What proportion of the children in your school have a computer and Internet access at home? With lots of schools introducing virtual learning environments to support learning outside of the classroom, what happens to those children who don’t have the right equipment?

From the Home Access site…

‘Home Access is a government drive which will help low-income families to get access to a computer and the internet to get online at home.

If you are a low income family in receipt of certain benefits you could qualify for a grant to buy a computer and/or a minimum of one years’ internet access. The programme is aimed at those that need it most and targets families that do not have access to a computer or the internet at home.’

Parents who would like to find out more should visit www.homeaccess.org.uk. Schools can help to support the scheme by visiting the partner area and requesting promotional materials. You can also download 10 handy sheets which explain the scheme in detail at Keen2Learn.

UPDATE – This offer has now ended.

I have mentioned the wonderful site Superclubs Plus before on this blog and my own ‘MrWarner.com’ blog. The site, created by Intuitive Media is a social networking site for children, giving them access to email, forums, web site creation tools, competitions, surveys, ICT challenges, author interviews and much MUCH more… all within a safe moderated environment.

The children at my school have been using Superclubs Plus for many years and it is always incredibly popular. We use it reguarly to develop the children’s ICT skills and to support our work on Internet safety. If you haven’t tried it out with your primary pupils (aged from 6 to 11), then I highly recommend it.

If your children are too old for Superclubs Plus, why not try out Gold Star Cafe (suitable for ages 11 to 14). It’s just like Superclubs Plus, but has lots more ‘cool stuff’ for older pupils to enjoy.