COVID-19: Education
Public Accounts Committee
Closed
Inquiry
Towards the end of March 2020, as part of the measures taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, schools closed to all pupils except vulnerable children and children of key workers. Some year groups returned to school in June, but most children did not return until September 2020. Therefore, for several …
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12
Recommendations
22
Conclusions
1
Report
1
Oral session
2
Letters
1
Event
Activity timeline 5 events
14 Sep
2021
2021
2 Sep
2021
2021
26 May
2021
2021
Report published
25 Mar
2021
2021
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
25 Mar 2021
View on parliament.uk
COVID-19: Education
Andrew McCully · Department for Education
Mike Pettifer · Department for Education
Susan Acland-Hood · The Department for Education
Reports 1 report · click to expand
| Title | HC No. | Published | Items | Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Third Report - COVID-19: Support for children’s education | HC 240 | 26 May 2021 | 34 | Responded |
Recommendations & Conclusions
6 results
4
Recommendation
Rejected
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT...
The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT equipment for vulnerable and disadvantaged children. In the early stages of the pandemic, the Department initially considered trying to provide 602,000 laptops and tablets, and …
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Government Response
The government rejects the recommendation for a specific plan to ensure vulnerable and disadvantaged children have access to IT equipment, stating it has already invested significantly and devices are the responsibility of schools for maintenance, while committing to developing a broader strategic approach to technology use in education.
HM Treasury
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20
Recommendation
Rejected
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department recognised that a lack of IT equipment was likely to hamper the ability...
The Department recognised that a lack of IT equipment was likely to hamper the ability of vulnerable and disadvantaged children to learn remotely and access online social care services. It initially considered providing 602,000 laptops or tablets and 100,000 4G …
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Government Response
The government explicitly disagrees with the implicit recommendation regarding IT equipment provision, justifying its £400 million investment and 1.3 million devices, while outlining future strategic approaches and evaluations but not committing to further provision or addressing the cutbacks mentioned.
HM Treasury
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21
Conclusion
Rejected
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, focusing on disadvantaged...
The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, focusing on disadvantaged children whose schooling had been disrupted or who had been advised to shield for medical reasons.38 The Department told us that by spring 2021 it …
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Government Response
The government rejects an implied recommendation regarding ongoing responsibility for IT equipment, stating it has already invested significantly in devices which are now owned and maintained by schools, while committing to developing a strategic approach to technology use in education.
HM Treasury
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22
Conclusion
Rejected
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
In their written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers and The Children’s Society told...
In their written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers and The Children’s Society told us that the limited scope of the Department’s provision in the spring and summer of 2020 meant that many children did not have the devices …
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Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, citing significant past investment of over £400 million in devices and training. It states that institutions own and maintain the allocated devices, and commits to developing an evidence-based strategic approach to technology use in education while evaluating past interventions.
HM Treasury
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23
Conclusion
Rejected
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
We asked the Department about its plan for remote learning in the future since the...
We asked the Department about its plan for remote learning in the future since the laptops that had been distributed would need replacing in due course. The Department told us that the pandemic had shown that there was an appetite …
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Government Response
The government disagrees with the committee's observation, citing significant past investment of over £400 million in devices and training. It states that institutions own and maintain the allocated devices, and commits to developing an evidence-based strategic approach to technology use in education while evaluating past interventions.
HM Treasury
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24
Recommendation
Rejected
Third Report - COVID-19: Support f…
The Department clarified that schools or local authorities owned the devices that had been supplied.
The Department clarified that schools or local authorities owned the devices that had been supplied. They would need to decide how to deal with obsolescence and maintain the provision of up-to-date equipment for pupils, using their core budgets.44 42 Q …
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Government Response
The government explicitly disagrees with the implicit recommendation, stating that devices are owned and maintained by institutions using their core budgets, while outlining plans for a future evidence-based strategic approach to technology in education.
HM Treasury
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Correspondence 2 letters
14 Sep 2021
Correspondence from Susan Acland-Hood, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, re 3rd PAC Report of Session 2020-21 – COVID 19: Support for children’s education, dated 1 August 2021
Parliament page
22 Mar 2021
Correspondence from Paul Whiteman, General Secretary, National Association of Head Teachers, re concerns about educational disadvantage, dated 17 March 2021
Parliament page