More than 130,000 families have applied for free laptops and broadband internet access for their kids within weeks of the launch of the government scheme designed to help close the digital divide.
So far 132,000 application forms have been received, 15,000 returned and 5,000 approved under the £300m Home Access Programme launched by prime minister Gordon Brown and schools secretary Ed Balls a month ago.
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Balls said there had been "a fantastic response by families to the ground-breaking offer we've made".
He said that computers are as essential as books, pens and paper to help children learn.
Under the scheme each qualifying family gets a Barclaycard that can be used for a one-off transaction worth £528 to buy the equipment at an approved supplier.
Some 270,000 laptops are expected to be handed out on a first-come-first-served basis.
Qualifying families are those with children in school years 3 to 9 who are eligible for free school meals and meet other criteria. Children under 18 in the care of local authorities also qualify.
Proponents claim having a computer at home can improve GCSE results by two grades.
My god listen at yourselves, you've been given a grant of 500 pound to spend which is more than enough for a laptop, and your moaning that you can't get a good one?
Well it's now a year later and im 28 and working and i'v only been able to afford a fujitsu 1gb memory and 160mb hardrive, funny enough, the same spec that your complaining about! This is more than enough to do school work and basic internet surfing! I suggest if your looking for something better then get off your backside and do something for yourself!
Posted by: Nick Lewis 11 Apr 2011
I have read people's comments and think to myself how ungrateful, i agree with what people are saying only a few to choice from and prices are exspensive, but u have to be thankful as without this grant, none of us would be able to afford a laptop for our children, ,I ask myself who will be using the laptop Parent or the child .Myself it is for my son
Posted by: Tina Mckay 02 Jul 2010
I just received the home access grant, has been looking around all the suppliers for a few days, they all the the same offering the out of date and very basic machines, right that's no choice, i have to buy from one of them, all the suppliers had fixed the prices. if the child has a better machine then it can last them for a good few years.
refer to pete on 08/05/10 who are you a happy parent or a rip of supplier, please tell me where to get the machine you mention.
All i hope is the grant been well use helping our next generation and not the greedy business man
Posted by: tak 26 Jun 2010
There is not a range of laptops to choose from ? it's very limited, with company's only having 3 to choose from and all seem to sell the same models. We should of been able to purchase what we want instead of this very limited choice. Don't get me wrong, I'm very grateful but money is money and for £528 I could get better than what the stores or online are offering. And I did check them all out and they all offer the same laptops, so editor you are wrong ? there is no choice.
Posted by: cheryl 19 Jun 2010
Just been to Comet for a computer under the Home Access Scheme. The only thing available was an ACER EXTENSA 5235 with 1GB Memory and 160GB storage priced in store at £429 but available at the full £400 of the grant we were given. When I asked if we could get the ACER AS1410T with 3GB memory and 160GB storage priced at £350 I was told no. When I asked about the ACER AS5332-313G50BN which has 3 GB memory and 500GB storage at £379 again I was told that the only computer available was the ACER EXTENSA 5235. The last two machines are cheaper and of a higher spec than the one being offered. The conclusion is that somewhere along the line the taxpayer is being cheated and the suspicion is created that dodgy deals were done between government and suppliers.
Posted by: Eugene Forrester 13 May 2010
the comments above are from people who are totally clueless. if they were to check all suppliers out they would find that they could get a dual core laptop with 2gb of memory. at the end of the day it is costing these people nothing and they still are not satisfied.
Posted by: pete 08 May 2010
Ive just received a home access grant and haven't got a clue what laptop to get ! There isn't many places that accept the grant and there is only a choice of 3 laptops how rubbish is that and every site i have tried so far are all sold out how does that figure ? They all come with Windows 7 which is confusing anyway so how do they expect a 7 year old to figure it out. Yeah its good that they are offering these grants as i wouldnt have been able to afford one by myself but its a lot of hassle. I now have to order one online and wont be able to haggle and get a decent deal on one.perhaps i shouldnt of bothered applying its more hassle than its worth.
Posted by: claire 05 May 2010
I would like to say that I fully agree with the previous comment about the retailers cashing in by supplying only a very limited range of home access grant available laptops ? all of which are extremely basic and can be bought for much less if paying with cash. The machines are dated models that are obviously surplus to last year's demands. A more advanced Toshiba with dual core was available a year ago cheaper than the Toshiba, which has half the memory capacity, offered under the grant system.
The grant should be flexible and allow parents to buy their children whichever laptop is best suited to their requirements. All the laptops available have small memories and cheap slow processors and are thus very limited in there functionality. A good idea but could have been better.
Posted by: Mr C 03 Apr 2010
Fantastic....However retailers are cashing in by overcharging for the computer .... Some make you pay an extra £29.00 and all the laptops on offer from all outlets can be purchased for less (up to £110 less) if you were to pay cash. The retailers are restricting the children to outdated machines and when you offer to pay the difference for a better machine they all say NO....In my opinion the suppliers are stealing from the Government and most importantly the children. Guidlines should say that the money can be used towards any computer equipment that is in the best interests for a child to learn on and if parents can add a few pounds more then a better machine would be an advantage. The machines are outdated now so next year they will be even more outdated and could be baught for half the price. .... Outright theft in my opinion by greedy retailers who are putting profit before the interest of childrens wellbeing. The old saying "Like taking candy from a child" is now a reality. Come on Mr Balls please use your name in support of our childrens needs and stop the retailers ripping us all off.
Posted by: Councillor Rod 23 Mar 2010
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