The policy pod: learning inequalities during the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Dr Nic Pensiero and Dr Christian Bokhove join us for the first episode of a brand new season of The Policy Pod. They discuss the UK Understanding Society 2020 and 2021 data, which is the largest longitudinal study of its kind and allowed crucial insights into household dynamics during the Covid-19 pandemic. The data indicates that existing learning inequalities were exacerbated during the first school closure, and whilst these didn't worsen during the second, our guests question why they did not altogether reduce. Answering this may lie in considering the role of the home in addition to provisions from schools. Also discussed are the National Tutoring Programme, learning loss, the examinations fiasco, teacher assessed grades and...breathing patterns