Schoolchildren can now hire notebook PCs for just £1 a day, under a new Government backed scheme.

The pay-as-you-go deal, launched by Education Rewards, a consortium including notebook suppliers Hewlett Packard and Toshiba, means that children will be able to use internet-enabled computers at home or in the classroom.

The specifications of the insured equipment are reasonable, including a 13.1-inch screen, 64Mb of memory and Windows Me with Works 2000 software. Each child will also receive a personal email address.

The consortium, led by school equipment rental firm ABK, is developing a virtual school where students will be able to access online educational resources and links to websites, as well as access a 24-hour helpline for advice from trained teachers.

ABK will roll out the scheme to libraries and students in higher education over the coming months.

A loyalty scheme will be launched in March under which parents will be able to collect Education Reward points when they shop in a variety of stores. The points can then be redeemed against the rental cost of the notebooks.

Education Rewards' first successful nationwide project was launched in 1999, allowing schools, teachers and parents to rent notebooks for £5 per week. The new scheme will now run in conjunction with the original project.

Also published in Computeractive