Broadband access vital for poorer families, experts suggest

Having access to broadband at home can "make a real difference" to the children of disadvantaged households, a leading expert claims.

On March 11th, schools minister Jim Knight met with the first families to receive computer equipment as part of the £300 million Home Access programme.

Announced by prime minister Gordon Brown in September last year, the programme aims to enable access to the internet for the 35 per cent of families which currently cannot get the service.

Niel McLean, executive director at learning technology agency Becta, said the scheme is aimed at maximising information technology opportunities as there is "nothing quite like having your own machine in your home".

Mr McLean explained that this is "incredibly important" for future life and employment opportunities for the children as there are "some fantastic resources" online to learn about subjects such as geography, history and science.

"We've got evidence that shows that it is probably worth half a grade at GCSE difference, if you have access to resources- online revision sites and things like that. It really does make a difference to kids' achievement and life chances," he added.

According to advice from the government's Change4Life campaign, parents may find it useful to limit how long children spend online to a maximum of two hours per day.