Questions are being raised over what the Isle of Wight Council is doing to help children who do not have access to online learning as the country is in another lockdown.
With COVID restrictions now stopping the majority of children going to school, and with those restrictions expected to last until mid-February at least, concerns have been raised about the growing disparity between the haves and have nots in terms of education.
Speaking at a meeting of the council’s policy and scrutiny committee for neighbourhoods and regeneration on Thursday, Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, for Newport Central, asked what was being done to support families, bridge the divide and if more could be done to provide broadband connections, as children cannot access their education.
She said:
“We have got awful incidents of child poverty on the Island. I had an email exchange with [Cllr Paul Brading, cabinet member for education] and he informed me 400 laptops had been given out but there are 7,000 children deemed to be in poverty on the Island.
“A report showed families at the lower ends of income are struggling the most, not only with their time, capacity and ability to help their children but also many do not have the equipment that is needed — working off their parent’s phones, eating up the data.
“It is very sobering but also very concerning. I have had my education, I had books, but now this is all different. This lockdown — the impact on our children’s education is absolutely terrifying for their futures.”
Councillor Stuart Hutchinson, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for the COVID recovery, said he did not know the details and would ask Cllr Brading for more, but it was’somewhat difficult’ now as schools have more power, locally, and receive the funding, but thought schools may be able to identify families who need help and fund equipment through PTA means.
He said:
“We also have the problem where if you are living in towns you have quick broadband but in many villages broadband is incredibly slow and unreliable.
“I do know that our teachers and education staff are trying to work hard on covering those points.”
Cllr Gary Peace, cabinet member for community safety and digital transformation, said, Wigfht Fibre rollout of broadband was not going to happen overnight. Cllr Peace said there is not an ‘awful lot that could’ be done but the authority would do all it could.
He said:
“This brings on to the argument going round as to why our children need to be in school — pandemic understanding and the fact we have a new strain of the virus — it is essential that schools operate in a Covid safe fashion and it is absolutely essential we get all of our children back into school as soon as we possibly can, not least because of their education needs but for their mental health and social wellbeing, that is where they need to be. That has got to be the critical priority.”
The Department for Education has been providing laptops and tablets to schools to help access remote education and providing an internet connection to disadvantaged children who need it. Families should contact their schools if help is needed.
Mobile networks, Three, Virgin Mobile, EE, Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and O2 are all offering schemes to temporarily increase data allowances for those who do not have home broadband, cannot afford the increase and have had a disruption in their education. For more information, you can visit: get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/about-increasing-mobile-data
pah – those very same kids, who are apparently in poverty, seem to live with parents that have mobile phones, sky tv and enough booze n baccy to keep an army going.
the majority of “haves” work hard for it and resent do gooders in councils handing out the “haves” cash that was forcibly taken in the form of taxation, to feckless, lazy “have nots” which generally are getting so much benefit cash, free treatment and other freebies, that they are almost “haves” without bothering to work for it.
it is time that the “haves” were compensated for all these handouts to others.
Too true
Back in the old days schools had books.
They don’t want the “peasants” educated all part of the plan
Here we go. It’s going to be a free for all.
All of a sudden we’re going to see shipments of laptops heading out to the so called hard up lazy spongers.
Don’t forget to send them out a free 120 GB dongle. As we wouldn’t want the poor breeders Wi-Fi slowing down for their gaming.
So, what have YOU been doing for the last 9 months? Because I really want to know!
Its called work.
I couldn’t do my usual job, so I took a job as a delivery driver, probably dropped something at your house.
I have morals and respect for myself and would rather find a job than take money from the hard working tax payer.
So any of these dole bums who say that there’s no jobs or it’s not worth it because they lose too much are now too far gone in the ever growing sponging culture.
Those children whose parents waste all their benefits have children who are of the same mind set, for the greater proportion. So, pointless throwing cash in some vain attempt to ‘help’ such, as almost all, don’t wish to be helped in education, knowing full well that they will do, as their parent and sometimes parents have done, and just breed their way into gaining a home and an income.
So long as they can sign their name to ‘sign on’ to collect benefits, the rest will all be given, for life.
From your comments, you are clearly someone who lacks compassion and empathy. I think it is a shame that it is people like you who hold court in these types of forums; it puts decent people off from getting involved. Whether you like it or not, some people need a helping hand for a whole plethora of reasons. I do not expect you to take any of this onboard, as you are probably old, middle class and stuck in your ways, but it is worth a go anyway…
From your comments, I see someone who doesn’t know the type of people we now have in huge numbers in our society.
Children weren’t ‘forced’ upon them. They chose to have them. Contraception is free and freely available.
Many choose to have a child as then, in a low work, low wage place like the Island, it ensures a home, heavily subsidised or fully rent and council tax free. It ensures a decent income, as IF working just 16 hrs a week, the wage is then made up via child tax AND working tax credits, adding around 8 thousand a year on top of their wage, all tax free. They then get another thousand for each child they have, and the child tax credit rises with every additional child.
So they get a better income than many in full time work, for doing just a couple of days a week work, AND gain by not having to pay rent or council tax either. They have many days to themselves to please themselves what they do or don’t do.
Their children get free school meals, in and out of school time now. They don’t pay any NHS dental fees, nor prescriptions.
So, this decent income for doing little or nothing, is then MORE than enough to buy home learning equipment for their children, it is just they would rather the latest x box, and fifa game, and latest phone, largest smart tv, a car each, and all the bling to ‘impress’ the others on the estate with.
As I say, YOU clearly don’t know what the real working class families really are like, you are suckered in by one harrowing case on such drivel as the BBC portrays, yet they ignore the swindling masses, using the nice but dim gullible into demanding ever more from the state.
The children of these people grow up seeing a free home, to trash, to abuse, free income, free food, free medical aid, as a ‘right’ and continue in the same vein.
Thus the gullible doo gooders, like yourself by pandering to such, who laugh at your stupidity behind your back are equally ‘part’ of the problem, by ensuring that it grows ever more costly and ever more larger each year.
I only wish I could have been bothered to read your entire diatribe, but I’m afraid it was just too boring. I think ‘TheGammonNamer’ said it best: gammon!
you should have read it – your response which is insulting, typifies, the hand wringing, do gooder attitude – all full of virtue and demanding that everyone is treated equally, apart from those who disagree with your view on the world – hypocritical and two faced.
Oh, you ‘read it’ alright, just ‘couldn’t disagree, so like all those with no valid counter argument, choose insults instead.
How very adult.
Well, I see your type are out in force today. Just don’t burst a blood vessel, the NHS is already overburdened with old folk.
After lockdown, i suggest you get out a bit more. Maybe volunteer, food bank maybe, here or on the mainland, see the world as it really is.
no mop bucket –
the world as it really is —- that perceptional statement is different for all, as everyone sees the world from their own perspective.
in other words, if you are rich, healthy and happy – that is how the world really is for you
Mop, I do see the world how it is. THAT ‘is’ the problem. People like you SEE the problems, but don’t see the causes and solutions.
Too many so called ‘poor’ who have free access to contraception, selfishly IF their lot in life is ‘oh so bad’, willingly bring in more and more children to their life of abject ‘misery’, IF they are to be believed.
Yet I can see through these greedy, beings, they USE their children to ‘fire proof’ themselves against having to pay their own way in life, USING the children as an ‘excuse’ WHY they then can’t be made homeless, or penniless.
So, by pandering to such, they grow in numbers, adding to the real problems NOT easing such.
Hence it needs a firm hand not a soft weak, tickle to end such now or every generation is going to face an every increasing NOT decreasing issue.
THINK.
Zzzzzzzzz….
amanda…From your comments, you are clearly someone who lacks compassion and empathy.
judging from your posts – I would say that comment you made, accurately reflects you.
Amanda, what a vile wolf in sheep’s clothing you are.
How dare you think those with a different viewpoint are ‘entitled’ to share such, yet those who disagree are not.
People like you, who ‘think’ they are ‘nice’ and ‘fair’ can’t see that YOU are more of a problem by your attitude of forcing through the end of ‘freedom of speech’ than those you ‘deem’ as unplesant.
Certainly disagree and, if capable give reason as to why, but to ‘ban’ freedom of speech is playing into the hands of those who will use such to far more damaging effect than a few ‘unpleasant’ home truths or misunderstanding, whichever view you take.
‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing’: I’ll go along with that. Although, you lost me with the ‘freedom of speech’ nonsense – it’s the cry of the bigot.
amanda – a wolf in sheeps clothing is a liar
the only reason you are able to post your views on this board is because you have freedom of speech – if the freedom to air your views are not important to you, then it is clear that you have no idea what freedom really is – perhaps it should be removed from you, to remind you.
Go for it…
amanda – stop trying to act like some big shot – the cloak of anonymity is the only thing giving you the confidence to speak – I bet in person, you are quiet as a mouse.
Gammon
grow up uyla – i find it offensive that you feel the need to bring religion into a discussion and i also find it offensive that you have no actual ability to either ignore a comment or stop reading – are you really that weak and pathetic that you crumble, like a house of cards in the wind at the mere uttering of a word or two.
Most of those families children who say they can’t afford home learning, will never amount to anything anyway.
These are the ones who, mostly, no matter what educational equipment were supplied, would merely play games on it, or use it for any and every purpose other than learning or trying to educate themselves. That or sell it on, saying it was stolen, etc.
They all see their parents never working, and living better than many who do work live, and without any effort, aside perhaps from selling a bit of gear, and never having to get up on cold mornings, no boss to answer to, every day is your own to do as you please, no need pay for rent or council tax or even have to look after your property as all supplied and maintenance, insurance etc done for you.
No need to worry over council tax rises, dental costs, prescription costs, feeding your children, or paying for their bus fares, school uniforms etc as the Country (us) will pay for it all, forever.
IF you need more, just whinge a bit louder, and the gullible will be bringing around more food, toys, clothes, so you, with little other expenditure can blow even more on yourself, and as your children age, keep having more to continue and grow the income, and ensure that the next generation is burdened ever more by your clones.
What are the council doing? Quite simple really. Pocketing the CV cash into their own juicy little pension schemes, whilst leaving the rest of us high and dry. But they “sympathise” and “are doing everything they can blah blah blah”, so it’s all OK then.
It would be more than wise to effectively vote against this council at our next local elections.