Informed Scotland April 2021 – The disproportionate impact of COVID-19

Issue 90 includes key guidance up to and including 6 May.

With political lockdown in place for the Scottish Parliament elections, April was the quietest month for learning & skills in a while. That said, there was no shortage of developments and reports to cover.

A number of reports provide evidence of the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on the learning and employment experiences of young people, and on those Skills Development Scotland (SDS) refers to as ‘equality groups’ – women, and minority ethnic, disabled and disadvantaged people. The reports include:

• SDS’s Equality Evidence Review, on schools, FE, HE and the labour market
• The Darkest Hour? by the Centre for Research on Learning & Life Chances, UCL Institute of Education, on the learning experiences, wellbeing and expectations of 16 to 25 year-olds during lockdown
• Uneven steps by the Resolution Foundation, on changes in youth unemployment and study.

Away from Covid-19, these reports on HE admissions, school policies and artificial intelligence are well worth a read:

• UCAS’s Reimagining UK admissions, highlighting the issues and challenges specific to Scotland in implementing the new proposed model
• Education Policy Institute’s A comparison of school institutions and policies across the UK, on the increased divergence between nations since devolution
• Jisc’s helpful summary of AI in tertiary education, both current types and potential uses.

Many thanks to those who sent positive comments about our Election Extra last month – click here to download your free copy.

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