Between 9 and 13 April 2020, more than 3500 teachers in schools across Australia and New Zealand took part in a survey about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning. The survey captured valuable and current insights from teachers and other educators across all school sectors–primary and secondary, government and independent–about the new realities and unprecedented challenges of enforced distance teaching and learning.

Conducted by leading Australian education consultancy Pivot Professional Learning in partnership with online platform Education Perfect, the survey asked educators a series of questions about their experiences with online teaching during the COVID-19 schools shutdown, and sought their views about the impacts on school children and educational outcomes. The survey results provide revealing–and in some ways alarming–insights into the realities of distance education, both for teachers and home-bound students, as communities and governments continue to face difficult choices about education during this unprecedented crisis.