Sheffield's Lord Blunkett warns of "eductional apartheid" as children are forced to home school without computers

Lord Blunkett, also a former Sheffield Council leader and education secretary, is supporting our campaign to roll out laptops to children who most need them, as schools remain closed to most pupils indefinitely.

He said: "Our children need laptops if they are to learn, and as a country we have allowed this situation to drag on for far too long without making sure they've got the technology they require... we cannot allow their education to be blighted any longer."

He urged readers to donate as their "duty to an entire generation".

Lord Blunkett said: "I find it heartbreaking that one of the legacies of Covid now threatens to be a new kind of educational apartheid, as the gap between Britain's most advantaged children - and the most deprived - only grows further."

He added that so far, 800,000 devices have been given to schoolchildren, and that "millions more" have been left struggling to learn remotely.

He signed a letter to the Prime Minister asking him to act regarding shortages of remote learning equipment and accessibility, along with two other ex-education secretaries and former prime minister Tony Blair.

The letter was co-ordinated by Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh, who said Ofcom estimates that between 1.14 million and 1.78 million children in the UK do not have home access to a laptop, desktop or tablet, and that more than 880,000 children live in a household with only a mobile internet connection.

Data from the Office for National Statistics says only 51 per cent of households earning between £6,000 and £10,000 have internet access, the MP said.

Laptops for Kids was launched by The Star, WANdisco and Learn Sheffield in September and has proved its model of sourcing donations, securely erasing devices and distributing them according to need.

The campaign is scaling up across the North of England and has launched in Newcastle and Doncaster with more locations to follow.

Partners include Blancco plc, the global leader in certified data erasure, Twinkl, the online educational publisher, and WANdisco plc, the data software company jointly headquartered in Sheffield and Silicon Valley.

To donate a laptop or money to the appeal, go to www.LTFK.co.uk

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.