A regional daily has stepped up its bid to help give children access to digital learning tools as pupils across its patch are being “locked out of class” due to coronavirus.
Sheffield daily The Star has renewed its ‘Laptops for Kids’ campaign, which was first launched in September to help disadvantaged children struggling to learn at home due to a lack of access to the necessary devices.
There are currently 2,000 Sheffield families who are unable to take part in lessons from home because they have no computer.
The relaunch of the campaign provided a splash for The Star on Saturday, pictured below.
In an accompanying editorial, editor Nancy Fielder wrote: “Bubbles are bursting across schools in Sheffield, as in every city, which means children are literally locked out of class if they don’t have a suitable laptop.
“This is not going to end any time soon. Even if there was a magical wand which we were able to wave and Covid completely disappeared, we still need youngsters to have access to the internet at home.
“My youngest son was sent home from school to self-isolate at the start of this week and, as I am writing this, I received an email from my eldest son’s school saying he also has to stay home.
“I have to say I am slightly suspicious that both boys are now self-isolating in the middle of the Euros – how convenient for them – but, on a serious note, while we are lucky to have enough laptops at home, far too many are not.
“This is not a luxury. It is a basic tool needed to learn and no family in Sheffield in 2021 should have to choose between whether they want to feed their children or educate them.”