EDUCATE Ventures and Cambridge Partnership for Education to publish major report into the impact of Covid-19 on education

EDUCATE Ventures Research Limited and Cambridge Partnership for Education are to publish a major new report into the effects of the school lockdown on schools, families and the educational technology sector, on February 16, 2021.

The launch will follow a webinar preview of the study taking place on the same date, at 10.30am.

The report, Shock to the System: Lessons from Covid-19 is the most in-depth research to date of the education system’s coronavirus response and was carried out over a period of nine months using daily polls, in-depth interviews, expert insights and analysis of a variety of data sources. The research covers the experiences of schools/teachers, families and the education technology sector. It will include tips and recommendations for schools, parents and policymakers to help plan for future lockdowns.

The discussion will be chaired by Charles Clarke, Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2002–2004, and joined by a panel of researchers and experts to discuss this time of unprecedented change and technological innovation in education.

The participants will include Professor Rose Luckin, director of EDUCATE Ventures and professor of learner centred design at UCL Knowledge Lab, Dr Carmel Kent, EDUCATE Ventures’ head of educational data science, Karine George, EDUCATE Ventures’ chief education adviser and Jane Mann, managing director of Cambridge Partnership for Education.

Professor Luckin said: “A supreme effort was made by many people: parents, teachers, EdTech companies and school leaders alike to secure learning for many students during the pandemic restrictions, in unprecedented circumstances.

“Now, we must build upon the foundations for the future by creating more communication and better connections between the different groups of people that make up the education ecosystem. Technology has an important role to play in this respect.

“It is also essential that we move away from any notion of a ‘one size fits all’ model of support and pay far greater attention to the diversity within our school population.”