More than half of teachers believe that children with no internet access are seriously disadvantaged in their education, a survey has suggested.

 

As the BBC reports, a fifth of the 585 teachers surveyed for the Times Educational Supplement and charity E-Learning Foundation said internet access was essential for pupil's homework. The charity also warned it was seeing support from the government cut and estimated that around two million children currently live in homes without internet access.

 

The survey found that an increasing amount of schoolwork, especially at secondary school, is dependent on computer use, leading over half of the respondents to believe that children who have no internet at home were at a serious disadvantage.

 

Valerie Thompson, Chief Executive of the E-Learning Foundation which helps to ensure children have access to learning technologies, said the digital divide was having a damaging impact on children's prospects. She said:

 

‘Young people without access to the internet can struggle to complete their homework and coursework, and fall behind. Teachers are increasingly assuming that children have internet access, making it harder, and this can exacerbate the impact of the divide.

 

If we are serious about improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged, we have to tackle the digital divide otherwise the poorest children will be left even further behind.’

 

What are your thoughts on this story? Have you found this to be an issue amongst pupils in your classroom? How do you overcome this? Is it assumed that all pupils now have access to the internet at home? Add your comments below.