95% of sixth-form teachers warn lack of laptop access harms children’s prospects for work and university

Almost all sixth-form teachers believe a lack of access to a keyboarded device would, at least to some extent, negatively impact a student’s ability to apply for work, university and further education opportunities, according to a major new schools census commissioned by the Digital Poverty Alliance.

The research found that 95% of sixth-form teachers believe lack of access to a suitable laptop or desktop device harms children’s future prospects to some degree. While 30% of teachers said at least 10 pupils they teach lack access to a suitable device or reliable internet connection at home, creating a ‘keyboard gap’ in education that threatens to entrench inequality.

The findings highlight the scale of digital exclusion across classrooms nationwide. The research covers children aged between 5 and 17 years old across the UK. With the average primary school class containing 26.4 pupils and the average secondary school classroom containing 22.5 pupils, the data suggests at least a third of children in classrooms are impacted by digital poverty.

Elizabeth Anderson, CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, said: 

“This is no longer simply an issue of digital access, it is an issue of educational equality and future opportunity that will only fuel the UK’s youth unemployment crisis. A child’s ability to succeed at school or prepare for adulthood should not depend on whether their family can afford or access a laptop.

“Digital exclusion is rapidly becoming one of the defining educational inequalities facing young people across the UK, who are now facing an immanent keyboard gap with long-term consequences for opportunity, skills and social mobility.

“We want to see the Department for Education and Devolved Administrations introduce a statutory digital schools census to zero-in on the issue and set meaningful targets to end device sharing and the reliance on smartphones in schools, in order to provide every child with equal opportunity.”

The report found that homework and coursework are increasingly moving online, creating growing challenges for families without reliable access to suitable technology. Seven in 10 parents said homework has now moved online, while almost half (45%) said their child is required to use online portals to submit coursework or homework. Among families using online learning systems, 84% said children are expected to access them outside designated learning hours.

Teachers also warned that smartphones are not an adequate substitute for a suitable keyboarded device. Fewer than one in 10 teachers believe students would be able to complete all of their coursework using only a smartphone.

Many families also reported children sharing devices within households. Among parents whose child has access to a laptop, over a third (33%) the device must be shared with others in the household. Among families with desktop computers, over 2/5ths (43%) said the device is shared.

Just under half of parents (46%) said they had spoken to their child’s school about issues accessing devices needed for coursework or homework, including 11% who said they do so frequently. Digitally disengaged parents were significantly more likely to report problems accessing suitable technology, with 69% saying they had spoken to their child’s school about device access issues.

Many families reported having no access to a laptop or desktop computer at home, rising to almost one-third among families eligible for Free School Meals or those with children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The findings also reflect wider concerns around access to further education and digital learning. Research from Jisc found that 37% of university students lacked access to a suitable device at some point during their studies, affecting their ability to learn, while 60% reported Wi-Fi connectivity issues either on or off campus.

The same research found digital skills support remains uneven in higher education, with 55% of students receiving guidance on course-related digital skills, 37% receiving support developing digital skills for employment, and only 27% having opportunities for formal certification or accreditation in digital skills.

The report comes as young people face mounting pressures entering the workforce. Office for National Statistics (ONS) data found that 1,012,000 people aged 16–24 were not in education, employment or training (NEET) between January and March 2026, equivalent to 13.5% of that age group.

At the same time, government-backed AI labour market research found that 97% of organisations identified at least one AI-related skills gap within their workforce, while 57% reported technical AI skills shortages specifically.

Engineering services and nuclear company AtkinsRéalis sponsored the research to strengthen the evidence base on digital exclusion and better understand its scale. As an organisation working across infrastructure and engineering, it has a long-term interest in developing a diverse workforce with the digital skills the UK needs for growth.

Elizabeth Anderson added: 

“Education, further education and employment are all becoming increasingly digital, yet too many young people are still being left behind because they lack access to the technology needed to participate fully. Digital exclusion is no longer just an education issue. It is becoming a barrier to skills, opportunity and employment at every stage of life.

“If we are serious about tackling educational inequality, improving social mobility and preparing young people for the future workforce, then ending the keyboard gap and ensuring every child has access to a suitable device must become a national priority.”

The Digital Poverty Alliance is calling for a national “Laptop for Every Child” programme targeted at areas facing the highest levels of digital poverty and educational disadvantage, alongside a statutory digital school’s census to better understand the scale of the issue nationwide.