The Co-op Academies Trust has secured 1,000 electronic devices in order to support students who cannot access the internet at home during the Coronavirus school shutdown.

Across it’s 25 schools and colleges in some of the most economically challenged areas of Northern England, many students do not have laptops or tablets to connect to on-line lessons.

Students in Years 10,12 and five who have exams in the near future are being prioritised so they can benefit from the internet while studying at home.

Chris Tomlinson, CEO of the Co-op Academies Trust, said: “Despite the wonderful working being done by our teaching and  non-teaching colleagues to provide our students with on-line lessons it is no good if the children don’t have the necessary hardware to access the internet.

“I must pay credit to our support team who have done so well to procure these devices at a time when many other organisations are struggling to buy them.”