Local London Assembly Member, Unmesh Desai AM, is encouraging local families and teachers to make the most of City Hall’s new London Learning at Home platform, during the current lockdown. Mr Desai is also calling upon the Government to further expand its scheme of providing laptops and internet access to disadvantaged families, so that more children in Newham can use this, and other, vital resources.
With schools currently closed, London Learning at Home provides educational resources to help young Londoners studying the social and cultural history of the capital, as part of the London Curriculum.
The online portal, developed in conjunction with museums and cultural institutions across London, has been designed to supplement the remote learning materials currently being offered by the Department for Education.
Meanwhile, the latest Government guidance specifies that care leavers, children and young people with a social worker and disadvantaged year 10 pupils are all eligible to receive free digital devices and internet access to help them to learn remotely. With the latest figures from End Child Poverty revealing that during 2017/2018 52% of children in Newham were recorded to be living in poverty, after housing costs, Mr Desai urged the Government to extend the scheme to many other disadvantaged groups of young people.
In addition, local vulnerability profiles published by the Children’s Commissioner show that there are hundreds of children in the borough without access to a fast and reliable internet connection.
The London Curriculum, rolled out by City Hall, offers free lesson plans and activities for teachers to use at Key Stage 2 and 3 levels, covering a range of subject areas related to the capital.
Local London Assembly Member, Unmesh Desai AM, said:
“Teachers planning lessons remotely, and parents and carers supporting their children’s education at home, are doing a fantastic job. This is a challenging time, however, with schools likely to be closed for the foreseeable future.
“This learning resource could help to alleviate some of the strain.
“Whilst it is important that children and young people are not overloaded with school work, London Learning at Home provides some extra choice and variety in their curriculum. It also gives pupils the opportunity to learn about our capital’s history and culture, after all this is their heritage.
“We need extra measures to ensure those families struggling financially right now are better supported. That’s why I’m urging the Government to expand its existing technological support scheme to more disadvantaged families. This will ensure that children from all backgrounds can continue to learn remotely through this pandemic and reach their academic potential”.
Notes to editors
- City Hall’s London Learning at Home platform can be accessed here;
- The national list of online learning resources published by the Department for Education can be found here;
- The latest Government guidance regarding the technological support scheme that have put in place for children and schools can be found here;
- The latest borough-by-borough child poverty figures published by the End Child Poverty covering the 2017/2018 period, can be found here;
- More information about the London Curriculum can be found here;
- Unmesh Desai AM is the London Assembly Member for City & East London.