Starting this new year, it seems that the return to school for me, alongside 12 million other children has (yet again) been thrown into question. As an 18 year old taking my A-levels this year, I have felt motivated to do some further research into the effects of another nationwide school closure on both education and the transmission of COVID-19. Whilst there are clearly some epidemiological benefits to closing schools, the media seems inclined to ignore the effects on children’s education; especially on our most vulnerable in society.
The loss of learning. In a recent assessment, the Educational Endowment Fund estimated that “good” and “bad” predictions of the effect of school closures on the attainment gap range from the gap widening from 11% to 75%, with the BBC reporting that the gap may widen by 43%. Additionally, in an IFS survey conducted in May, in which the parents of 5,500 school-aged children in England were consulted, it was concluded children from wealthier families were spending more time studying during the pandemic than poorer children. In its latest research from August, the think tank gave a more detailed picture of how coronavirus had widened the gap between the richest and poorest primary school children. Its findings suggested that richer primary school children spent 75 minutes a day more on educational activities, compared with those in poorer families during lockdown. Data from five years ago suggested there was no gap in learning time among primary school pupils. According to Amanda Spielman, Chief Inspector at Ofsted, one day of school closure equates to around 40,000 years of education being lost. Other studies, such as that done by the Royal Society, suggest that school closures could result in UK children ‘losing <3% of their lifetime income’. Anna Vignoles, professor of education at the University of Cambridge and another of the authors, said: “Shutting down schools has impacted all children but the worst effects will be felt by those from lower socio-economic groups and with other vulnerabilities, such as a pre-existing mental health condition.”
The impact on child nutrition. In the UK, over 1.4 million children rely on free school meals, which has surged by an additional 900,000 as a result of the pandemic. Food insecurity has been much higher during the pandemic, and another school closure will only result in more children going hungry. Between April and May if this year, the Food Standards Agency estimated that between 6.3 million and 7.7 million adults had reduced meal portion sizes or missed meals because of lack of money.
The mental health impacts of another school closure. According to Emma Thomas, Chief Executive of YoungMinds, a children’s mental health charity, “We know that the coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on the lives of millions of children and young people across the country. In some cases, they have been through traumatic experiences at home, witnessing abuse or the deaths of friends and family, while others have struggled with missing friends, losing the structure of school or no longer being able to access the support they rely upon. If we don’t support young people now, the long-term impact could be huge.” According to a survey conducted by Gallup, nearly 3 in 10 parents (29%) said their child is “already experiencing harm” to their emotional or mental health because of social distancing and closures. Another 14% indicated their children are approaching their limits, saying they could continue social distancing a few more weeks until their mental health suffers.” Linked here is an interesting article by Professor of Psychology, Dr Ellen Townsend, who explains the mental health impact in further detail: https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/camh.12428
The effects on parents. In the UK, over 4.5 million children are of primary school age. If the schools were to close again, this potentially equates to the same number of parents needed to remain home an supervise, instead of going to work. Whilst there are provisions in place for the children of key workers, what about those parents who work in other sectors? All for a risk to children which the UK Chief Medical Officer has described as being “incredibly small”.
The impact on child protection and safeguarding. Research by the University of Birmingham showed a 39% drop in child protection medical examination (CPME) referrals, which occur when a child is suspected of receiving maltreatment, in the period of March to June 2020, as compared with the same period in 2018 and 2019. Professor Julie Taylor from the University of Birmingham’s School of Nursing said: “Our findings further evidence the hidden harm to children from COVID-19. Attending school provides children and young people with access to a trusted adult and a safe space outside of the family home. By removing this provision it increased the potential risk of abuse going unseen”. Ofsted themselves warned that the schools closures have led to a left ‘legacy of child abuse and neglect’, and that teachers are unable to recognise child abuse due to the online learning.
This is not to say that schools shouldn’t close, or that there aren’t any benefits of school closures. It is to say, however, that there certainly are some merits of schools remaining open; merits that are all but often ignored in the media.
