Access to technology is now integral to education. It underpins curriculum delivery, supports independent study, and forms a core part of how pupils prepare, participate, and progress. Yet for many children across the UK, this access remains uncertain. A lack of personal digital devices continues to limit opportunity and reinforce patterns of educational inequality.
The Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA) launched Tech4Learning in response to this structural challenge. The programme provides schools with a sustainable way to deliver one-to-one device access – ensuring that every pupil has the tools required to engage fully in their learning, regardless of background or financial circumstance.
On 15 May 2025, the DPA will exhibit at the Schools & Academies Show at ExCeL London, spotlighting Tech4Learning and engaging with school leaders, trusts, and system partners to explore how schools can move from short-term fixes to long-term strategies for digital inclusion.
Tech4Learning offers a clear and carefully designed model. Through a secure online platform, schools can raise voluntary contributions, maximise them through Gift Aid, and guarantee provision for all pupils in need – even where no contribution has been made on their behalf. A dedicated management portal supports oversight and accountability, allowing schools to track progress in real time and respond to emerging needs with confidence.
The urgency is well-evidenced. Research by the DPA shows that while 90 per cent of secondary school pupils are expected to complete online tasks every week, one in five still lack access to a suitable device at home. Without a deliberate and coordinated response, this gap will continue to shape outcomes – limiting attainment, restricting engagement, and entrenching disadvantage.
As part of the event’s agenda, Elizabeth Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of the Digital Poverty Alliance, will contribute to the session Moving Forward Together: The Importance of Raising Digital Inclusion to Improve Educational Outcomes in Your Setting, taking place in the EdTech Theatre from 14:50 to 15:20. The discussion will consider the underlying causes of digital exclusion, its implications for school cohesion and outcomes, the use of data to strengthen the case for edtech investment, and practical approaches to supporting digital literacy and uptake among disadvantaged or excluded pupils.
Throughout the day, members of the DPA team will be available to discuss the implementation of Tech4Learning with school leaders, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and education partners. As digital access becomes central to how schools teach, support, and assess their pupils, Tech4Learning provides a credible, scalable response – enabling schools to embed inclusion into the core of their provision, rather than addressing it at the margins.
To mark the event, the first 25 school leaders who book a Tech4Learning demo on the day will receive a complimentary smart speaker – a small token to spark a wider conversation about the power of access, engagement, and inclusion.