The Delivery of Education and Certification, Impact on Children and Young People: The impact on children and young people in relation to learning and academic progress in general, known benefits and disadvantages of online learning, and digital poverty and inequality and effects of this on access and outcomes

This report was commissioned by the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry as scoping research. It was written to assist the Inquiry with the shape and direction of its investigations, and is published in the interests of transparency. This new research builds on the findings of our earlier study ‘The Delivery of Education and Certification, Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Young People’, led by Professor McCluskey in 20221, commissioned for the Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry.
It focuses specifically on:
a) the impact on children and young people in relation to learning and academic progress in general,
b) the known benefits and disadvantages of online learning, and
c) digital poverty and inequality and effects of this on access and outcomes.
In this way, it aims to support the overall aim of the Inquiry: to establish the facts of, and learn lessons from, the strategic response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland. It covers only the strategic response of the devolved administration in Scotland.