Some 65 per cent of primary schools and 54 per cent of secondary schools in the UK do not have access to adequate Wi-Fi connections, meaning their pupils' progress could be hindered, according to a new report.

This is the finding of research carried out by the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA), which questioned the IT coordinators of over 1,000 schools throughout the country.

Alongside poor wireless internet connections, a significant number of educational establishments also reported inadequate broadband access, with 42 per cent of IT staff in primary schools and 31 per cent of those working in secondary education citing this as a problem.

Director of the BESA Caroline Wright commented: "In today's digital society, classroom connectivity to an online world of knowledge and resources should be a right for every student in their place of learning and not a lottery."

The organisation is calling on the government to introduce further changes to educational technology, such as increased teacher training for the use of tablets - something that 53 per cent of primary school-based respondents thought would be needed by 2016.

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