Report

COSMO – Lockdown learning

This report from UK think tank The Sutton Trust looks at the experiences of young people during periods of remote learning. 

The first briefing from the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities Study (COSMO) looks at the experiences of young people during periods of remote learning. The briefing finds substantial gaps between state and private secondary schools in the intensity of remote provision during the first lockdown in 2020, with the private sector much better placed to adapt quickly. Barriers to remote learning – such as lack of access to a suitable device for learning or sharing a device, lack of a quiet space in the home, lack of support from teachers or parents – were all more likely to be experienced by young people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and those who experienced those barriers reported working fewer hours during lockdowns. While many pupils without suitable devices received support through school and government distribution programmes, over half (53%) of those who lacked a device at the beginning of the pandemic had still not received one by the end of the second period of school closures.