The digital divide affects pupils at home and in school. Some students have reliable wi-fi and devices at home, while others lack internet access or a usable device both at home and school. According to the Communications and Digital Committee Digital Exclusion 2023 report, 1.7 million UK households lack broadband access. In 2022, the government promised that by 2025, all schools will have high-speed internet access as part of ‘Project Gigabit’. The surge of interest in AI for classroom use has led to an explosion of programmes and apps claiming to save teachers time on lesson planning and marking. However, if time is saved, it is also spent as teachers report more students using AI to ‘cheat’ on homework.
