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IT for kids

18 February 2021

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A campaign has been launched to encourage Suffolk residents/businesses to donate laptops and tablets for school children to learn at home.

Suffolk County Council is working with the Creative Computing Club which is a Community Organisation based in Ipswich to re-purpose and re-home donated computers.

If residents or businesses wish to donate a laptop or tablet, they can do so by going to creativecomputingclub.com/donations. They will be asked to fill out a form about their device to ensure it meets a minimum specification. For example, devices must be capable of running windows 10 and must be Wi-Fi enabled. The Creative Computing Club will ensure that the laptop is wiped of any personal data.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted how important computers and access to the internet is for children and young people. Digital devices can help children and young people to engage with education, stay in touch with friends and family and support them to access services. Supporting disadvantaged children, young people and families to be able to take advantage of digital to support their learning, pursue their interests and get on in life is an important longer-term challenge.

The support families and schools have been able to provide directly to their children, and the national government scheme to provide 1.3m computers to schools across the country, are the primary means to help children to learn from home. Suffolk County Council has an important role in supporting more vulnerable children and young people in the county.