The report features powerful testimony from 2 e-Sgoil pupils and a Q and A with Steven Graham, Head of School at e-Sgoil.
Examples of Testimony from e-Sgoil pupils highlighted in the report.
- I have managed to complete work I never thought I’d be able to do. Now I hand in work that I’m proud of.”
- “We are given the freedom to learn in ways that suit us.”
- “In person, in a big class, some people don’t want to speak, maybe they don’t feel confident or comfortable raising their hand and talking. When you’re online, you’re just typing so that’s lot easier to do.”
Summarising the work of e-Sgoil in the Q and A section Steven Graham said: “e-Sgoil has changed over the years but everything we do can still be summarised in two words – removing barriers.”
“This is our lives, it matters a lot”: Putting children’s rights at the heart of education’, a report which was published by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner in March, makes recommendations to improve the education system for all children. One of its recommendations is that Scottish Government should invest in e-Sgoil and other virtual school models to offer children a wider range of subjects and to increase access for children to their alternative education provision.
When asked about what he would like to see from Scottish Government, Steven Graham responded “I would look to work with Scottish Government to find a solution to secure sustainable funding for our provision for interrupted learners. I think the potential to make a real difference, not just in people’s lives, but economically, societally, is huge. It’s an issue that is complex. We’re not claiming that we have all the answers, but e-Sgoil can certainly be part of the solution.”