This week sees many children and young people returning to school for the start of the new academic year. I'm delighted this is happening. While this will of course be exciting to pupils and teachers (as well as, I’m sure, many parents who had been tasked with home-schooling), I recognise that concerns about coronavirus remain.
The Chief Medical Officers of the UK recently reviewed the evidence of risks and benefits to health from schools opening and concluded that the risk of long-term harm from Covid-19 due solely to attending school is low, while the risk of long-term harm from not attending school is high.
While the overall risk is low, measures will still be put in place to minimise the risk of transmission of the virus, including minimising contact between groups of children as much as possible, enhanced cleaning and encouraging regular handwashing.
Wiltshire Council has been assisting schools in their preparations to ensure pupils can safely return, and say parents will be contacted by their child’s school individually for practical advice on how the new school day will work. The council has produced a Back to School booklet and a number of information pages for parents, which can be found here.