Ivybridge and Saltram Rotary clubs have been working together on the project which was kickstarted by former Ivybridge President, Dr Paul Fletcher.
He has highlighted the effects which Covid-19 has created, through lockdowns and self-isolation for children. And Paul picked up on Rotary schemes elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland which have partnered with businesses to donate laptops and tablets to schools.
Rotary has made a difference, and for that we are so grateful.”
Saltram Rotary joined the project and, very soon, their efforts allowed for devices and financial support being donated from local businesses, individuals, local authorities and city and parish councillors, all seeking to reduce the digital-divide.
Early discussions with local headteachers saw the scale of the problem. With devices flooding in from the local community which needed refurbishing, help was sought from Dan Tucker of Dan’s Computer Services.
Initially, the ‘Online Learning Project’ processed almost 150 devices, which were presented to schools who, in turn, passed them to families where school staff had identified the greatest need.
The project received an injection of funds from the Beresford-Jones Trust which enabled a much broader reach and extended provision to schools which included new devices. The project was able to spread across a larger number of schools in the Plymouth area.
We have distributed the devices to our most needy children and families and can promise we can already see a difference in their progress.”
Paul explained, “During the first phase of our project we received large numbers of devices for recycling and by establishing links with headteachers we were able to ensure that the refurbished devices went to the homes where the need was greatest.
“In all, we have provided 346 new and refurbished devices to 35 schools in the Plymouth and surrounding area.
“This is a significant achievement and has only been possible thanks to the generosity of the people of Ivybridge and Plymouth, as well as the financial support we have received from various sources.”
Karen Sims-Stirling of the Beacon Schools Federation said that the results of the Rotary project had allowed schoolchildren to engage effectively with classes from their own home during the pandemic.
The project has provided 346 new and refurbished devices to 35 schools in the Plymouth and surrounding area.
She said: “We have distributed the devices to our most needy children and families and can promise we can already see a difference in their progress.
“This has enabled them to effectively engage with on-line learning and produce work previously not seen.
“This not only helps them academically, but has improved the quality of life for families as a whole who can now function at home without the necessary stress of sharing devices amongst family members, often on mobile phones.
“Rotary has made a difference, and for that we are so grateful.”
The Education Endowment Foundation predicts that school closures are likely to have reversed progress made to close the academic gap in the last decade.
A decade’s worth of progress may fall by the wayside, as pupils without regular computer access fall behind; and with a continued lack of access throughout their time at school they will stay behind.
Paul Fletcher said that the Online Learning Project hope their work will have gone some way to reduce disadvantage in their community.
