Online learning provision - review: discussion paper and next steps

Online Learning Review – Discussion Paper and Next Steps

1. Introduction

Scottish Government undertook a rapid review of the online learning landscape in Scotland’s schools, to provide stronger strategic direction for the e-learning landscape in Scotland, recognising the range of existing offerings, the funding landscape, and the opportunities that online delivery presents to teachers and learners.

The scope of this work was to review, evaluate, and make recommendations on the current and future landscape of the online learning provision in Scotland, ensuring equity, quality, and alignment with national priorities and consideration of funding models.

While there are links to wider work on the future of the Glow platform, the digital learning vision/strategy, AI etc, these elements were not directly within the scope of the online learning review and are subject to separate consideration.

2. Background

Online learning offers a powerful complement to traditional in-person education - not as a replacement, but as an expansion of access, enabling more personalised and flexible learning experiences, and supporting a diverse range of learners through a multi-modal means of delivery.

While the social, emotional, and collaborative benefits of face-to-face teaching are irreplaceable, online learning offers distinct options that can enhance overall educational equity and learner autonomy.

The use of online learning has increased following the periods of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a wide range of new online learning, teaching and assessment tools and resources.

Challenges are recognised around equity of digital infrastructure and provision, online safety and security, digital literacy of teachers and learners, and localised support, among other factors.

It was identified that work was needed to understand the quality and effectiveness of the various offers currently available to learners in Scotland’s schools – including variation in approach, platforms and funding models.

Given the timescales under which the review was being undertaken, it was necessarily high level although efforts were made to draw inputs and views from a wide range of stakeholders and available research/data.

3. Engagement Undertaken

Engagement has taken place with a range of stakeholders as set out at Annex A.

A Short-Life Working Group was set up to gather views from key education delivery partners, with separate meetings also held with online education providers and wider stakeholders, to understand the opportunities and challenges relating to online learning.

A limited range of evidence and information was also reviewed in the timescales available to support considerations.

4. What is meant by online learning?

For the purposes of the rapid review, a broad definition of online learning has been adopted.

A mode of education where teaching and learning occur primarily through digital platforms and internet-based technologies, allowing learners to access educational content, often live in real-time or through scheduled sessions interacting with teachers and peers, or through recorded or static resources.

However, the views and considerations relating to the different types of online learning differ and further work is anticipated to focus in on specific aspects and undertake more detailed consideration of those. In particular, challenges around live online delivery of learning and teaching have been identified as requiring further exploration.

5. Rationale for online learning

Various international and Scottish policy documents highlight the importance of digital and online learning to young people’s education.

As part of General Comment No. 25 on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment, which was published in 2021 as part of the United Nations Convention on the Right’s of the Child, there is reference to remote learning under section XI A (Education, leisure and cultural activities: Right to Education):

102. For children who are not physically present in school or for those who live in remote areas or in disadvantaged or vulnerable situations, digital educational technologies can enable distance or mobile learning. States parties should ensure that there is proper infrastructure in place to enable access for all children to the basic utilities necessary for distance learning, including access to devices, electricity, connectivity, educational materials and professional support. They should also ensure that schools have sufficient resources to provide parents and caregivers with guidance on remote learning at home and that digital education products and services do not create or exacerbate inequities in children’s access to in-person education services.

Outcome 7 of the National Improvement Framework aims to deliver “An education system engaging in digital technologies to enhance all aspects of learning and teaching, supported by a digitally skilled workforce and tackling digital inequality.”

In addition, a national online learning offer is critical to support resilience of the system and complement local provision as a contingency measure in the event of any future emergency school closures - as happened during Covid. Maintaining this offer more generally at this time ensures that materials are kept up to date and that teachers are appropriately experienced to deliver digitally in such events.

6. Stakeholder Views on Online Learning

Through discussions with partners, a range of views have been expressed in relation to the opportunities and challenges that online learning can offer, with COSLA and ADES generally supportive. Indeed many local authorities have their own online learning provision.

However, it is acknowledged that others, including the teaching unions, oppose the online delivery of learning and teaching.

Particular concerns have been raised by the teaching unions around:

• the quality and successfulness of online delivery of learning and teaching compared to in-person delivery
• legal articles relating to effective education and ASN and teacher regulations to discharge these duties
• SNCT requirements and teacher terms and conditions
• GTCS professional standards – particularly in relation to safeguarding and meeting GIRFEC duties
• class sizes
• online delivery being seen as a cost-cutting exercise.

We are keen to engage further on concerns raised around online delivery of learning and teaching to understand how these could be resolved.

As the Cabinet Secretary announced in September, the initial priorities for the Centre for Teaching Excellence will be in the following areas.

• Inclusive and diverse classrooms (includes additional support needs, behaviour, inclusion and well-being)
• Innovation in pedagogy and practice (includes subject knowledge, assessment, tracking and attainment)
• Digital education and Artificial Intelligence

These focus areas align well with some of the key considerations in this space and may support thinking going forward.

While some evidence of young people views was gathered from recent user research and young people engagement (see Annex B), this demonstrated mixed views in relation to a varied experience of quality of online learning balanced against greater accessibility for some young people.

In March 2025, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland published a report summarising what children and young people had told them about education in Scotland, and what needed to improve in response. The report can be accessed at: “This is our lives, it matters a lot.” Putting children's rights at the heart of education - The Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland

As part of the recommendations, the report stated that “Scottish Government should invest in the e-Sgoil and other virtual school models to maximise access for children and young people to a wider range of curriculum subjects and to increase access for children who benefit from their alternative education provision.”

From a parental perspective, Connect's survey of parents and carers on digital and online devices and new technologies, published in June 2024, received over 600 responses from 31 local authorities, and covered parents of children and young people from early years through to S6. The survey report can be accessed at: Connect: Digital and Online Learning Survey Report

The following key findings and calls for change in relation to online learning were included:

• With the exception of BBC Bitesize, most respondents did not know about the online learning opportunities in Scotland.
• Much more needs to be done so all parents are aware of the online learning opportunities in Scotland (e-Sgoil, Scholar, West OS).
• The majority of respondents (67%) want to see digital resources and services as a key priority for education – parents need to be kept in the loop about policy and progress at national and local level.
• Parental confidence in IT and emerging technologies needs to be boosted – delivering training in using technology is an ideal family learning opportunity.
• Most schools (61%) do provide information about internet safety for children and for parents. However, this needs to be delivered consistently across Scotland. Schools are perfectly positioned to be gateways and hubs for knowledge and learning for families about our digital lives.

High level discussions also took place with college and university representatives who are generally positive about the use of online learning, with many offering online learning options, from full degree programs to short courses, allowing flexible study around existing commitments. Many in-person courses also contain an element of remote online learning, with some colleges providing online courses for school pupils through school-college partnerships.

It is suggested that further user research should be undertaken to understand stakeholder views more fully, particularly those of young people, and where they would see the priorities to be in future.

7. Opportunities and Challenges Related to Online Learning

While online learning may deliver efficiencies or cost savings, it should not be seen as a cost-cutting substitute for in-person education, but as a strategic enhancement that increases access, supports diverse learners, and enables more flexible, responsive, and inclusive education systems. When thoughtfully integrated, online and in-person learning can mutually reinforce each other - offering learners more choice, more support, and more opportunities to succeed, and preparing them for next steps to further education, higher education or employment.

While in-person face-to-face teaching and learning continues to have primacy and offers strong benefits relating to social engagement and immediate interaction and feedback, evidence consistently shows that well-designed and well-delivered online courses can equally achieve successful learning outcomes compared to traditional classroom settings.

For example, South-West Connects is entering its fifth year of delivering senior phase classes. Over this time all secondary schools within the 4 local authorities (Dumfries & Galloway, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire) have engaged. A total of 499 young people have been presented for Qualifications Scotland (which replaced the SQA in February 2026) exams through studying with @SWC and those participating are generally achieving pass rates equivalent to the national position.

However, it is recognised that there are also a range of challenges in relation to online learning, including online safety and security, wellbeing and inclusivity, support for young people, equity of digital infrastructure and provision, quality of online pedagogy and resources etc.

While the opportunities and challenges will vary based on the type of online learning and the individual learner, online resources and learning can enable students to progress at their own pace, revisit challenging concepts, and explore areas of interest more deeply. This level of personalisation is difficult to achieve in a traditional classroom setting alone.

While some learners thrive in online settings, others may struggle with motivation or feel isolated. This highlights the importance of considering individual needs and ensuring that young people are appropriately engaged and supported – whether through in-person, online or a combination of both.

More detail on the opportunities and challenges around online learning can be found at Annex C and D respectively.

8. Existing Provision and Future Priorities

The current online learning landscape in Scotland comprises of a range of national, local and commercial provision. This further consists of a mix of live, recorded and static resources covering both the Broad General Education (BGE) and support for the Senior Phase/National Qualifications.

Each of these offers expand on the opportunities available to young people in schools across a range of areas:

• Additional, high-quality resources for teachers to use in their classrooms or as additional reading/homework – whether across the BGE or the Senior Phase.
• Study support for young people working towards their school qualifications.
• Provision of online delivery of learning and teaching for interrupted learners who are at risk of disengaging from their in-person education.
• Delivery of online learning, teaching and assessment of a range of qualifications.

Mapping of Existing Provision is provided at Annex E.

Online providers have also been keen to engage in discussions, and a joint meeting was held bringing them together.

Discussions have shown that there is a demand for online provision across the areas identified above, with particularly increasing demand from interrupted or home educated learners, or young people in school or recently left seeking to undertake qualifications they could not otherwise access.

Further work is needed to understand what demand for online learning will look like over coming years, particularly the need for any adaptation of existing or new content on online learning platforms to reflect work through the Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) and qualifications reform.

9. Next Steps and Actions

Discussions have identified that there are a wide range of online offers currently available, with a range of different types and considerations, and strong teaching union views in relation to online delivery of learning and teaching.

Partners are agreed that a national policy on online learning would be helpful but, in the timescales for the review, sufficient collaborative discussion has not been possible. As such, a range of further proposed research and actions have been identified in this space.

Further research gathering:

• Undertake more focused engagement and user research to:
  • identify young people’s views and needs (to expand on what is currently available through references in CYPC report, NDA User Research etc).
  • understand current offers and future needs in more detail - particularly in relation to live online delivery of learning and teaching - in the context of Curriculum Improvement and qualifications reform work and options for the replacement of Glow.
  • further review of approaches taken elsewhere in relation to live online delivery of learning and teaching and any outputs from other relevant workstreams such as the Centre for Teaching Excellence Hubs on Digital and ASN.

Short-to Medium-term Actions

• Convene a Group or Forum to facilitate discussion on future priorities for the National e-Learning Offer, National Digital Academy, and online learning, to:
  • explore varying considerations about different types of online learning, particularly live online delivery of learning and teaching, in more detail and which groups of learners may benefit most.
  • identify where existing local offers could be shared nationally as part of the National e-Learning Offer [considering practicalities/logistics].
  • explore future funding options and quality assurance mechanisms to allow informed, confident decision making on choices across available offers.
  • develop guidance on good practice for effective/successful online delivery of learning and teaching, including clear roles and responsibilities within the education system.
  • help prepare for the dissemination of any new curriculum and qualifications resources arising from reform work.

Medium-to Longer-term Actions

• Initiate and facilitate regular online provider forums.

Scottish Government will consider a workplan for the various actions identified, including potential timescales under which the different elements may be undertaken. Consideration will also be given to what stage formal completion of an Equality Impact Assessment and Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment may be appropriate.

National Qualifications Policy Team

Scottish Government

December 2025