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This is quite an extraordinary statement when you consider the numerous debacles that have led us to this point. Quick whistle-stop tour for you here... https://www.tes.com/news/gibb-free-laptops-scheme-great-success-story 1/11
Ten days after the laptops scheme was announced on 19 April, @GavinWilliamson said the devices wouldn't begin to arrive until the end of May, with the majority delivered in June. As a reminder, schools closed on 20 March https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-williamson-no-free-laptops-until-end-may 2/11
On 9 June, @Meg_HillierMP, @UKLabour chair of the @CommonsPAC, raised concerns about delays to the scheme. But @GavinWilliamson hit back, arguing that @educationgovuk was "on target" to deliver all the devices by the end of the month https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-free-lockdown-laptops-are-not-late-government-insists 3/11
Fast forward five days, and just over half of the free laptops pledged by the department had yet to be delivered. That target was starting to look like a bit of a stretch https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-school-closures-over-half-free-laptops-left-deliver-2-weeks 4/11
Meanwhile, heads complained that the free laptops for disadvantaged pupils were arriving at schools "locked" and unusable. Not ideal, to say the least https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-frustration-dfe-free-laptops-arrive-locked 5/11
The DfE went on to miss @GavinWilliamson's end-of-June delivery target by nearly 30,000 https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-dfe-misses-free-laptops-target-nearly-30000 6/11
In July, @tes revealed that the government allocated at least 4,000 fewer free laptops and tablets than councils said they needed https://www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-revealed-how-dfe-free-laptops-failed-match-need 7/11
And in the week before pupils were due to go back to school in September, the DfE had still yet to meet the target it set to deliver 230,000 laptops by the end of June https://www.tes.com/news/dfe-fails-hit-laptops-target-schools-reopen 8/11
A further 340,000 devices have been purchased by the DfE this term. But frustration struck again when the department cut schools' laptop allocations just a day after they were given a legal duty to ensure pupils had instant access to remote education https://www.tes.com/news/anger-massive-dfe-cut-school-laptop-allocations 9/11
So what did @NickGibbUK have to say when asked about the scheme today?
"I do hope you will look into what happened, because it's a great success story for this country to have procured so many computers in such a short time." 10/11
"I do hope you will look into what happened, because it's a great success story for this country to have procured so many computers in such a short time." 10/11
The free laptops scheme has been many things, but a "great success story"? I'm not so sure. 11/11
