Research

There are a number of resources on the Digital Safety page that may be of particular interest with regards to the wider approach that can be taken in school and at home to promote safe, healthy and proportionate use of technology.

You can learn more about Midlothian's approach to supporting young learners to use technology safely and responsibly on the Oakley pages of this website. This includes teaching children about the importance of passcodes and supporting staff to strike a healthy balance between online and offline activity. The Technology for Learning page describes how we can make the most of technology in the classroom to support learning, teaching and assessment.

Features of Highly Effective Digital Learning, Teaching and Assessment in Schools (2022) is a strategy document produced by the Scottish Government on how digital tools can be effectively used in Scottish education. This document has several examples of how effective digital practice may look for teachers, learners and parents/carers. 

Learning experiences that use screens take a variety of different forms and include partner and group work, in addition to the setting of individual tasks. Throughout all digital experiences, children are developing their digital skills in a progressive manner, as per the Digital Literacy benchmarks in Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland’s national curriculum. The amount of time children spend on devices will vary, as will the amount of time spent on all types of learning experience. The responsibility to plan for a varied and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all learners sits with the class teacher. Midlothian teachers are expected to work together to plan and moderate approaches to ensure experiences are equitable, progressive across the school and appropriate to each age and stage of development.

PedTech in Practice: The Impact (2023) is a report for the Leo Academy Trust measuring the impact of iPads and Chromebooks in their schools. 

Technology in Education: A tool on whose terms (2023) is a report for UNESCO, examining the role of technology in education, exploring its potential to improve access, inclusion, and learning outcomes while addressing challenges like the digital divide, sustainability, and data privacy. The report emphasises that technology should complement, not replace, human teaching and urges policymakers to prioritise equity and evidence-based practices to ensure that technological integration meets the diverse needs of learners globally. 

Children’s Media Lives (2025) is a longitudinal study produced every year by Ofcom. Now in its eleventh year, the project follows, as far as possible, the same group of 21 children aged 8 to 17, conducting in-depth interviews each year to learn about their media habits and attitudes. It provides evidence about the motivations and the context for media use, and how media is a part of children’s daily life and domestic circumstances. The project also provides rich details of how children’s media habits and attitudes change over time, particularly in the context of their emotional and cognitive development. There is important learning here about what young people experience online and what school systems need to do to ensure they are equipped with the digital skills and resilience to cope.

In addition to looking outwards and learning from research, Midlothian Council also looks inwards and gathers opinions and feedback from children, families and staff. The annual pupil survey in 2025 captured the views of nearly 6000 children. A summary of their comments is available in the Hear Our Voices video. Feedback from the annual survey is used to shape the priority areas for the coming year, for example, addressing the need to upskill staff in the risks and opportunities of generative artificial intelligence.