The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed stark inequalities in our society, not least in school education.
We argue here for a strategic approach to policy-making that will ameliorate the long-term impact of Covid-19 on the lives and education of young people, rather than a proliferation of guidance to get “back to where we were.” Young people’s varied experiences have led to new and diverse forms of risk and an exacerbation of inequalities in their access to education in schools and special schools, colleges and PRUs. This in turn has a negative impact on the life chances of an expanding group of young people. Our particular focus here is on those who are at risk of exclusion, either through formal, informal or self-exclusion.