This report by the University of Southampton found that children from the most advantaged families, with access to digital devices and with parents working from home, spent longer on school work during lockdown than their peers in less advantaged households.
It also says that the transition from face-to-face to distance (home and online) schooling is likely to generate educational loss. The report estimates that loss to be more pronounced for children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds than for other children.
Advantaged primary pupils spent on average 2.9 hours a day and secondary pupils 3.8 hours day on school work. But those with shared access to devices and a parent working outside the home only worked for 2.3 and 2.6 hours respectively.
The study used data taken from a longitudinal survey of 3,000 UK school-age children in April, when schools across the country were closed to all but vulnerable pupils and children of essential workers.
Key Findings: