New research from the education charity Teach First has found that over a third of parents say they have at least one child with no exclusive use of a device for schoolwork. The research found that 10% of parents say they have at least one child sharing with siblings, 13% sharing with other adults in the household, and 6% with no access to a device at all.

During the first lockdown the government pledged 600,000 devices for children so that learning could be moved online in the wake of school closures. However, almost a year later and the government has failed to deliver.

At the start of the first lockdown the government promised 600,000 laptops and devices for children across the country so that they could access online learning when schools closed. The majority of children across the country will be learning from home over the coming weeks and the government are still yet to deliver the devices promised to struggling communities.

In October, ahead of the Comprehensive Spending Review, Jon Cruddas MP co-signed a letter calling on the Department for Education to extend Free School Meal provision to more children in poverty.

Free School Meals were first established in 1906 and despite the changing eligibility requirements, the premise for doing so has remained constant- to provide a nutritional meal to children in order for them to learn and develop in and out of school.

Jon Cruddas MP is inviting everyone in Dagenham and Rainham to get involved in this year’s UK Parliament Week and join a UK-wide conversation about our democracy, people power and making change happen.

UK Parliament Week is an annual festival organised by the UK Parliament Education and Engagement Team, a service of the House of Commons and the House of Lords which seeks to inform and educate all citizens about the work and role of the UK Parliament.