Gov Commit £45m for Better Internet Connectivity in Around 1,000 UK Schools

The UK Government’s Department for Education (DfE) has today committed to invest £45 million into improving internet connectivity and further plans to make digital standards a requirement for all schools across the country, which includes fibre broadband upgrades for 833 schools. The goal is to help close the remaining digital divide.

As part of this, the Government will today launch a new public consultation – open for 8 weeks – that aims to gather views on a long-term ambition for all schools and colleges to meet six core digital standards by 2030, which cover the foundations of good tech – “ensuring essential technology infrastructure and connectivity, digital security and leadership“.

In order to back schools in delivering this, the government is investing £45m to boost school infrastructure, including £25m to upgrade wireless networks this year – helping get classrooms online and boosting standards where it is most needed. This is the latest phase of funding for the programme that has already improved connectivity for more than 1.3 million pupils in 3,700 schools. That’s on top of £20m to complete delivery of fibre upgrades to 833 schools.

One example of how the new investment under the ‘Connect the Classroom‘ scheme may help comes from the South Wirral High School. Before the installation, their WiFi was unreliable, which negatively impacted teaching and learning. But since the installation in January 2024, they now have reliable Wi-Fi coverage throughout the school, including every classroom, staff rooms and faculty offices. Staff are now able to access resources and do their lesson planning anywhere in the school and technology can be embedded into any lesson.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:

“We are modernising our education system with a digital revolution in classrooms – improving children’s life chances through higher standards of teaching and learning.

I won’t tolerate a system where some children benefit from innovation whilst others are left disconnected, and I am determined to level the playing field. That means secure and accessible technology for every school and the right support for teachers and leaders to help us break the link between background and success as we deliver on our Plan for Change.”

The DfE said their aim is for every school to have the right infrastructure to “allow them to make the most of modern digital technology, including generative AI, for their students“. The current approach to helping schools with their technology focuses around a) Setting standards and providing support and, b) Targeted investment on connectivity.

The government acknowledged that the digital divide “exists beyond the gates” of a school and college, so they are also working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) on “national plans for digital inclusion“.