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!

cakey peoplein our schoolwereonly allowed on the PC if they werepredicted to get an A in maths. I wasn't so never gotto use it.Shame as at college I had an aptitude for IT.

DH apparently couldn't read much or do anything at school until hisnaprents bought him a ZX81 where he not only blossomed to the extent that he was offered a place on an IT degree (sadly got ill so couldn't go), it agev hima real interest and has set him up for life really. Even though now he is no longer an IT bod, his field is digitallighting so CAD and all that and his work is a net shop.

I know Peachy, I'm not disagreeing with you. I can see the value of them, especially with SENs.

It's just the whole 'throw money at the problem. let's buy everyone a computer' thing that gets to me a bit, when there are children leaving primary who can't even read properly. How is a laptop supposed to help them?

Also, I know I'm a cynic, and I really don't want to be in this case because I believe in giving children equal opportunities, but when the government starts talking about supplying special laptops and communications devices to disabled children, where it really could change someone's whole future, then maybe the little voice in my head will stop whispering "election gimmick".
Ds was lent a VOCA for a short while (he is non-verbal ASD), just a very basic machine, and we were told that it cost £6000 to buy! That's a lot harder for parents to scrimp and save for than an ordinary simple laptop.

Pixel oh I know(dd will probally hit 10 thousand) but the goverment couldn't care less.

We were told both the bloys would benefit from laptops at school too,not a vocal aid thankfully (DS3'slangauge is very delayed but present). But whilst I think there are mroe important things, i think it is of some importanceand far more important than someof the otehr crap that has money spent on it,IYSWIM.

I do think PCs help kids who struggle toread and write- well they did DH,and its pretty kuch the only medium ds3enagges with so certainly helps him that he can a bit on there: I can see ds3'sentire life neing based on some kindof seocnd life scenario tbh (modearte asd). Actually I can ds1 as well (ASD at the HF age, dyslexia,SPD).

You could save the cost by scrapping thsoe bitty savings accounts- that would pretty much cover it and guarantee some value from the money, by my reckoning the account ds3 has will be worth enough for two beers and aloaf when he hits 18 anyway LOL.

Looks like opinions are split on this. I have rung up for an application form but will decide later whether to actually apply.

For those interested, look at the Moneysavingexpert website thread "Free Computer & Internet Access for Children aged 7-14 of Low Income Families" where there are very detailed discussions about this, including from people who administer the scheme. Sorry I can't work out how to do a link

Looks like someone has already got their laptop and is eBaying it already!

cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120516765413

PS no it wasn't me
PPS no I don't agree with everything they say

at the ad!

On a more serious note, I called them today and it's first come first served - so if you can apply, do it soon!!

Don't agree with pc's helping kids to read and write at all,how do they? If they can't read they can't read what's on a pc. You can help children to read by exposing him/her to masses of free books from the library,hearing him read every night and supporting whatever phonic scheme your dc's school follow.

If a child is SEN that is a separate issue.

I think pcs detract from kids learning to read as they're less inclined to read at home erring more towards sitting on a computer at any given moment.

What exactly do you NEED a pc for? We were offline for a few weeks and other than doing my Xmas shopping and Mumsnetting none of us actually needed it.

I think it would be far better to ensure all schools had a fully equiped computer suite then pay a teaching assistant to cover an hour after school every evening so pupils could do any research they needed to then.

This scheme really is a shocking waste of money.

That wouldn't be advertising for that company would it?

On a forum that's been really pretty negative about the whole idea?

Surely no company would be so stupid!?!

But then it takes a pretty stupid company to register their home address with their domain name (and their mobile phone number too!).

So yes this company does appear to be that stupid.

So if NoNonsenseNancy is Mr Rose from Warwick, or one of his colleagues, will you please stop spamming this forum in an attempt to drum up some business and go and advertise properly.

"yet without it, the child will suffer in its education."

And more importantly Mr Rose won't make any money so as to afford to buy himself some genuine IT know how.

Amateurs.

Pah.

has this forum been negative about home access???

There's certainly been a fair number of negative comments...

oh
i found mn very helpful

whats negative?

What's negative is that some systems seem overpriced, most use MS Office (which continues a myth that you cannot do much without Microsoft's Office software, and ignores the alternative, OpenOffice which is FREE, so government funding is going to Microsoft from taxes, when it doesn't need to be spent on that at all).

In this particular case, I assume the owner of homeaccess4.me (a personal website) is owner of, or director of, nsoptimum.co.uk

Incidentally, since they are aiming at non-business users in this advertising campaign, they ought to get up-to-date on showing retail prices including VAT (and for good measure, show what delivery costs apply, so someone can compare them easily against any other approved suppliers).

Also, just started to look at their 295 (+VAT) PC as shown on front page with Windows 7 yet everywhere else (customisation) they go on about Vista. Unclear whether one will actually get Windows 7 or not, which is misleading, or incompetent, or both.
It seems that BECTA had 4 companies to consider in February and in early April they confirmed them. Sad that

... the most recent press release (and web pages I looked at) don't show the existing 6 companies which have been offering PCs for a few months now. Could not even see a BECTA press release from 2009 (December) when they had approved the previous 6.

Also confusing on BECTA website was how there's some report about "one year on" and some other press release about Gordon Brown announcing this scheme in January 2010. Don't know if someone should have written 2009, or what the accurate story is on this one. Difficult to guess from the pages I saw on the Becta web site.

That's not the company, that's someone from Labour!

Not technically "free" computers, though, are they?
The government have funded it with our taxes.

Free to the recipient family, but there were several pages of discussion I didn't read, to be honest, and that argument is a bit stale, IMO.

As for the websites (in the post that was deleted) the 'personal' website with the TLD of .me had an e-mail address of [email protected] as the registrant.

Whether the individual is involved with Labour is speculation, unless you know the man personally!