Parents urged to check £12.50 broadband support as online revision becomes essential for exams

• With less than 60 days until GCSE and A-Level exams begin, 80% of parents say the internet is now more important to their child’s education than it was two years ago. 

• 73% of parents say home internet is now as essential as textbooks once were, while 68% believe children without regular access would fall behind classmates. 

• Despite financial pressures – with 75% worried about rising living costs – 40% of parents are unaware that discounted broadband and mobile tariffs exist for households on Universal Credit, Income Support and other benefits.

With less than 60 days until GCSE and A-Level exams begin, new research from Virgin Media O2 reveals families are juggling revision pressures and rising living costs, as 80% of parents say the internet is now more important to their child’s education than it was two years ago.   

As connectivity becomes central to exam preparation, home internet is no longer optional. Nearly three quarters of parents (73%) say it is as essential for education as textbooks once were, while 68% believe children without regular internet access risk falling behind classmates.  

While more than a fifth (22%) are struggling to cover usual household expenses, only two in five parents (40%) are unaware of social tariffs that offer discounted broadband and mobile services to households receiving Universal Credit, Income Support and other government benefits.  

In response, Virgin Media O2 is encouraging eligible families to check whether they qualify for its discounted broadband tariffs available from just £12.50 per month.  

Internet central to modern exam preparation  
Digital learning is now embedded in everyday school life. Seven in ten parents with home internet (70%) say more than half of their child’s homework is completed online. Students are routinely expected to use school portals or homework platforms at home (72%), online revision apps (69%), video platforms (64%) and downloadable past papers or revision materials (58%).   

As a result, more than four in five parents (84%) say home internet is essential for their child to do well in exams, and 86% believe students without it are at a disadvantage. However, this reliance also brings pressure, with over half of parents (52%) saying they would feel worried if they couldn’t provide the tools their child needs to succeed.  

Families encouraged to explore affordable connectivity support
Without regular internet access at home, nearly three quarters of parents (73%) say their child would struggle to revise properly. More than two thirds (68%) believe they would fall behind classmates, while 64% say exam results would suffer. Six in ten (61%) believe their child would miss out on important learning resources. 

For many families, this is already a reality. One in seven parents (14%) say their child has had to go elsewhere to get online to study, while 16% rely on mobile data rather than a fixed broadband connection. 

To help families stay connected, Virgin Media O2’s Essential Broadband and Essential Broadband Plus plans are available for people who receive a range of government support payments. 

Virgin Media’s Essential Broadband offers speeds of 15Mbps and costs £12.50 per month. Essential Broadband Plus provides 54Mbps broadband for £20 a month.  

Both plans can be taken as 30-day rolling contracts, have no activation or exit fees, and no price changes while customers receive benefits payments. The tariffs are available for people who receive any of the following government support payments: Income-based Employment Support Allowance (I-ESA), Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (I-JSA), Income Support (IS), Pension Credit (PC) or Universal Credit (UC). 

Dana Haidan, Chief Sustainability Officer at Virgin Media O2 said: “Exam season is one of the most important periods in a young person’s education, and today reliable home internet plays a vital role in how students revise and prepare. 

“But many families are under real financial pressure, and some may not realise discounted support is available. Through Virgin Media O2’s social tariffs, we’re helping eligible households access affordable broadband, so no student is disadvantaged when it matters most.” 

Three steps to get connected  

Virgin Media O2 is sharing simple step-by-step instructions to help those eligible:  

Step one: Contact us 

To find out more about Essential Broadband or Essential Broadband Plus, start a live chat on the Virgin Media website.  

Step two: A quick check 

We’ll ask for some details like your name, postcode and date of birth. We’ll use this information, with your permission, to check with the Department for Work and Pensions that you’re eligible for an Essential Broadband plan.  

Step three: Get connected 

If you’re eligible, we will get you up and running on your chosen broadband tariff with £0 set up cost.     

The plans also come with Virgin Media Essential Security, which include adjustable parental controls, where customers can set timers to restrict access, and can block specific website categories on topics such as drugs, crime, and any others that parents consider inappropriate for their children. Parents and guardians can also get tips and advice about how to keep their children safe online via its partner, Internet Matters.  

Helping people stay connected
Virgin Media O2 has extensive measures to support customers experiencing financial difficulty to stay connected.   

This includes:   

• Its mobile social tariff, the O2 Essential Plan which comes with 10GB of mobile data, plus unlimited calls and texts from £10 per month. 

• The National Databank, which is like a food bank but provides free O2 mobile data, texts and calls to people who need it – in partnership with digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation.  

• Its Community Calling programme with Hubbub, which has also rehomed more than 32,000 devices to people in need across the UK.  

• Its partnership with The Multibank, a one-stop shop for essential non-food items from clothing to furniture and toys. Virgin Media O2 has donated hundreds of devices and free O2 mobile data, which are being rehomed with people who need them through Multibanks in Fife, Swansea, and Tees Valley. 

Find out more information about all of Virgin Media O2’s support measures online here.