A HOUSING association has stepped in to help children by donating 30 laptops to a school in Crediton.

LiveWest contacted Queen Elizabeth’s School with the offer after moving to help bridge the educational gap created by lockdown.

With children now settled back into education following the easing of government restrictions, the laptops are being used to help the most disadvantaged at the school.

The move was part of LiveWest’s donation of more than 300 laptops to schools across the South West to help close the digital divide created by lockdown.

Queen Elizabeth’s School is an 11-18 years co-educational secondary school with a proud history of serving Crediton and the surrounding villages since 1547. It has approximately 1,400 students, almost 200 of which are studying in its sixth form.

The new clutch of laptops will further support pupils to access online learning resources and support their learning during the school day.

Rupert Poole, Principal of Queen Elizabeth’s School, said: “We are very grateful for the generous donation of laptops from LiveWest and it will help our students immensely.

“Clearly everyone has been through a challenging year, a year where the importance of developing students’ IT skills and ensuring good internet access has been highlighted. 

“We will continue, as a school, to ensure robust digital support for all our students and families.

“This donation will not only ensure greater online access for our community but will assist us in delivering the broad and balanced education we believe in so strongly.”

LiveWest has also issued £32,000 to schools to allow them to buy much-needed IT equipment and given out £67,000 in digital grant funding across the region.

In a move to narrow the social divide exposed by the pandemic, LiveWest has also helped more than 100 households get online through digital inclusion grants totalling more than £23,000.

Lesley Browne, Community Connector for LiveWest, said: “I am delighted LiveWest has been able to support Queen Elizabeth’s School with these laptops.

“This donation will make a really positive difference to their students and I always look forward to hearing about the benefits they bring to the children’s education.”