Primary schools in hard-to-reach parts of Somerset will be connected to gigabit broadband as part of a new government programme.

Over 25 local primary schools will receive this lightning-fast broadband as part of Project Gigabit.

Many of the schools are in rural locations, and the plan is being jointly funded by the department for education and department for science, innovation and technology to enhance access to online resources for students and provide high-quality video streaming.

BT has clinched the contract for achieving this feat, connecting over 650 schools across the UK, under the multi-million-pound Schools Gigabit Connectivity Project.

Somerset will see 26 of its schools benefiting from this, featuring sites in Radstock, Yeovil, Bath, and Taunton.

The schools, located in rural and urban settings difficult to reach under commercial broadband rollout schemes, are set to receive full fibre broadband.

It is capable of delivering over 1,000 megabits per second, provided by BT and infrastructure supplier Openreach.

Somerset County Gazette: Over 25 local primary schools will receive this lightning-fast broadband as part of the

Ashish Gupta, managing director, corporate and public sector at BT, said: "This investment will transform the learning experience for thousands of pupils, opening up opportunities for interactive lessons, collaborative projects with other schools and pupils anywhere in the world, as well access to an expanding online library of educational content and video."

Schools minister, Baroness Barran added: "High speed, reliable internet is key to making sure schools can offer the best possible education for pupils...this welcome investment will unlock new possibilities for hundreds of settings in rural and hard-to-reach areas, bringing ultra-fast broadband to those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to it."

Digital infrastructure minister Julia Lopez noted: "Today’s classrooms have been transformed by the internet, with children able to access an endless library of incredible resources to boost their learning.

“We need to make sure every pupil can benefit from these exciting digital experiences, so we’re investing millions to bring top-of-the-range broadband to schools in places that would otherwise have been stuck in the digital slow lane.

“This is just one way our £5 billion Project Gigabit programme is putting a stop to buffering broadband in hard-to-reach communities, with more than a million mostly rural premises already able to access lightning-fast gigabit speeds thanks to government subsidy.”
 

Rollout is set to be completed by December 2025.