The Jessica Bethell Charitable Foundation donates money for Laptops to three Schools, for home-learning amid COVID-19 lockdown

With schools across England once again closed due to the pandemic, many students still do not have access to a computer or laptop. James and Sally Bethell came up with the idea that this was a serious problem, and access to technology is needed urgently within a range of different schools.

Children’s education was being put into limbo because they could not participate in online lessons and complete work online.
We have donated £6,000 to The Wensleydale School & Sixth Form, the local secondary school in the Dales. After speaking to the head teacher Mrs Polley, she confirmed that she had over 18 children who still did not have access to a laptop or PC.

So, £5,000 will be used to buy laptops for the children, this making a massive different so the children can learn from home.

Mrs Polley also asked if we could use some of the money to help the children with mental wellbeing so £1,000 will be put towards counselling for their most vulnerable students, this provides 6 weeks’ worth of intensive 1:1s for students.

We then got in touch with an Owner from Hartlepool area – Mr Peter McMahon, where he works as a Vice head.

The school is in an area that unfortunately has seen numbers sore because of COVID-19 cases, and a school that was in a great need of help.
We have donated £5,000 to their school. The English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College, this enabling them to buy laptops for the children that are from low-income families and just do not own a computer or PC.

Also, we were able to get in touch with Cathy Baker, a friend that Jessica’s went to school with. Cathy a teacher herself now, put us in contact with a group of schools called the Outwood Academy Trust.

We contacted them and Katy Bradford Chief Operating Officer from the Outwood Grange Academies Trust gave us a list of schools and we were able to give £5,000 to the Outwood Grange Academy.

This school in Wakefield was in much need of some financial help, being in an area where schools are closed and pupils studying online at home, it is important to recognise the social gap in accessing technology.