Children across the Trust are currently accessing their learning from home due to the current national lockdown. However some families are struggling to fully access the remote teaching and classwork being set due to a lack of appropriate technology at home.

Gary Lewis, CEO of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership was delighted by the donations “Our schools have worked incredibly hard to adapt their curriculum and embrace technology to teach our pupils remotely this term. These additional devices will allow a large number of our children to keep up with their studies and progress. Education and the routine of learning and seeing classmates and teachers is incredibly important for the mental wellbeing of children during this ongoing pandemic and will of course benefit their futures. I would like to thank Boeing and Hargreaves Lansdown for their generous gift”.

Boeing  contacted the Trust and offered laptops to be circulated to those struggling to access their schooling from home. Anna Keeling, Managing Director of Boeing Defence UK said, “I am delighted to be supporting the Lighthouse Schools Partnership during this challenging time.  Our employees have always had a strong community spirit, and aligned with our values, we saw an opportunity to reach out and provide local young people with essential computer equipment to support their learning. It is vital that students have the tools to be able to continue their studies and maintain contact with their school while at home. I am proud of the team at Boeing Defence UK who prepared and delivered 100 laptops to the LSP during lockdown.  We will always look for ways to support young people in Bath and Somerset when we can.”

The ‘digital divide’ means that children can fall behind in their learning and social development. The Department for Education has a system to allow schools to apply for laptops for those most in need. However there are children, who do not meet DfE criteria, who are trying to access their live learning via a parent’s mobile phone, or shared laptop. This makes home schooling and working from home an even bigger challenge for these families.

Hargreaves Lansdown, a Business Partner of the Lighthouse Schools Partnership (LSP), have also donated Chromebooks to the LSP for vulnerable and disadvantaged students to use. Heather Cooper, Chief People Officer, at Hargreaves Lansdown said “We’re delighted to be able to support children in our local community as part of our wider pandemic response plan.”