Australian Education Survey Examining the impact of COVID-19 Report Summary

This summary report outlines the findings from a national survey of 1200 teachers that investigated the impact of COVID-19 on education in Australia. The study provides a snapshot of the experiences and perspectives of primary and secondary school teachers nationally in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The data collected identifies wide-ranging factors affecting teaching and learning including, but not limited to, changes to work modes resulting in online and offline remote teaching. Changes to student engagement have been noted where in some cases students have become more focused, while at-risk and vulnerable students have been reported as disengaging from education. The data has highlighted the ability of teachers to quickly shift their teaching to remote learning platforms with many significantly improving their digital proficiency and collaboration with fellow staff members. Remote teaching and learning have also placed the spotlight on the importance of positive home-school partnerships. Teachers reported increases in communication and support from parents and carers which have resulted in improved student engagement. Alongside this, concerns were raised about a lack of communication and student wellbeing, particularly for those students living in challenging circumstances.