Missing school is bigger risk for children than catching Covid, warns government adviser

Risk to children's health from coronavirus 'miniscule', Sage expert says

Keeping children out of school poses a far greater risk to them that coronavirus, a Government adviser has said.

The impact of Covid-19 on children’s health is “miniscule”, but spending a prolonged period out of school is devastating their development, Dr Gavin Morgan said.

His intervention comes amid rising concern that millions of children now face spending six months out of school, with the majority of pupils not expected to return to the classroom until September at the earliest.

This week, pupils in Reception, Year One and Year Six were allowed to return to the classroom, but many schools across the country decided to stay closed with more than 50 local councils defying the Government’s plans.

Downing Street stated last month that it was their “ambition” that primary schools would be fully open by the end of June to allow children four weeks of lessons before they break up again for the summer.

But this week the Government said that the plan to have every primary school pupil back in the classroom for at least a month before the summer holidays is under review, following warnings from headteachers and governors that this would be “logistically impossible”.

Pupils in Year 10 and Year 12 are allowed back to school before the summer for a limited amount of lessons, but it is so far unclear when other secondary school children will return.

Dr Morgan, an expert in education psychology at University College London who sits on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said it is clear that children are far less affected by coronavirus than adults.

“We know they have a less challenging disease if they do pick it up,” he said. “The impact on children is miniscule in terms of their health.”

Speaking in a personal capacity, Dr Morgan told The Sunday Telegraph that schools remaining shut is “100 per cent worse” for children than coronavirus.

“We know how important play is for children’s development,” he said. “If they can’t play with their friends, their mental health is going to suffer. Children may well have developed secure attachment with their teachers and they have been denied access to these figures.”

Dr Morgan said that parents’ anxiety about sending their children back to school is “misplaced”, adding that they should not project their fears on to children.

Last month Sage published a tranche of documents detailing the evidence that had been provided to the Government on whether it was safe to allow pupils to return to the classroom.

The Sage advice revealed that ministers were warned ahead of the decision to open schools that children will suffer lifelong damage because of lockdown.

One report warned of the wider impact of lockdown to children’s physical and mental health, education and development.

The report authors said: “A cohort of children have experienced a shock to their education which will persist and affect their educational and work outcomes for the rest of their lives.

“The current lockdown may lead to an increase in adverse childhood experiences, for example: domestic violence, poor parental mental health, child neglect or abuse.”

Although the authors said some children "will adapt and be just fine" they warned that the vulnerable and poorest would be hit the hardest.

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