Jo Blanden and Birgitta Rabe discuss the decision to send the youngest students back to school this summer in this blog. They explain why doing so may be important for children’s education and wellbeing, as long as health risks can be mitigated.
The government recently confirmed that pupils in Year 6, Year 1, and Reception will be expected to return to English schools from 1 June provided COVID-19 transmissions and death rates do not rise in the meantime. If all goes to plan, nurseries and childminders will also be open from this date, with childminders looking after children from one family already able to open from 13 May.
These announcements indicate that we are moving to a stage in the pandemic where the public is expected to accept the increased risk that comes with returning to some normal activities. While there seems to be good evidence that children are less affected by coronavirus, and perhaps that they are less likely to transmit it, a lot of work has to go into making sure that school staff, students, and their families are safe, that social distancing rules are obeyed, and in some cases there will be practical barriers such as lack of space. Sending children to school will clearly make it easier for parents to work, aiding economic recovery. Many have, however, questioned why the youngest children are being sent back first. Surely, it’s going to be impossible to enforce social distancing among the youngest, and how are teachers and carers going to stop them putting everything in their mouths?
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