THOUSANDS of laptop computers will be handed out to some of the neediest kids in a Greater Manchester borough.

Oldham Council will give away 8,000 devices and free internet access to a fifth of its primary and secondary pupils to boost computer literacy.

A government scheme is being piloted in Oldham and another English council because education experts say children who do not have the Internet at home often lag behind their peers.

The scheme, which will launch in February, allows families from low incomes to apply for grants to buy the equipment and have broadband installed.

The value of the home access grant will be announced in January. Although the council is still deciding the details of which pupils will qualify, it is likely that the measurement used will be whether students qualify for free school meals.

Council bosses are also assembling "approved" computer and internet packages for the families of all pupils, although these will not be discounted.

The two-year trial, known as the Home Access scheme, is also taking place in Suffolk. If successful, the programme will be rolled out to other parts of the country.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the £300m initiative during the Labour party conference in Manchester last month, promising that every schoolchild in England would have web access by 2011.

More than a third of pupils cannot currently access the Internet at home.

Steven Crowne, head of the government's technology agency Becta, which is supervising the scheme, said: "There's no question that technology plays an increasing part of our everyday life at home and school.

"What we need to ensure is that every learner has an equal chance to tap into the benefits of the internet to enhance their learning - and the Home Access programme seeks to do just that, by offering this opportunity to all learners."