everyone,” said Baroness Stowell of Beeston, chair of the Communications and Digital Committee.
“Tackling the digital divide will be vital for delivering growth and economic prosperity.”
Ofcom is also reviewing in-contract price rises, and has raised concerns that inflation-linked hikes in broadband and mobile bills are causing uncertainty for customers.
Many consumers are facing price rises of above 14per cent in the coming months under the terms of contracts with suppliers.
