SCHOOLS in North Craven have been given £4,600 from The Rotary Club of Settle to help provide electronic devices to pupils who are struggling with home learning.

It will mean secondary and primary schools will be able to buy additional equipment for those pupils who are struggling to access remote learning.

The money comes from a fund set up a number of years ago in memory of Dr David Hyslop, a former club president, who was also the area’s doctor for many years.

The fund, intended to benefit young people of Settle and district, was set up and augmented by receipts from the Rotary bookstall, which is set up in Settle Market.

It is hoped that the stall, which runs on Saturdays in the summer, will start up again, once things are back to normal after the coronavirus crisis.

Schools receiving money from the rotary club are Settle College, and the primary schools in Giggleswick, Settle, Long Preston, Austwick, Hellifield and Malham.

Club President Richard Vesey said “We became aware of the problem after Christmas and quickly decided that this was a fitting use of the funding and I’m sure that Dr Hyslop would have approved of us using it for this.

“We are so glad to be able to help out in these difficult times.”

Richard Wright, executive headteacher of the Settle and Malhamdale Federation of schools, thanked the rotary club for its donation.

“With grateful thanks to the generosity of the rotary club, local schools in North Craven are able to purchase additional devices to support those who are struggling to access remote learning.

“This support is very much appreciated during these unusual and challenging times. Every donation and offer of help makes a real difference to local schools. “

Meanwhile, North Yorkshire County Council says it has been working extensively with schools to identify gaps in digital provision since the switch to remote learning was announced by central government.

It says schools, pupil referral units and academy trusts have been invited to place orders for more devices, directly from the Department for Education.

They can apply for devices for children in Years 3 to 11 who do not have access to a laptop or tablet in their home, or whose only device is a mobile phone.

Children are also eligible for a laptop if they have to work on a device shared with more than one other family member in their home. Remote learning is a mixture of online teaching and off-line tasks and will continue to follow the national curriculum and exam-based learning.