Pandemic has highlighted 'digital divide' among England's schools - Microsoft

One per cent of state primary schools can provide students with take home devices, according to vendor's report

The pandemic has thrown into "sharp relief" the inequalities among England's students, according to a report from Microsoft.

The survey of 5,000 teachers- conducted by polling organisation Teacher Tapp and published by Microsoft - revealed that just one per cent of England's primary state schools have devices can provide devices that their students can take home, compared to 38 per cent of private primary schools.

One-in-0three teachers in the state secotr have access to one-on-one technologies, compared to their two-in-three teachers in the private sector. The research also revealed that only seven per cent of state secondary schools have devices for students to take home in stark contrast to the 20 per cent of private secondary school who do so.

"Our findings show that access to technology across England at a one-to-one level can help meet students' individual learning needs, supporting them in their development of critical life skills," stated Howard Lewis, head of Microsoft's Surface business group.

"Yet a digital divide is now widening the achievement gap, with teachers citing a lack of access to edtech tools in the schools that are least able to provide access to technology for individual students.

"We have to find a solution that delivers a range of robust, cost-effective and flexible tools, alongside free resources and initiatives to help UK educators".

Nearly three-quarters of students in schools rated ‘inadequate' by Ofsted do not have access to individual devices in their classrooms compared to 59 per cent in schools rated ‘outstanding', the report also revealed.

The severity of England's digital divide has been growing through the pandemic, which has "pressed fast forward" on schools' digital transformation and made hybrid learning commonplace.

Though teachers surveyed agreed that technology in the classroom helps in teaching, a number of barriers were identified in the adoption of connected technologies.

One-in-four teachers said they would need the training to use new tools and technology effectively, and a similar number had concerns around the durability of the solutions. One in five teachers stated they would be concerned about safeguarding if pupils had one-to-one access to connected devices.

Over half of those surveyed admitted that price was a "key factor" in deciding which product to buy.

Chris Rothwell, director of Education at Microsoft UK, said: "In order for children to reach their full potential, they need teachers who are working at theirs, with technology that can help that.

"It's critical schools, students, teachers and IT departments have access to the right software, tools, training, and practical guidance to do just that."