Third Report - COVID-19: Support for children’s education

Select Committee
Public Accounts Committee HC 240 26 May 2021
Report Status Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations 34 items (12 recs)
Source View on Parliament website
Government Response (AI assessment · 33 of 34 classified)
Accepted 19
Acknowledged 6
Not Addressed 2
Rejected 6
Government response
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Third report from Session 2021-22 · published 2 Sep 2021
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Recommendations & Conclusions

6 results
4 Recommendation Rejected
The Department has no vision for building on the investment it has made in IT...
Recommendation
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 … Read more
Government Response Summary
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
The Department recognised that a lack of IT equipment was likely to hamper the ability...
Recommendation
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 … Read more
Government Response Summary
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
The Department continued to distribute IT equipment during the 2020/21 school year, focusing on disadvantaged...
Conclusion
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 … Read more
Government Response Summary
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
In their written evidence, the National Association of Head Teachers and The Children’s Society told...
Conclusion
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 … Read more
Government Response Summary
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
We asked the Department about its plan for remote learning in the future since the...
Conclusion
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 … Read more
Government Response Summary
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
The Department clarified that schools or local authorities owned the devices that had been supplied.
Recommendation
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 … Read more
Government Response Summary
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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