Dr McCoy said it was important to maximise classroom learning as much as possible in the new school year, with distance learning coming into play only when “absolutely necessary”.
While resources are vital, she said it was important that school leaders retain autonomy in order to be able to act based on their own judgment and local context. A key focus, she said, will need to be on the “digital divide” and ensuring all students have access to devices and high-speed broadband. Attention should also focus on providing space and supervision for remote learning for students whose home situations are not suitable.
However, if this did not prove possible, he said the level of investment required for a fit-for-purpose system of blended learning for all students would be “astronomical”.Most schools lack the infrastructure needed to live-stream classes and many children have varying access to devices or broadband, saidDr Ann Marcus-Quinn, a lecturer in technical communications at, said there was also an urgent need for improvement in digital content to ensure all subject areas are adequately resourced.
“We do not know what September will bring and we need to prepare now for as equitable a level of access to high-quality digital content as is possible.