Wiltshire Council to spend £1.1m on digital devices so struggling families can access remote education AS many children prepare to return to school today, a hearing has been told digital exclusion and home learning will remain a major ongoing issue for families. A Darlington Borough Council meeting heard while some 3,600 devices had been issued to schools and trusts in the council’s area by February, the figure was a Government estimate of the need in an area based on criteria such as free school meals. Educationalists, teachers and parents attending the meeting said the figure was a gross underestimate of what was needed to enable children to continue with lessons online, which councillors were told had become significantly longer and more complex since the first lockdown.