£30m funding for "universal" broadband

The government has pledged £30m of funding over the next three years to help school pupils from low income families gain home broadband access.

The plan will allow pupils to access school work and resources - such as downloading and storing homework - and get feedback from teachers at home.

In his speech at education tech show, Bett 2008, minister for schools and learners Jim Knight said: "We have the highest levels of embedded technology in classrooms in European Union and one computer for every three pupils. The next step is home access for all."

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He warned the digital divide cannot be allowed to "reinforce social and academic divisions" and said: "We have to find a way to make access universal, or else it's not fair."

In addition, Knight announced a £600,000 pilot - to be run by the government education tech agency Becta and a number of industry players - to lower the cost of IT hardware and connectivity for deprived groups.

The pilot - which will also inform parents of the benefits of home computing - will cover 50 schools in Birmingham, Brent (London), Stockton and Worcestershire with involvement from Dell, Intel, PC World and RM.

The work also includes a 12-week public consultation on who should pay for access and a study looking at the potential impact of technology on children's lives up to 2025.

Knight also fleshed out plans to bring in online school reports which he expects to be available in all secondary schools by 2010 and all primary schools two years later.

These reports will go beyond traditional annual reports allowing parents to securely access frequently updated information on their children's progress, attendance and behaviour and special needs.

Other potential methods include text alerts, email and video conferencing.

Knight said the use of tech could break down barriers between teachers and hard to reach parents from deprived social groups and deepen school-parent relations.

But he said it will not be a substitute for regular personal contact between teachers and parents.