Global electronic liquidity provider XTX Markets is
donating £100,000 to provide 200 Sutton Trust students with
laptops and internet-enabled dongles, it was announced
today.
The devices will make sure that students who face barriers
to digital access are able to continue their learning and take
part in Sutton Trust Online this summer. Sutton Trust
Online has been developed in partnership with Bloomberg LP to
support year 12 students (16- and 17-year olds) across the UK in
the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
The platform will incorporate all the features of the
Trust’s flagship Summer School programme, including academic
content, advice and guidance on applications and student finance,
plus an insight into what university life is like.
Sutton Trust research has found that 15% of teachers in
deprived schools say more than a third of their students learning
from home do not have adequate access to an electronic device.
Without adequate resources, poorer students risk falling further
behind as they can’t access learning and support
online.
Recent IFS
data suggests that a quarter of the poorest
schools in the UK saw less than a fifth of eligible pupils
return, which means that children struggling the most to cope
with home learning remain at home while their better-off
classmates are back in the classroom.
A Sutton Trust survey of over 12,000 programme applicants
showed that 19% have very limited access to shared devices in
their households, with some pupils only able to spend as little
as one hour a day in independent study.
The donation from XTX Markets means that 200 disadvantaged
students will not only be able to access remote learning, but
also Sutton Trust online. The devices will be sent directly to
students’ homes.
Sutton Trust students who need a device will be eligible
for the scheme, and will be able to keep the laptops and dongles
after their programme has finished in order to overcome digital
access barriers to their studies.
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman and founder of the Sutton
Trust and chairman of the Education Endowment Foundation,
said:
“Access to a device and a good internet connection is
critical for mitigating the impact of school closures on the most
disadvantaged pupils. We are incredibly grateful to XTX Markets
for their generous donation. This will ensure that hundreds
of the most disadvantaged students will be able to access our
summer school programmes online this year.
“These students will be able to use these devices to access
remote learning too, so that they can keep up with their peers
when they return to the classroom.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
-
XTX Markets have already funded maths-focused Sutton
Trust Summer Schools to ensure that first-generation university
applicants who are interested in maths, finance and business
have the opportunity to experience a taste of university
life.
-
The Sutton Trust surveyed a pool of 12,603 programme
applicants and found that 19% were required to share devices
with siblings and others in the household. The time available
for study and online programmes was limited to less than 3
hours a day for 1000 of those students and less than 1 hour a
day for 93 students.
-
6,000 students this year will take part in a Sutton Trust
programme experience through our new digital
platform, Sutton Trust
Online.
-
Since 1997, over 25,000 young people have taken part in a
Sutton Trust Summer Schools. Research by Higher Education
Access Tracker has shown that 93% of Sutton Trust students
moved from the lowest to the highest socio-economic groups
after leaving university.
