More than 1,000 laptops and tablets have been made available for disadvantaged children through Swindon’s education authority since September. Department for Education data shows 1,090 laptops and tablets were sent to Swindon Borough Council or its maintained schools as of January 17. That was more than six times the 174 reported on January 12. The figures do not include those allocated to academy trusts, as they are not maintained by the council. Good causes in the borough are topping up these figures by organising their own appeals to provide schoolchildren with the top tech they need to learn from home during lockdown. The Highworth and District Lions Club called on people to donate secondhand working laptops for schools in the area.