EVELYNe, 6 ben, 16 maliyah, 13

For Evelyne

Duncum, six, from Oxfordshire, there are pluses to staying home.

“It is nice to be at home and play with my toys as well as doing home learning,” she says. “I have more time with my family and playing with my sister.

“I would like to get back to school, as I do miss my friends at playtime. I miss playing hopscotch and the climbing frame in the playground.”

The burden of schoolwork somehow now weighs heavier on Evelyne. With six live sessions a week, she says: “It’s harder at home, it feels like there’s more to do.”

The pandemic has been particularly challenging for teens but Ben Thornbury, 16, of Malmesbury, Wilts, says online learning has helped him prepare for his GCSEs. Ben says: “Homeschooling is going great at the moment. My lessons are really well planned as they are done live, so it feels like I am in the classroom.

“I am desperate to go back to school because I am in Year 11 and with the uncertainty of tests and things it’s important I get back to the classroom. But at the moment I’m feeling okay because everything online is working for me.”

Maliyah Mulraine, 13, of High Wycombe, Bucks, says: “The learning isn’t the same, just writing notes and not having practicals or answering questions from teachers. I’m not remembering as much.

“It’s really hard to stay motivated to do homework because you’re in the same room all day. I spend all day on a screen and because you aren’t with your friends at lunch you’re on a screen then as well.

“I don’t think I can do online learning for much longer and keep up the same effort, and I am worried about gaps in my learning.”