Pupils and parents ‘overwhelmed’ as up to 902 apps are approved for use in the classroom

Education experts have warned pupils and parents are becoming overwhelmed by the sheer scale of technology they are expected to navigate in school, as The Sunday Post reveals that one Scots local authority has approved a whopping 902 apps for use in its classrooms.

The experts are calling for more joined-up thinking on the use of technology and warn the current confusing situation will lead to a worsening of the attainment gap, a key plank in the SNP government’s manifesto.

They point to the fact that while some councils have approved hundreds of apps – used for everything from homework to booking activities and creating music and art projects – councils such as Orkney and the Western Isles councils have permitted zero.

How many apps are approved for use in school?

The Sunday Post asked Scotland’s 32 councils how many apps they approve for use in their primary and secondary schools – and discovered that the numbers varied wildly across the country. Some local authorities are permitting access to hundreds of apps, while others don’t approve any at all.

North Lanarkshire council topped the league with an astonishing 902 apps green-lighted for use in its schools. This was followed by Dumfries & Galloway, which allows just under 500, while Fife and Angus councils each said pupils have access to upwards of 400 apps.

At the other end of the scale, Clackmannanshire, Orkney and Western Isles councils said they did not endorse any apps for use in their schools, but that pupils and parents were welcome to access other free online educational tools provided by tech giants such as Microsoft and Google.

The news comes after it was revealed this week that the attainment gap between Scotland’s richest and poorest school pupils widened last year.

The Scottish Government has said since 2015 that closing this gap is its priority. But the latest ­figures show the difference has grown for pupils sitting National 4s, National 5s and Highers.

The attainment gap between the proportion of school leavers from the most and least deprived areas who had one pass or more in National 5s or equivalent qualifications was 22.7% last year – up from 20.2% in 2022-23.

The gap in the proportion of school leavers who achieved one pass or more in Highers or equivalent qualifications was 38.4% in 2023-24, up from 36.9% the previous year. Play Scotland, the national expert in children’s activities, said it was stunned to hear about the sheer number of apps being permitted in schools.

“It is understandable why some parents and pupils feel overwhelmed,” said its chief executive, Marguerite Hunter Blair. “A review of all apps would be useful to map the purpose and benefits to parents and schoolchildren and their views on the apps.

“While digital tools can be useful for learning, the key focus is making sure they are genuinely supporting children’s learning rather than just adding another task for families to manage.”

‘Digital divide’

Teachers’ union the EIS said that during the pandemic schools relied on educational apps to support home learning but that this had also highlighted a significant digital divide, with many families unable to afford the appropriate devices and connectivity to access educational apps. It said: “We would also question the effectiveness of apps which are sold by private companies for profit as shiny technical fixes, and which claim to incentivise good behaviour, improved academic performance and homework completion by gamifying the school experience.”

The EIS also said teachers report that some apps foster an unhealthy sense of competition based on simplistic data and algorithms and in some instances are used to scrutinise the performance of both learners and teachers “with little regard for privacy or professionalism”.

The union added: “It is clear that where apps are used, this must be within a framework developed by teachers in collaboration with parents and learners.”

Dr Mart Peart, specialist lecturer in education at Glasgow University, said digital literacy has become an increasingly polarised topic, sparking debate over how – and even if – technology should be embedded in classrooms.

“Local authorities have the capacity to adapt national policies and implement specific action plans tailored to the context and to societal and educational needs of their communities,” he said.

“Given that these policies arise from the local communities, this will look different across the nation and can lead to varying levels of technology development.”

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland said local authorities are responsible for the delivery of education, “including decisions related to deployment of particular technologies, including the use of apps, to support learning and teaching”.

I really feel for families who aren’t tech savvy. It must be a nightmare

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Graeme and Debbie Robertson have one child at primary school and another at secondary, and they say the number of educational apps they have to learn how to use is confusing and frustrating.

The family, from Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, often encounter technical issues trying to operate the apps and dad Graeme, 50, said that the number of passwords parents and kids have to remember is overwhelming.

He explained: “Some of these apps are not easy to navigate and when things go wrong you need to contact a teacher by email to try and sort it, as there is often no facility to reset passwords remotely.

“The sheer number of passwords the kids have to create and remember is also overwhelming.

“I really feel for parents who are less tech-savvy than us. It must be a nightmare.”

Graeme believes there should be a uniform policy across Scotland’s schools over what apps are being used.

He added: “I am shocked at the sheer numbers of apps that are being approved by some local authorities. It should be an equal playing field for everyone, and the technology should be easily usable by everyone and available to everyone.”