Pupils at a school in Bury, Greater Manchester, are pioneering a new scheme offering them free wireless broadband access to help them with their learning, and to introduce them to social media.

The innovation, at Broad Oak Sports College, is the first of its kind, and has been welcomed by school and local council officials.

The school and Bury Council had between them met the £140,000 cost of setting up and running the project.

Mark Sanders, chief executive of Bury Council, said: “The project is all about bridging the digital divide so that young people in poorer areas don’t fall behind.”

The project will entail setting up nine wireless hotspots around the school and the surrounding area. Initially, the first part of the project to go live offered the fast internet service to 120 homes.

In order to keep the network secure, passwords will be given to school pupils for their and their families’ use.

This is a different method of extending broadband network use to that proposed by the British government. It is looking at giving families on low incomes free laptop computers and broadband access, paid for by ‘Home Access Grants’.