Electronic devices provided to primary schools: FOI release

Information requested

“Information relating to iPads, tablets and laptops provided to primary schools in Scotland. In particular, we require the following information:

1. Information including sight of any written or electronic communication detailing the number of iPads and/or tablets and/or laptops which have been provided to primary schools.

2. Information including sight of any written or electronic communication detailing the primary schools who have received iPads and/or tablets and/or laptops and how many of each they have received.

3. Information including sight of any written or electronic communication detailing funding provided to each council for provision of iPads and/or tablets and/or laptops. We request the above information from April 2021 to date.”

Response

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have some of the information you have requested. However, you may wish to contact individual local authorities who may be able to help you.

I have provided the information we do hold in the response below and have indicated where exemptions apply.

1. Information including sight of any written or electronic communication detailing the number of iPads and/or tablets and/or laptops which have been provided to primary schools (from April 2021 to date).
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 provided to primary schools

Information from local authorities, gathered in early 2022, estimated that around 280,000 devices had been provided to learners at this point. We do not know how many of these devices sit within the primary estate or how this number has changed to the date of this request. Local authorities are best placed to provide more recent figures on the number of devices within their primary school estates.

2. Information including sight of any written or electronic communication detailing the primary schools who have received iPads and/or tablets and/or laptops and how many of each they have received (from April 2021 to date).
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 hold the information you requested. Local authorities are responsible for the management of digital devices for education and are therefore the owners of information relating to them; such as number of devices and their location. This information is not gathered by Scottish Government at a national level.

3. Information including sight of any written or electronic communication detailing funding provided to each council for provision of iPads and/or tablets and/or laptops (from April 2021 to date).
Scottish Government has not provided any specific funding for digital devices between April 2021 and the date of this request. We do not hold information on the amount of funding which councils have allocated from local budgets to support the provision of devices.

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.