Laptops/iPads handed out to school pupils in Scotland since the 2021: FOI release

Information requested

1.    How many laptops/iPads have been handed out to school pupils in Scotland since the 2021 promise by the SNP? Breakdown by region and year if possible.
2.    How many pupils are there in Scotland in each region that are eligible for laptops? What percentage of pupils in each region have received their laptop?
3.    How much money has been spent on this policy? Breakdown by year and what it has been spent on?
4.    How much is it estimated to cost overall to supply every school pupil with a laptop and how much has been allocated for this policy over the next year?

Response

Each of your questions are answered below.

1. How many laptops/iPads have been handed out to school pupils in Scotland since the 2021 promise by the SNP? Breakdown by region and year if possible. 

Whilst our aim is to provide information wherever possible, this is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested, specifically relating to the number of devices distributed since 2021, broken down by region and year. 

This is because we are continuing work to develop delivery plans in partnership with COSLA and local authorities, including phasing and funding options for this commitment. 

Local authorities have a statutory duty to deliver education in their area and will invest and distribute devices in line with their own digital inclusion strategies. We do not hold information on individual authorities and schools’ digital strategies. 

 

2. How many pupils are there in Scotland in each region that are eligible for laptops? What percentage of pupils in each region have received their laptop? 

Annex A provides a breakdown of pupils in each local authority, as per the most recent pupil census. The table also contains a breakdown of devices distributed from Scottish Government digital inclusion funding provided in 2020/21, as a result of school closures caused by the pandemic. 

Local authorities have also distributed devices to learners via their own programmes and budgets. As above, we do not hold information on individual authorities and schools’ digital strategies. 

 

3. How much money has been spent on this policy? Breakdown by year and what it has been spent on? 

The Scottish Government provided over £20m to local authorities in 2020/21 for devices. This resulted in over 72,000 pupils receiving a tablet or laptop to tackle digital exclusion. The funding also provided 14,000 internet connections. 

There has been no further Scottish Government funding for devices and/or connectivity since then. 

 

4. How much is it estimated to cost overall to supply every school pupil with a laptop and how much has been allocated for this policy over the next year? 

The Capital Spending Review, published in May 2022, set out high level spending plans for capital from 2023-24 to 2025-26 and provided an indicative allocation of £140 million to support the rollout of digital devices. 

The budget published in December 2022 allocated £13 million budget for 2023/24.

Annex A 

The following table shows the number of pupils as per the 2022 pupil census (published in March 2023 – available at the following link on the Scottish Government website - http://bitly.ws/Hcdy ), along with the number of devices distributed as a result of the funding in 2020/21, broken down by each local authority. 

Please note that these figures do not reflect the additional devices that have or are in the process of being distributed by local authorities in line with their own budgets and digital strategies. 

Local Authority	Pupils (as at March  2023)	Devices Distributed in  2020/21	Percentage Per Head (March  2023)
Aberdeen City	25,143	1,777	7%
Aberdeenshire	36,812	5,008	14%
Angus	15,013	2,420	16%
Argyll and Bute	9,994	1,317	13%
City of Edinburgh	53,580	2,605	5%
Clackmannanshire	6,666	828	12%
Dumfries and Galloway	18,562	2,371	13%
Dundee City	18,472	2,050	11%
East Ayrshire	16,149	1,837	11%
East Dunbartonshire	17,405	1,015	6%
East Lothian	15,092	1,806	12%
East Renfrewshire	17,672	623	3%
Falkirk	21,663	1,840	8%
Fife	49,621	5,465	11%
Glasgow City	71,342	7,240	10%
Highland	30,649	4,499	15%
Inverclyde	9,648	1,107	11%
Midlothian	13,948	1,235	9%
Moray	12,212	1,315	11%
Na h-Eileanan Siar	3,271	357	10%
North Ayrshire	17,691	1,734	10%
North Lanarkshire	48,742	6,026	12%
Orkney Islands	2,796	275	10%
Perth and Kinross	18,069	1,507	8%
Renfrewshire	24,073	1,800	7%
Scottish Borders	14,296	316	2%
Shetland Islands	3,290	475	14%
South Ayrshire	14,223	1,512	10%
South Lanarkshire	45,862	5,544	12%
Stirling	12,775	1,794	14%
West Dunbartonshire	12,226	2,084	17%
West Lothian	27,741	2,905	10%
Total	704,698	72,687

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.