Back to School Sparks Concern over Coronavirus Spike

As millions of pupils return back to school classrooms in England and Wales, many fear it could lead to a spike in Covid cases.

There are no longer rules on social distancing and mask wearing, as well as changes to self-isolation. But there is pre-term Covid testing to help limit the number of cases of infection.

Scientists warn that without these measures in place, cases of coronavirus will likely rise rapidly in schools. Especially since experts do not recommend healthy children between the ages of 12 and 15 have Covid vaccinations.

Ministers are keen for a return to normality, but cases among children are over 30 times higher now than last year. In the week to 28 August, over 300 cases were recorded per 100,000 five to 15 year olds. During the same time last year, there were fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 children.

Head teachers hope for the term to run smoothly, but also want school safety measures to stay under review. There is less uncertainty this year regarding the impacts coronavirus will have on schooling. But the government need to be ready to “step in with support” if necessary.

First day back

One head teacher in Essex, Katie Scarnell, expects a very busy first day of term as all pupils are welcomed back for the first time. She is “really pleased to be back”, and thinks “it’s great to have the school back to some level of normality for the first time in a long time”. Although most safety measures are eased, she isn’t worrying. But only as long as they are “not complacent about it”. Every classroom a the school will still have hand sanitisers, and staff are told to stay vigilant about ventilation.

Mrs Scarnell thinks the issue of vaccinations is best left to the medical experts. However, she thinks “parents’ consent is definitely needed for children” aged 12 to 15 years.

Health officials believe young people are likely to have milder Covid symptoms if they contract the virus. But some pupils are still anxious about starting the new term, following a year and a half of disruption.

Olivia, an A-level student in Bournemouth and member of the NSPCC’s young people’s board for change, finds the idea of just carrying on “very daunting”. She wants to repeat last year as she finds it difficult to just drop “back into this new normality” like nothing has happened. Now is an important time in her school life, sitting A-Levels and applying for university.

Meanwhile, pupils and teachers are still requesting more information and full details on the government’s pledge of modified exams.

The balance between safety and minimising disruption

The National Association of Head Teachers says that the main focus of schools is on helping pupils recover from the disruption. But there are ongoing concerns about the level of support the government are offering. Some people also feel that more funding is needed to make sure pupils are getting everything they need.

A spokesman from the Department for Education says measures at schools strike a balance between making them safe and reducing disruption. The last 18 months has been hard for everyone, including young people. The government have invested over £17m into strengthening mental health support available in schools.

During its summer counselling sessions, the NSPCC noticed a frequent concern among children about returning to school or college. One 14 year old calling the helpline, who has a clinically vulnerable sister, explains how she hasn’t attended school much in the last to years. She is scared to think “I’m going back to school full-time and the rules on masks and social distancing have been eased”.

Another student, doing her second GCSE year, is worried about school work and completing exams. She struggled during lockdown while working from her bedroom, and it has made home feel different now. The hardest thing to deal with was never knowing what would happen next.

Although many pupils fear going back to school, some like 14 year old Muhammad Salhal, are looking forward to seeing friends again, and getting back to work. He worries that he has missed out on so much due to the lack of face to face teaching.

Surges in Scotland

Many will agree that getting rid of school bubbles is a good move for preventing children from missing too much school time. However, it does lead to concerns on the rise of Covid cases, as seen in Scotland.

England need to learn from what is happening in Scotland.

Scotland reopened schools mid-August, resulting in a fast increase in cases of coronavirus, even though social distancing measures remain in place. Covid cases in Scotland have reached record levels since most schools returned. The cause of the rise isn’t blamed solely on schools though, as the increase began at the start of August. The fastest increase came among 15 to 19 year olds. However, since pupils returned to schools, cases among the under-15s trebled.

This year’s pattern in covid cases seems to follow a similar path to last year, with a rise just before schools restarted, and a steeper increase in September. Although cases in 2020 were much lower at this point.

Meanwhile, cases in England have remained fairly flat across August. The question is whether the new term will cause them to rise in the same way.

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