POORER pupils are struggling more than their better-off peers during school closures, a new report on the challenges faced by teachers and parents reveals. 

Research by the Sutton Trust published today found that 40 per cent of children in middle-class households are undertaking over five hours of learning from home a day compared with just 26 per cent of those in working-class households.

The gap of providing online learning between the independent and state sectors has widened, with 86 per cent of teachers in private schools now using online live lessons, compared with 50 per cent in state schools.