Inequalities in resources in the home learning environment

Since 23rd March 2020, UK schools have been closed for most children due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, there is a greater emphasis on the implementation of children's education by parents at home, as well as perhaps a greater reliance on access to educational technologies. There are concerns that the impact of school closures will disproportionally impact children from lower socio-economic backgrounds and widen the attainment gap between them and their peers from more affluent backgrounds (Montacute, 2020). This briefing note summarises the empirical evidence on inequalities in 1) the home learning environment and 2) resources, including educational technologies, which may affect access to education during these challenging times.