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When the history of the pandemic comes to be written the most disturbing chapter of all will be devoted to the plight of the old and the vulnerable.

Local children will soon be back at school. Catching up on education is vital – but so is pupils’ mental health. Scope looks at a new report from Barnardo’s NI that gathered evidence from teachers and other education staff.

Sean McKay, former Director of Audit at the NI Audit Office argues that the status quo is not an option for our education system when schools return.

It will take Northern Ireland’s economy  between four and five years to recover from the Covid-19 economic crash, according to an Ulster University report released this week. 

The pandemic has highlighted many economic weaknesses. A terrible downturn is inevitable, and young people will be worst affected. Throw in other factors, like climate change, and new thinking seems necessary.

It may have been a giant leap for Boris Johnson, but his plans to help us lose weight are but a small step in the battle against obesity.

Northern Ireland’s coastlines are beautiful. They are also strewn with litter. We all need to think about plastic waste.

What if the spontaneous outbreaks of kindness which have been such a feature of the pandemic were shown to be a true reflection of the human condition, not just a response to a crisis?

Covid-19 has left children out of school. Parents are petitioning for academic selection to be significantly delayed - or simply cancelled - for the coming year.

The controversy over facemasks is emblematic of the dangerously shambolic government response to Covid-19. And it's not just public health that’s at stake. 

2020 is our annus horribilis. Until, perhaps, 2021.

New guidelines on how public sector bodies should deal with concerns raised by staff and the public have just been published.

The Covid-19 pandemic has drawn attention away from the ongoing crisis of SEN provision in the education system. There is no easy fix.

The argument for a green recovery to the pandemic is growing across the globe, as Scope reported last week.

The Executive has plenty on its plate but now is the time to look at childcare in Northern Ireland.

This week 57 charities, including NI Environment Link wrote to the Prime Minister demanding all elements of any recovery package be consistent with reaching net zero emissions by 2050. 

Quintin Oliver on how to build a better world post pandemic. 

Covid-19 risks an increase in loneliness. It also makes loneliness much more difficult to tackle. We have to think of ways to work against these problems – especially with Northern Ireland at risk of a coronavirus second wave.

If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, surely it is that there is nothing more important than our health and wellbeing.

Many NI charities are struggling financially The Covid-19 Charities Fund will help some but not all. Scope speaks with the Willowfield Parish Community Association, whose experience is emblematic of wider worries.