Professor Russell Viner, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said:
Any decision about whether schools should remain closed after the holidays must be based on the best possible evidence and must balance the risk of increased transmission against the risk of harm to our young people. There is no doubt that this is a very difficult balance to achieve but, ultimately, all of us want the best for children while protecting the health of the broader population.
So many young people have had huge interruptions to their education. But schools are also vital to the broader wellbeing of children and young people, providing social interaction and recreational activities as well as a range of services from vaccinations to mental health support.
Mental health organisations, charities and our own members are reporting that many young people did not cope well under lockdown and that this resulted in an increase in eating disorders, self-harm, depression and suicidal thoughts. Schools are also where at-risk children are looked out for and supported.
Teachers have been doing an incredible job under extremely difficult circumstances. Many are more tired this holiday than ever before because of the extra efforts they have made to keep lessons going, alongside the many other tasks that have been asked of them. As paediatricians, we salute these frontline workers and thank them for what they are doing for our children.
Our view remains that schools should be the last places to close and the first to open. We’ve said many times that it is not a simple choice between protecting the community and prioritising children’s access to school. Both are vital and the right balance is hugely difficult but hugely important.
If schools are to close, there are vital, practical questions that need an answer – most obviously, equal access to technology for all schoolchildren, which is by no means easy or even possible for every family.
We need an ambitious, national and properly funded recovery plan for children and young people. This is especially vital if schools remain partially or fully closed in the early months of the year. The interruption of education is a huge issue, but we also need to prepare for the impact on mental health and child protection services, on missed diagnoses and cancelled procedures. Many children will also be living in families pushed further into financial insecurity or outright poverty.
We are nearly a year into this pandemic, and at an incredibly difficult juncture where very few choices are easy or straightforward. It is imperative that we keep in mind the short- and long-term impact of this pandemic on our children and young people and commit to helping them recover from a disruptive and in many cases traumatic period of their lives.