The modern classroom increasingly relies on digital infrastructure – not as a supplement, but as a foundation for teaching, learning, and participation. Yet for many pupils in the UK, this foundation remains out of reach. Digital poverty is not a peripheral issue. It is a structural challenge that determines who can engage fully with the curriculum and who is left behind
These disparities are underscored by data. According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations report, around six per cent of UK households still lack reliable internet access. The Sutton Trust found in its study on remote learning that nearly one in five pupils from low-income families lacked regular access to a suitable device for learning, compared to just three per cent of their more affluent peers. These inequalities are systemic, and without sustained intervention, they risk becoming entrenched. The absence of home connectivity and digital tools hinders not only students’ ability to complete assignments but also their broader digital skill development, affecting future employability and civic participation.
A pledge to tackle digital inclusion
Published in February 2025, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps outlines the UK Government’s initial commitments to addressing digital exclusion. While it does not contain education-specific interventions, it introduces five immediate actions – including support for local initiatives, enhancing digital skills, piloting device donation schemes, improving accessibility of government services, and gathering evidence to understand what works. These priorities offer a valuable foundation upon which schools and local authorities can build. Aligning local efforts with this national direction reinforces the vital role that education plays in the UK’s ambition to ensure equitable access to the digital world.
To capitalise on this opportunity, schools need both strategic clarity and operational support. Local authorities and multi-academy trusts should be encouraged to develop digital inclusion policies aligned with national guidance. These should include clear criteria for identifying digital exclusion, plans for technology provision, and pathways for upskilling educators. National coordination could enable bulk purchasing of devices and subsidised broadband, reducing costs and standardising provision. These investments, when paired with effective delivery mechanisms, ensure that no child is left behind due to preventable digital barriers.
Digital inclusion intersects with broader aspects of student welfare. Increasingly, pastoral support services rely on digital platforms to reach students and their families. Schools with strong digital infrastructures are better placed to monitor attendance, share resources with parents, and provide mental health support.
A holistic approach
Embedding digital literacy across the curriculum is key to long-term inclusion. This means not only teaching digital skills in Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education or Computing, but integrating media literacy, online critical thinking, and foundational understanding of artificial intelligence into core subjects. Bridging the digital divide demands more than access – it demands confidence and competence among students and staff. A digitally fluent pupil is better prepared to interpret, question, and engage with the online world in all its complexity.
In English, pupils can explore the ethical implications of AI-generated content. In science, they might work with data analysis tools. In citizenship, they could investigate the social consequences of algorithmic bias and misinformation. Embedding digital literacy in this way builds critical thinking and resilience, helping students navigate an increasingly complex digital world. Moreover, it promotes cross-curricular links, enriching students’ understanding through real-world application.
Teachers are crucial
Teachers play a pivotal role in this transformation. According to research by the British Educational Suppliers Association, the most effective digital strategies combine investment in devices with sustained professional development. Teachers must feel equipped not only to use technology effectively, but to integrate it meaningfully into their pedagogy. Professional learning communities can support this by offering forums for reflection, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing. When educators are empowered, their students benefit.
Professional development must also be inclusive. It should accommodate educators in under-resourced schools who may face greater barriers to participation. Centralised support – from virtual training platforms to Department for Education-backed programmes – can ensure that no teacher is left behind in the national effort to advance digital capability. Providing teachers with consistent access to digital resources and timely guidance empowers them to innovate in the classroom and adapt to emerging technologies with confidence. Tailored training pathways that align with each school’s context can help bridge practice gaps and nurture digital leadership across the profession.
Measurement tools
To ensure resources reach the pupils who need them most, measurement must be improved. A school-level benchmark for digital poverty – defined by whether students have access to a personal keyboarded device and fixed internet at home – would help schools to target interventions. Recent guidance from the Department for Education reinforces the need for robust infrastructure audits, supported by a £45 million investment to improve school connectivity, including £25 million for wireless networks and £20 million for fibre upgrades. These efforts are further supported by the DfE’s consultation on digital and technology standards in schools and colleges, aimed at narrowing the digital divide through consistent national frameworks and expectations. Such metrics provide decision-makers with a clear picture of where needs are concentrated and how best to respond.
Understanding digital exclusion also requires recognising its entanglement with other forms of disadvantage. Pupils facing housing insecurity, language barriers, or additional needs are often those most at risk. Schools that take an intersectional approach are better positioned to offer effective, tailored support. At a systems level, this also creates a stronger evidence base to inform national policy. This data-driven approach allows for more nuanced interventions, where resource allocation is tailored to local challenges and school-specific conditions. Holistic strategies that account for digital and social inequalities in tandem are more likely to succeed.
The power of partnerships
Schools should also build partnerships beyond the classroom. As noted in the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee report Digital exclusion in the UK, collaborative approaches between schools, local authorities, and voluntary organisations are more sustainable and impactful. In rural or economically deprived communities, local coordination can mean the difference between access and exclusion. Engagement with families further strengthens these initiatives, promoting trust and holistic development. Effective partnership working draws on local knowledge, creating networks of support that are embedded in community realities. These networks also enhance a school’s ability to respond rapidly during crises – such as the COVID-19 pandemic – when remote learning becomes a necessity rather than an option.
A national programme of media literacy would further support these goals. Taught within mainstream, mandatory subjects, such a programme would equip all pupils to navigate digital spaces with discernment and confidence. In an era of misinformation, algorithmic influence, and AI-generated content, this is not just about digital competence – it is a civic imperative. Moving media literacy out of optional modules and embedding it systematically across the curriculum ensures that every child is prepared for digital citizenship.
The pace of technological change demands forward-thinking from the education sector. Cloud platforms, AI tools, and immersive environments are increasingly part of the learning landscape. Schools must prepare students not only to use these technologies, but to understand their implications. This requires both policy foresight and inclusive planning. Ensuring equitable access to future technologies must be a matter of strategic priority, not reactive policy.
Digital poverty in schools is not a marginal concern – it is central to educational equity. By embedding digital skills in the curriculum, investing in staff development, measuring access accurately, and building cross-sector partnerships, schools can realise the promise of inclusion. Through strategic alignment with frameworks like DSIT’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan, the UK can create an education system where every learner, regardless of background, has the opportunity to thrive.
