Schoolchildren across the country have been encouraged to stay at home if possible since a new national lockdown was announced on the 4th January, but many families do not have the technology available to allow their children to join in online lessons or complete their homework.
With Knowsley currently having one of the highest Covid-19 infection rates in the country, we’re playing our part in helping children in the borough learn from home by way of a £15k donation towards the provision of laptops.
Some devices have been provided to schools by the Government but this has still left a shortfall in areas like Knowsley, so we have joined forces with Knowsley Council to ensure that children aren’t left behind.
We approached Knowsley Council to see if we could help. As part of the Knowsley Better Together partnership we are using our investment in people and communities to boost skills and encourage young people to aspire to achieving great things. This starts with having access to a good and consistent education.
We’ve supplied £15k to provide around 150 devices to schools across Knowsley where there is a need. The schools are distributing them to families who need them to enable young people to get online for the remainder of this lockdown.
The challenges of home schooling are things that parents from across the borough are facing and we hope this goes some way to relieving that pressure whilst we get through this pandemic and come out the other side stronger and more resilient as a community.
From a wellbeing point of view, it’s also hugely important that children can have face to face interaction with teachers and with their friends through video calls and online lessons. Children who can’t get online are missing out on this and we want to help to bridge that gap.
I understand the pressure and challenges home schooling presents for our families, particularly if you don’t have equipment at home to access some of the online support that is available.
Through our strong partnership working with Livv Housing, we’ve been able to step in where the Government has left us with a shortfall and we have provided local families with the equipment they need to ensure that learning can continue at home.
Schools and families across the Borough have worked incredibly hard throughout this pandemic. Schools have ensured that educational and engaging work is being set for children across the Borough, whilst also providing support to families at home. Local families are ensuring that children are only attending school if it is absolutely essential and ensuring that home learning is continuing at home.
This really is a great example of Knowsley Better Together in practice with partners working together for the benefit of our residents.