Barriers

Intersecting Needs

Firstly, it is important to note that ‘education’ is broad. In order for a young child to access education successfully, a range of factors need to be in place, from access to a wide range of activities to the emotional stability of the family as a whole. The literal access to lessons at school formed a very small part of what participants discussed with me during the interviews and it became clear that a broad range of needs must be met if a child is to thrive, particularly under the unique circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic. Relatedly, it is noted that many of the barriers and solutions are intertwined, for example, in order to understand information schools distributed by text message or phone call, families needed a basic level of English. Families could learn English by joining online English classes, however, to do so they needed to have access to digital devices and data. Families could receive digital devices and data from charities and schools, but many of these needed to be referred and it is difficult to find out about how to get referred, especially if a family has just arrived in the middle of a pandemic and does not speak much English.

This report will attempt to unravel the different strands of barriers and the various attempts to address.

Please click the icons below to learn more about each barrier and the solutions