School closures have had mixed opinions from people, some saying students and teachers feel more safe going to school less, however others have identified the struggles of those students living in poverty. Many of these student’s don’t have a laptop to connect to online learning resources as well as reliable internet connection. According to UNICEF CEO Tony Stuart, “children from low socio-economic groups with complex learning needs could miss more than six weeks of numeracy and four weeks of literacy over two terms”. Domestic violence reports have also risen since the lockdown date. So how are we able to encourage support for these children? What are the impacts of online learning for these students?

We were joined by Sydney University Professor Debra Hayes whose research aims to improve the educational participation and achievements of young people who benefit the least from schooling.