Campaigners are threatening legal action against the Government if it fails to step up its efforts to ensure all children can access remote education during the lockdown, however an MP has welcomed Government support to give every child in Stockton access to a remote education.

The Good Law Project has accused ministers of “forcing” poorer children and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) pupils to attend school at the height of the pandemic due to a shortage of digital devices.

Students in schools and colleges in England – except children of key workers and vulnerable pupils – have been told to learn remotely until mid-February due to tighter restrictions.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson confirmed to MPs on Wednesday that children who do not have access to technology are seen as vulnerable and can attend school in-person during the lockdown.

Government guidance says vulnerable children may include “pupils who may have difficulty engaging with remote education at home” due to a lack of devices or quiet space to study.

But the Good Law Project, a legal campaign group which has previously brought cases against Uber, says “parents should not have to choose between the education of their child and their family’s health”.

Government guidance says vulnerable children should be strongly encouraged to attend school during the lockdown, but parents who choose to keep children out of class will not be penalised.

In response to concerns that many pupils also lack a suitable device in order to study remotely, the Department for Education (DfE) has said it will deliver 100,000 laptops to students this week, with 50,000 sent to schools for distribution on Monday alone.

It is part of a scheme to distribute one million devices to students by the end of the academic year, which the DfE said had already seen 560,000 sent out by the end of 2020.

Matt Vickers, MP for Stockton South, however, welcomed measures the Government has put in place to ensure every student across Stockton receives a high-quality remote education while schools are closed.

To date, the Government has delivered over 560,000 devices to councils in England, with students in Stockton benefitting from the 472 devices provided to schools and colleges across Stockton.

Mr Vickers said: “The difficult decision to close schools and colleges was not taken lightly but is necessary if we are to keep the new variant of the virus at bay in Stockton and across the country.

“While nothing can ever replace the benefits of learning in a classroom for our children and young people, we will continue to do everything we can to make sure they have access to a high-quality remote education so they can receive the world class education that they deserve.”