Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of online learning; and what plans they have to incorporate any such benefits into education provision when schools reopen.

Technology in education has been essential for continuing to teach remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent school and college closures. In the long term, it also has the potential to support teacher workload reductions, flexible working, cost savings, inclusive teaching practice and improved pupil outcomes.

A number of programmes which have been in place across the COVID-19 outbreak are providing valuable intelligence as to the most impactful uses of online learning.

The EdTech Demonstrator programme, which supports schools and colleges to use technology to strengthen remote education arrangements and secure a longer-term strategy, will provide an important evaluation on the extent to which this sector-led approach can impact on the positive use of technology and help other institutions address a broad range of challenges they face both now and in the future.

The department’s digital platforms offer allows schools to provide remote online teaching, as well as develop approaches for the longer term.

In addition, Ofsted conducted monitoring visits to schools in the Autumn Term, looking at remote education practice, and publishing a guide to what works well: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-publishes-short-guide-to-what-works-well-in-remote-education.