Home Access Project: Free computers for children

[Peaceflower]

After a series of pilot programmes, the Home Access Project is to be rolled out nationally. All qualifying children can apply for a free computer.

As a qualifying parent I wonder if I should apply, even though I already have a computer and internet access at home. According to the website, this does not preclude me applying. Would you apply if you were me - it would stop fights over whose turn it was!

There are access points at all public libraries, and I am always dubious about the value that primary age children get from researching and preparing homework on a computer. Usually it is mum/dad who have done the work.
Secondary schools have homework clubs and after school computer access, although I accept that it is more difficult for these students who do not have home interent access as they may need to rely on their parents to get them to the library - and this is difficult if your parents are working all day. Oh but these students don't qualify - silly me.

or if their parents are disabled, then they would. though the lazy feckers should transport them to the libraries on the back of their wheelchair instead huh

justgettingbymum.......parents who work will still be able to qualify....why do you assume its for non working families only ??

because ignorant people make assumptions without thinking or even considering the facts.

Criterai:

Quick eligibility check
Have a look eligibility requirements below. You may be able to qualify for a Home Access grant if you:
? Answer yes to three questions in Section one
AND
? Answer yes to at least one question in Section two

Section One:
Are you a parent or guardian responsible for and living with a child?..
?who is in school years 3 to 9?
?who attends a state-maintained school in England full time**?
?who has not already had a computer from a Home Access Grant or similar programme, such as Computers for Pupils?

Section Two:
Do you receive at least one of the following?
? Free school meals for your child*
? Income based Jobseeker?s Allowance
? Income support
? Child Tax Credit but not Working Tax Credit and an income of less than £16,040
? Guaranteed Pension Credit (not Savings Credit)
? Income-based Employment Support Allowance
? Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

our local library has ridiculous opening hours (village). and there are cues for the 6 computers they have. so thats not going to work for bitesize revision which dd is doing!

we are struggling with juggling our laptop between my dc. 3 have homework regularly...one of those is revising for her gcse's...a second computer would help us alot. might be the difference between grades for obtaining university entrance in the long run...

so that means it only non-working families then! typical the parents that go out to work and struggle to get by on exactly the same ammount they would recieve in benefits are excluded. Its a joke. waste of money.

give up your job and get a free fucking computer then.

this attitude that anyone claiming benefits is clealry just a lazy ponce really pisses me off.

its its all plasma tv's and handouts sign on then. that way you can have some jumped up checkout girl look down at you too.

i didn't say that! i just think that all the schemes which are available to non-working parents should also extend to parents who are on low incomes. free school meals, uniform grants, healthy start vouchers etc etc etc it does make people scared of going back to work because there is very little incentive when you loose access to things which can make a massive difference.

I think it's a good idea

Tiffany - my original op makes the point about GCSE students, I agree they do need home internet access.
Do the other secondary school DC not have acess to computers at/after school?

Mamazon - I didnt mention the disabled - but I do think taking the dc to the libray on your wheelchair would be feckless - paricularly in the snow.

after school clubs are great.....not if they have to catch a school bus to get home tho! once home (in the village) the library is full or about to close....

yo can be on income support and still work you know...

Acces tolocallinraries is not always an option

The ruralpoor are often the worst affected by policies, and many do not have a library, we'renot even that rural but ours is closing..... bus into town £3 a day, and you wouldn't necessarily send a compkid on that.

there'sloads to be gained from PC reseacrh- and I don't usually do it all.people who have access to a PC have better chances, of finding work, getting support for thsoe things that may prevent them finding work, keeping in touch with familly elsewhere.... things like BBC bitesize (which as student mentors we wereadvised to plug endlessly and helped me get my Maths sorted)

Working famillies are not a sanctified group that should be protected at allcosts and reduction of benefits to others. A large number of non working famillies have no choice in that matter becuase of illness, disability, caring roles, redundancy and that goes tenfold ATM- just yesterday 300 call centre workers near us were given their cards. And that'sjust the adults- the kids are not to blame.

I do agreewith admin changes- bul buying of PCs and loaning mind. I presume the loan thing is a long term cost V risk calculation, but the bulk buying seems obvious.

I'd much rather hand back the savings funds that ds3 and ds4 were given on birth than have poor kids going without a PC, we both workhard in different ways to get ourselves off qualifying for the neediest benefits (SE work, FT student, PT student and FT carer amongst the pair of us) but that doesn'tmean it is as easy for everyone else.

great, I'll apply for one when I'm made redundant (work for local government) due to government cuts - crazy world!

funny that they will fund pc's for nt kids.
but I have to lay out ten thousand pounds just so my dd can have a voice, the LEA won't pay.

RWU I dosee your POV- it seemssilly that ATM wecan get full CTB but not free school meals. I beleive in supporting people unable to work especially their children but I also believe in helping those struggling to find their way out. We just bought a new PC in the sales (without it DH's business would close- internet based and as Uni for him is 30 miles away too costly just to nip up to use PC) but we're lucky to be able to afford that (the benefits of being completely debt free when redundancy hit). Access to aPC is the biggest single factor in us not being a non working family,in fact.

That'swrong as well 2snowshoes,have you looked at tribunal to get it in her statement? SOS!SEN are good fighters IME.

a plus point to this also could be that during the day,the parents at home could use it.

am thinking along the lines of online courses and for jobseeking purposes if not in work. i know with a reliable,more up to date pc,then i would feel better equiped to do an online computer course.

we are fairly rural,so what peachy says makes sense to me.

whats the immigration and asylum bit mean at the end? without being prejudiced here,but if those entering the country had one,then they could use theirs to integrate into community and for help with language also.

i think their are many pluses to this scheme...

It also seemsone criteria is ESA,whi9ch themore I look seems related toworking,no?

peachy, i do think that access to a pc is important to everyone as well, BUT there are so many flaws here that will leave it open to abuse AND its just not fair that some people with the same income will not have access, it should be means tested to everyone iyswim- ie you apply, if your income is below x, which it would be for is, ja, esa etc and for working families on a low income, then you qualify. What is the point of work to some families if they can get no help to improve their own abilities and education.

ESA is the new incapacity benefit isn't it??

WSa from the webiste can be paid to people in work but unable to work for a period of time. That'sgotto helppeople stay in work and out ofdebt and long term benefit deopendency.

I do think earning famillies on a very low wage should have access to equalthings based on income, but working doesn't mean being employed in RL- I work as hard as a carer as I ever did in a job.

We wouldn't qualify for either and that's fine BTW. But I do think peopleneed tosee far beyond cant work becuase wont work as covering all non working famillies: it is far from the truth. And my limited energy is best IMOdiorected at helping those who cannot helpthemselves- which is that carer /disabledgroup I go on so often about yet who tend to fall by default under things like IS and benefits claimant and get the same flack

Is it really a good idea to give them laptops? We are constantly being told about the dangers of the internet and how we should have the family PC in the living room so that we know which sites our teenagers are accessing or if they have any dubious internet 'friends'. I'm not usually one for paedophile paranoia but these people who pose as teenagers to 'groom' young people often encourage them to be more secretive and this could be playing right into their hands.
Also, I'm old-fashioned and although I see there are huge educational benefits to having access to the internet I'm also a bit sad at what is being lost by making it the be all and end all in schools. I think you often learn about a subject more thoroughly by looking it up in a book than by skimming through tons of information until you get to the relevant bit and bang! homework done. It might just be the way I learn (maybe I'm a freak ) but I've always found that writing something out, especially if I've had to plan it out beforehand (like an essay) helps me to remember it for longer.
Ok, I know our children need to know about computers, dh works in IT and I certainly would hate to be without the internet and I absolutely know how fantastic they are. But, there seems to be this idea that if only every child had a computer then all the problems with our education system would be solved overnight, and it's just not true.

It helpsthough Pixel

Not everyone has that access to books- the very same children whose IT access is restricted by poverty,distance and provision would be those children.And how do wereserve books here if we cannot get to the library easily...auh yes online.

Ilovebooks,adore themeven, but in many cases they arenot enough.My last essay forexample wasn't allowed tocarry references above a decade old-and even then only if a notable researcher, in themain it ahd to be research- accessed through the college research search engine.

I'mnot a fan of laptops and chidlren eierh, I like our solid desktop in the main room sowe know they are on club penguin andnot you-tube. But acess to IT is another learning curve, a chance toread in a non-academic fashion (ds3 can read the newspapers on clubpenguiin,rather amazingly since he ahs ASSD and so far could only read the TV guide to spot night agrden or waybuloo!). DS1'sspelling (ASD and dyslexia) has jumped miles...... it'spart and not allof the story but its defintiely a leg up.

I find it really amazing that computers have so quickly taken over for homework etc. I'm not being snidey, I really mean it.

I bet that most of us over a certain age here only saw the one school computer when it was wheeled to your classroom once every six weeks I feel like a right old duffer!