Scottish Covid Inquiry: Children asked about pandemic experiences

The Scottish Covid Inquiry’s chief executive, Ian Duddy, says the evidence collected from young people will help learn lessons about how to protect them in any future pandemic.

The second tranche of public evidence sessions before Lord Brailsford begins on 5 November.

They will look at education and certification, including disruption to exams, and will hear mainly from organisations representing groups affected, rather than from many individual witnesses.

The initial nine weeks of hearings focused on health and social care, during which 154 witnesses gave oral evidence.

Mr Duddy says the inquiry has already collected a huge amount of information from charities and groups who work with young people.

“When it comes to the hearings themselves, we didn’t think it was appropriate to put children under that pressure and under that spotlight,” he explained.

He says the surveys are designed to be “as simple and non-intimidating as possible.”

The inquiry aims to identify any unequal impacts on education and care across Scotland, and look at whether a digital divide affected home schooling, as well as the impact on children’s wellbeing and their mental health.

Every school in Scotland has been asked to complete the survey, external before Friday 29 November.