Lancashire County Council has welcomed the announcement that thousands more laptops and tablets are being provided to schools to help students learn from home.

Schools are currently working closely with parents to ensure children receive the best possible education during the current lockdown, and the Department for Education has outlined that it expects all pupils who are receiving their education at home to receive at least some of their remote learning via video lessons.

This week the Department for Education announced that an extra 100,000 devices would be provided to support children who don't already have access to technology to allow them to access online learning from home.

Support is already available to ensure families without internet access can use the 4G mobile network, with schools able to request free mobile data packages to help children get online.

County Councillor Phillippa Williamson, cabinet member for children and schools, said: "This week has been very challenging for schools and families who have had to adjust very quickly to the new lockdown and the national priority to maintain children's education while ensuring the country can bring this new wave of the virus under control.

"Schools have been working very closely with parents to provide as many places as they safely can for vulnerable children and children of critical workers while at the same time delivering remote learning for children at home.

"I'm therefore very pleased at the announcement from the Department for Education that more laptops and tablets are being rapidly provided to those who most need them to ensure that children can still receive a high quality of education while being at home.

"Our schools have shown great resilience, and responded superbly to the changing circumstances throughout this pandemic, and I'm very grateful for their continued efforts to ensure children in Lancashire continue to receive their education.

"As always we have been working closely with schools to provide support and advice, so where parents have questions about learning arrangements I would ask them to contact their school directly, who are ready to help."