Lack of food makes home schooling harder, say one in five struggling families

Researchers are warning that educational inequalities are likely to rise during pandemic, writes Peter Stubley

Secondary school pupil Euan Stanton studies at home during the lockdown (PA)

One in five struggling families found a lack of food made home-learning more difficult for their children, according to a new survey.

Parents of school pupils from less advantaged backgrounds also reported suffering from a lack of technology, internet connection and space.

The poll suggests that a switch to home learning can disproportionately disrupt the education of the most disadvantaged pupils compared to their more comfortable peers.

And researchers are warning that educational inequalities are likely to increase due to school closures, with pupils now being told to learn remotely until mid-February because of the national lockdown.

The survey, which polled 3,409 parents about their experiences during the first lockdown, found that 19 per cent of parents of primary school pupils from households that were struggling for income said a lack of food made completing school work from home more difficult, compared to just 3 per cent of families with comfortable levels of income.

They were also more likely to find remote study more difficult because of noise levels (59 per cent compared to 50 per cent), lack of space (45 to 22), lack of technology (45 to 26) and lack of internet (35 to 16).

The poll also found that secondary school pupils eligible for free school meals were more likely (39 per cent) to report that a lack of technology - such as laptops and computers - made learning from home more difficult, compared to 19 per cent of pupils who are not eligible for free school meals.

Lead researcher Dr Matthew Easterbrook, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Sussex, said: "This suggests that for some children, when the most basic of needs are not being met, their education can suffer.

"The results show that parents of pupils from disadvantaged families - those who are eligible for free school meals, who have lower levels of education, or who are financially struggling - are much more likely to report that learning from home is challenging.

"It suggests school closures disproportionately disrupt the education of those who are most economically disadvantaged, suggesting that educational inequalities are likely to rise because of the pandemic."

The study also found that boys were more likely to do less home learning than girls during school closures in the first lockdown.

Gender differences were most evident in secondary pupils, where girls were twice as likely to be very motivated with their home learning than boys.

Report co-author Lewis Doyle, doctoral researcher at the University of Sussex, said: "School closures, while clearly necessary during this public health crisis, risk entrenching inequality."

Government guidance says vulnerable children - including children who do not have access to technology - can attend school in-person during the new national lockdown.

But campaigners are threatening legal action against the government if it fails to step up its efforts to ensure all children can access remote education.

Education secretary Gavin Williamson has claimed that three-quarters-of-a-million laptops and tablets will have been delivered by the end of this week to help pupils access online learning.

He said a national voucher scheme will also be in place so all eligible children can access free school meals.