If your Year 7-11 child receives free school meals and they
- do not have fixed broadband at home
- cannot afford additional data for their devices
- are experiencing disruption to their face-to-face education
Then they may be eligible for additional data from their mobile phone company.
The companies involved are:
- EE
- O2
- Sky Mobile
- SMARTY
- Tesco Mobile
- Three
- Virgin Mobile
- Vodafone
A list of what each company is providing is further down this page.
How to request a mobile data increase
To be able to request a mobile data increase we will need the following details from you
- the name of the account holder
- the number of the mobile device
- the mobile network of that device (for example Three)
- whether you are on monthly contract or Pay As You Go
- Confirmation that you have read the privacy statement (further information is provided at the on this link https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/increasing-mobile-data/privacy-notice )
Please complete the form HERE by 3pm on Thursday 14th January. The short turnaround is because some mobile providers are strictly limiting numbers (see below). As a result, filling this in does not guarantee you will be provided with the offer.
What happens next?
We will submit your details to the Department for Education and hopefully this will be actioned quickly.
Once a network provider has processed a data increase, they’ll send a text message to the account holder of the phone.
What each network is offering:
EE
Be aware that until the end of January, it may take EE some time to process requests.
- The recipient will get 20GB of additional data per month until 31 July 2021.
- The offer is available to both Pay Monthly and Pay-as-you-go customers.
- A text message will be sent to the nominated device once the additional data has been added to the account.
O2
Be aware that until the end of January, it may take O2 some time to process requests.
- The recipient will get 40GB of additional data per month until 31 July 2021.
- The offer is available to both Pay Monthly and Pay As You Go customers.
- A text message will be sent to the nominated device once the additional data has been added to the account.
Sky Mobile
- The recipient will get 100GB of additional data.
- The offer is available to Pay Monthly customers identified as needing this support.
- Sky Mobile customers will be able to see the data uplift in their piggybank.
- Sky Mobile will aim to process the request within 14 days.
SMARTY
- The recipient will get unlimited data until 31 July 2021.
- The offer is available to both Pay Monthly and Pay-as-you-go customers.
- A text message will be sent to the nominated device once the additional data has been added to the account.
- SMARTY will aim to process the request within 14 days.
Tesco Mobile
- The recipient will get 20GB of additional data per month until 31 July 2021.
- The offer is only available to Pay Monthly customers identified as needing this support. It’s not available to Pay-as-you-go customers.
- A text message will be sent to the nominated device once the additional data has been added to the account.
- Tesco Mobile will aim to process the request within 14 days.
Three
- The recipient will get unlimited data until 31 July 2021.
- The offer is available to both Pay Monthly and Pay-as-you-go customers.
- A text message will be sent to the nominated device once the additional data has been added to the account.
- Three will aim to process the request within 14 days.
Virgin Mobile
- The recipient will get 20GB of additional data per month until 31 July 2021.
- The offer is only available to Pay Monthly customers identified as needing this support. It’s not available to Pay-as-you-go customers.
- A text message will be sent to the nominated device once the additional data has been added to the account.
- Virgin Mobile will aim to process the request within 14 days.
- Wi-Fi hotspots are open to all existing customers, including those on Pay-as-you-go. Customers on Pay-as-you-go will need to have a minimum of £5 credit. Instructions to download the app and find their nearest hotspot can be found by going to www.virginmedia.com/wifiapp.
Vodafone
Be aware that until the end of January, it may take Vodafone some time to process requests.
- The recipient will get unlimited data until 31 July 2021.
- The offer is available to both Pay monthly and Pay as you go customers. Pay as you go customers must have a Big Value Bundle worth £10 or above to be eligible.
- A text message will be sent to the nominated device once the additional data has been added to the account.
PRIVACY STATEMENT
It is important that you have read this. A link to some further information is here https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk/increasing-mobile-data/privacy-notice
1. For the purposes of data protection, I need to let you know that the Department for Education (DfE) is running the Mobile Network Offer through schools and their trusts or local authorities.
2. If the offer is taken up by an adult account holder, the school or social care team will share the account holder’s name and mobile phone details with the DfE, who will share these with the relevant mobile network operator.
3. The mobile network operator will use that information to increase the data available for the account holder’s mobile device, as long as they qualify for the offer.
4. The adult account holder’s personal data is only shared with their mobile network operator for the purposes of the offer. No names of children or other adults, other than adult account holder, are shared with the DfE or the mobile network operator.
5. No personal information will be shared with the DfE if you do not want to take up the offer.
6. If you want to know more about how your personal information will be used before you take up the offer, we can send that to you first.
7. If you decide to take up the offer, you’ll get a text message from the Department for Education with more information about your data protection rights.
