Due to the coronavirus outbreak, all schools have been closed since 16 March 2020. Whilst nursery and primary schools will be able to welcome pupils back from the week of 11 May, this reopening will be only gradual and partial. For middle schools / lower secondary schools, the prospect of pupils returning before the start of the new school year in September 2020 appears even more uncertain. Under these circumstances, questions are being raised about each pupil’s ability to continue their learning at home. There are serious concerns about a widening of educational inequalities and an increase in the number of the most vulnerable pupils ‘falling behind’. This term, previously reserved for those leaving secondary education without a qualification, is now being applied to pupils of all ages in public debate to describe situations where the school system loses contact with them. It is this very concern that is cited by the authorities when justifying the partial reopening of schools. To what extent are these fears justified? To what extent are pupils with the lowest academic attainment also those who face the greatest obstacles to educational continuity?
Educational inequalities, living conditions and parental resources: what obstacles stand in the way of ‘home schooling’?
Reference IPP Blog Post No. 9
