London's largest college group, where the majority of students are from poor backgrounds, is appealing for help to get pupils online to prevent them falling further behind in the event of a second lockdown.
Capital City College Group (CCCG) is calling on businesses and the community to help provide 2,500 computers and tablets for students, and to raise £250,000 to buy more equipment to enable students to study at home.
Two thirds of students at the three colleges that make up CCCG are classed as being in the bottom three bands of social deprivation.
Nearly one third of the 29,000 students have to share a computer, laptop or tablet with their family and more than a quarter are accessing online lessons on their mobile phones.
Eight per cent have no technology to access online lessons at all.
The three colleges — City and Islington College, Westminster Kingsway College and the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London — will begin to reopen next week, but some lessons will still be held remotely.
The colleges are asking for new laptops or tablets for students or a financial donation towards providing this equipment.
The group has already raised more than £186,000 to help 577 students to buy laptops since March.
