FAMILIES in Liverpool have a month left if they want to #GetConnected in this school year.
Families across Liverpool eligible for free school meals will receive a text message from the council reminding them that they are eligible to take up the council’s offer of a free 12-month 4G connection.
The commitment to get vulnerable families online is one of the council’s ten post-pandemic pledges. Families receive a MiFi router, meaning they can get online quickly and simply avoiding the need for an engineer visit.
Over 550 families have been connected since the start of the year with successful applications coming from all of the city’s 30 wards. Most connections have been sent to homes in Princes Park, Speke Garston, and Norris Green wards.
This year’s offer is due to close at the end of this term, Thursday 14 April, and will re-open at the start of the new school year in September.
Over 10,000 families who are eligible to receive income-related school meals were contacted by letter at the beginning of this year explaining that they were entitled to take up the offer.
If families want to take up the council offer they should read the full terms and conditions at www.liverpool.gov.uk/getconnected and complete the online form.
Cabinet member for Education and Skills, Cllr Tom Logan, said:
“We know that families are busy and that letters can sometimes get overlooked, so this week we are sending out text messages to all the eligible families we have get to hear from to remind them that the #GetConnected offer is still available.
“We know from the pandemic that digital access is no longer a nice-to-have. It is a necessity today for everyone to be able to get on with their lives, not least when supporting children in their education or looking for employment opportunities for older family members.
“Although we will re-open the offer in September, we don’t want anyone who would benefit in the coming months to miss out – so look out for the text message and fill out the online form to #GetConnected.”