More than 20 Wiltshire schools have been selected for a significant infrastructure upgrade that will “transform” pupils’ learning experience.

21 primary schools in hard-to-reach parts of Wiltshire will be included in the government’s £5 billion Project Gigabit scheme, which roll out “lightning-fast” broadband to schools around the UK.

Selected sites in Wiltshire are mainly located in rural areas, as well as Chippenham, Marlborough, and Swindon.

BT has secured the contract for the project and will work with Openreach to give schools access to full fibre broadband capable of delivering over 1,000 megabits per second.

In some cases, speeds will be up to 500 times faster.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: Children will be able to access broadband up to 500 times fasterChildren will be able to access broadband up to 500 times faster (Image: BT)

This will be carried out in phases and is due to be completed by December 2025.

BT’s corporate and public sector managing director, Ashish Gupta, said: “This project marks a milestone moment for hundreds of schools across England, and we're proud to play such a central role.

“Access to high-speed, reliable broadband is vital in the modern world and underpins so much of our daily lives.

“Nowhere is this more important than education.

“This investment will transform the learning experience for thousands of pupils, opening up opportunities for interactive lessons, collaborative projects with other schools and pupils anywhere in the world, as well access to an expanding online library of educational content and video.”