The government hadÌýstill not hit its free laptop delivery target a week after all pupils were due to returnÌýto schools, new data shows.
As of 8pm on Sunday 14 March, the Department for Education (DfE) had delivered or dispatched 1,267,451 laptops and tabletsÌýto schools, colleges, local authorities and academy trusts.
This means it still hasÌýto deliver 32,549 of theÌý1.3 million devices pledged for disadvantaged children.
The news comes asÌýÌýpublished today show the company chosen by the government to deliver the free laptops scheme has seen a huge boost to its pre-tax profits.
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Computacenter, which was controversially awarded the originalÌýÌýwithout tender in April last year, made £206.6 million in pre-tax profit in the year to December 2020, up from £141 million in 2019 -Ìýa rise of 46.5 per cent.
The DfE data also shows that theÌýlaptop delivery rate has fallenÌýsignificantly for a second week running.
Last week, the DfE sent out 16,713 devices, down from 33,544 between 28 February and 7 March.
In the two weeks prior to 28 February -Ìýwhich included the half-term break -Ìýthe DfE delivered around 160,000 laptops at a rate of 80,000 per week.
