Nottingham teenagers who don’t have a computer at home could be given one to help them with school work and improve education attainment. Nottingham City Council has received £1.8 million Government funding to provide computers or laptops with internet access to at least 2,200 secondary school pupils in the city.

The first computers are being distributed on Monday (Feb 25) to pupils aged 12 to 15 at 20 City schools. The pupils will keep the computers while they are studying for GCSEs and will returned them to schools once they have taken their exams.

The Council will also provide details of computer training sessions in every neighbourhood so that the whole family can get maximum benefit while they have the computers in their homes The City Council is providing Internet connections in homes where it is not already available through telephone or TV channels and is providing every family with a computer training session, either in their home or through schools. .

All the computers have anti-theft and tracking devices. The City Council has worked with Notts Police to make sure all the computers will have Smartwater identity markings and can be recovered if they are lost or stolen.

Councillor Jane Urquhart, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio holder for Children’s Services, said giving computers to pupils who would not otherwise have access to one at home meant they had the same opportunities as their peers.

"It will have a huge impact on education, help all pupils to learn, revise and complete homework effectively and, as a result, achieve their full potential. It will also encourage pupils and their families to become computer literate and get the computer skills that are in general use today.

"Research shows there is a significant social divide between those who have computers at home and those who don’t so giving all pupils the same chance to use computers at home gives them an equal chance to improve their achievements at school."

The national Computers for Pupils scheme aims to help families living in the most deprived areas in England to get the benefits of having a computer and safe internet access at home. Regular use of computers helps raise education standards. It improves information and communication technology skills, gives pupils additional ways of learning, helps them with homework and revision and increases their motivation to learn.

The eligibility criteria for pupils receiving computers has been laid down by the DCSF. Children must live in the most deprived wards in the country and be eligible for free school meals. The final considerations are whether pupils already have access to a home computer and if not, whether having a computer at home would help them to make the most of their opportunities at school.

Home-school agreements giving clear guidelines on safe and appropriate use of the internet have been drawn up and parents will be encouraged to keep in contact with schools on line. The guidelines highlight the risks of internet use and how they can be reduced.

Nottingham City Council has been developing the Computers for Pupils project for the past 12 months, consulting with schools, parents and pupils about specific equipment and software and with suppliers Stone computers. All the machines will be fitted with Becta accredited internet filter systems.

Richard Matthews, Education Director at Stone Computers, said: “Stone Computers has been delivering Computers for Pupils projects since August 2007 and we’ve been really impressed with the holistic approach that Nottingham City Council has taken to the scheme.”

Niel McLean, Executive Director at Becta said: “I welcome this announcement which is part of a nationwide initiative to give pupils access to computers at home. Providing access at home can positively help children’s education by motivating them to learn and develop ICT and life skills. The whole family, school and wider community can also benefit through increased involvement in the education of their children and better communication between the school and home.”