Schools warned of ‘long, hard winter’ ahead amid COVID-19 testing chaos
Schools are facing up to a ‘long, hard winter’ ahead as COVID-19 testing delays and rising infection rates have already seen a spike in the numbers of pupils being sent home.
Barely three weeks into term and the number of schools not fully open due to COVID-19 has jumped from one per cent on September 10 to four per cent on September 17.
Furthermore, a survey by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has found that four in five schools have children isolating because they cannot access a COVID-19 test.
The survey on September 17 involved 736 school leaders and found that 82 per cent of schools have children currently not attending because they cannot access a test, while 87 per cent have children stuck at home because they are waiting for test results.
Furthermore, 45 per cent of schools have staff currently not at work because they cannot access a test, and 60 per cent have staff at home because they are waiting for results.
It comes after the children's commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, estimated that one in 20 children – roughly 400 000 – were out of school on any one day due to COVID-19-related reasons. Speaking to the BBC (2020), she called for ‘extra clarity from the government in terms of who does need to not be in school if there are symptoms’.
Official Department for Education (DfE, 2020) statistics state that 94 per cent of state-funded schools were fully open on September 17 – ‘fully open’ is defined as being able to ‘provide face-to-face teaching for all pupils on roll for the whole school day and that they have not asked a group of pupils to self-isolate’.
‘Schools are working incredibly hard to manage this very difficult situation, and leaders tell us that there is often little time left in the day for anything other than dealing with symptomatic or positive cases, and navigating the complexities of the public health system.’
Four per cent of schools said they were not fully open due to suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19. This is up from one per cent on September 10.
The DfE estimates that 87 per cent of all state school pupils were in attendance on September 17, down from 88 per cent on September 10.
Given the rising cases of COVID-19 and the delays in accessing tests and test results, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) said it was ‘a great relief’ that the figures were not worse.
On Tuesday (September 22), general secretary Geoff Barton said: ‘Under the circumstances of rising infection rates in the community, and severe problems with the Covid testing system, (the figures are) not at all surprising. Frankly, it is a great relief that the situation is not a lot worse.
‘Schools are working incredibly hard to manage this very difficult situation, and leaders tell us that there is often little time left in the day for anything other than dealing with symptomatic or positive cases, and navigating the complexities of the public health system.
‘This intensity will be hard to sustain over many weeks and months and action is needed to better support schools.
‘The Covid testing system hasn't been adequate and capacity has to improve so that tests can be obtained quickly. And, across society, we have a responsibility individually to behave in a way that reduces the risk of transmission and brings the infection rate down. This will help to keep schools open and minimise disruption to children's education in what is clearly going to be a long, hard winter. We all need to do our bit.’
It comes as teaching, support staff and school leadership unions continue to lobby government for action over delays in its testing system, among other issues.
Support staff unions GMB, Unite and UNISON this week wrote to education secretary Gavin Williamson demanding the government give all school staff priority testing, reduce the size of pupil bubbles and make face coverings compulsory on school buses.
And the National Education Union (NEU) wrote to the prime minister on Sunday (September 20) urging him to put in place a ‘plan B’ for education given the rising infection rates across the country.
In the letter, the NEU warns that the strain on schools of having so many pupils and staff in limbo waiting on tests or test results will only get worse as the autumn term continues.
The letter adds: ‘We hope that you will be able to get this situation under control quickly but, if you cannot, then we believe that you will have to take steps to reduce wider school opening in these areas to help get R below 1.’
The NAHT survey, meanwhile, also found that of those schools who have had to send pupils home due to suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 so far this term, 70 per cent have sent home individual pupils only. Seven per cent have sent home whole classes, while five per cent have sent home whole year groups.
A total of 14 per cent of the respondents have had confirmed cases of COVID-19 in their schools since the start of term.
Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, has also written to the prime minister to raise his concerns about the impact that a lack of access to COVID-19 tests is having on schools. He said the situation is becoming ‘increasingly disruptive and unsustainable’.
He said: ‘Tests for COVID-19 need to be readily available for everyone so that pupils and staff who get negative results can get back into school quickly. But we are hearing the same thing repeatedly from our members across the country – chaos is being caused by the inability of staff and families to successfully get tested when they display symptoms. This means schools are struggling with staffing, have children missing school, and ultimately that children's education is being needlessly disrupted.
‘The government assured us that testing would be ready for schools re-opening – it was one of their own key safety requirements to have in place to enable children and teachers to return. It is in no way unpredictable or surprising that the demand for COVID-19 tests would spike when schools reopened more widely this term. And yet the system is in chaos. The government has failed schools and children. It is unacceptable for this to happen when schools have put so much effort into getting their part of the plan right, and when pupils have had to endure so much uncertainty and disruption already.’
‘The COVID-19 testing system hasn't been adequate and capacity has to improve so that tests can be obtained quickly. And … we have a responsibility individually to behave in a way that reduces the risk of transmission and brings the infection rate down.’
New study shows link between air pollution and asthma onset in children
A Danish study published in the BMJ this month (Holst et al, 2020) found that children exposed to high levels of particulate matter are more likely to develop asthma and persistent wheezing.
As part of the study ‘Air pollution and family-related determinants of asthma onset and persistent wheezing in children: nationwide case-control study’ Holst et al studied children born from 1997 to 2014 and followed for asthma onset and persistent wheezing aged 1 to 15 years.
While a higher incidence of asthma was found in children of parents with asthma and mothers who smoked during pregnancy, the incidence in children of parents with high educational attainment and high incomes was lower.
The study also looked at the impact of exposure to particulate matter and nitrates.
‘The findings of this study suggest that children exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 [particulate matter ≤2.5 µm] are more likely to develop asthma and persistent wheezing than children who are not exposed. Other risk factors associated with these outcomes were parental asthma, parental education, and maternal smoking during pregnancy.’
Local authorities urged to act now on air pollution around schools
Reducing air pollution around UK schools could halve the number of children with lung function so poor that it affects their everyday lives, researchers have concluded.
Local authorities, schools and others are now being urged to act to improve air quality with the launch of a national Clean Air for Schools Framework – a free, online tool to help schools create a tailored clean air action plan.
The new analysis from Queen Mary University shows that if we can halve outdoor air pollution, we could see a 20 to 50 per cent reduction in the number of children with poor lung function (Whitehouse, 2020).
Furthermore, if we can halve the levels of particulate matter, we could reduce the need for unscheduled medical attendances (GPs, A&E), by 20 to 50 per cent.
As an example of what is possible and the impact we could have, the study finds that the reduction in air pollution seen during the COVID-19 lockdown led to asthma attacks in London children ‘all but disappearing’.
The report points to a wealth of evidence showing the links between air pollution and poor health for children. The inhalation of small particles exacerbates asthma, poor lung function and allergies in the short term. Exposure to high levels for long periods on a daily basis (such as growing up in a busy polluted city) increases your risk of developing asthma and of severe infections such as pneumonia.
The report was carried out on behalf of Global Action Plan and the Philips Foundation, who are leading a new coalition campaigning for action for schools in the UK's 2 000 most polluted hotspots. The campaign is being supported by the National Education Union and the National Association of Head Teachers, among others.
To demonstrate the impact air pollution has on children's lungs, the campaign is showcasing new infrared images of children's sputum (phlegm), which show the pollutants found in the lungs of children.
‘Airborne’ is a multimedia project by artist Sarah Stirk focusing on air pollution's impact on the health of children in London. It uses microscopic images of black carbon – i.e. particulate matter – in children's sputum, data maps showing pollution levels, and infrared images of children. Campaigners will use the images to put added pressure on local authorities to act.
Dr Abigail Whitehouse from the Centre for Genomics and Child Health at Queen Mary University, and the report's author, said: ‘We conducted our analysis by looking at all published scientific studies between 2010 and 2020 in which air pollution reductions had been achieved and had a positive impact on children's health.
‘Most significantly we found that studies in which there had been a large reduction in air pollution levels due to large-scale interventions did have a positive impact on health, such as the Children's Health Study in California, which found that a 50 per cent reduction in pollution levels reduced the number of children with poor lung function which affects their everyday lives by half.
‘Current evidence suggests that if we could create similar reductions in the UK that we would also be able to find similar significant reductions. If we wish to improve our children's health, we need to act now to continue the reductions in pollutants that were seen over the lockdown period.’
The Clean Air for Schools Framework gives schools, parents and local authorities a bespoke blueprint of actions for tackling air pollution in and around the school from its database of 50 actions. It aims to help schools:
- Reduce air pollution from their own operations, including the school run
- Educate the next generation to help them and their families make cleaner air choices
- Become local leaders on air pollution, working with partners to improve air quality in the local area.
The campaign is highlighting action taken in Hackney in east London, which it says has become one of the leading community grassroots initiatives proactively tackling air pollution. Hackney has pioneered School Streets, one of the framework's 50 actions.
School Streets sees motor traffic banned from outside schools at opening and closing times and in Hackney this led to a 68 per cent reduction in traffic and a 51 per cent increase in children cycling to school. Vehicle emissions outside schools in Hackney dropped by 74 per cent.
Chris Large, co-CEO at Global Action Plan, said: ‘Local authorities must take advantage of free tools such as the Clean Air for Schools Framework, as the analysis by Queen Mary University of London shows, air pollution impacts the daily lives of so many children. They must act now.’
Councils braced for spike in safeguarding referrals as ‘lockdown cloak’ is lifted
Children's social care received 41 190 referrals between April and June this year – down by almost one fifth when compared to the same period over each of the past three years.
The number of children who started to be looked after is also down by about a third year-on-year with only 1 640 children being taken into care during the April to June period this year. The figures have been published by the Department for Education (DfE, 2020).
It comes after the NSPCC's helpline reported receiving contacts from more than 22 000 adults between April and June – with May seeing around 8 300 calls alone. Concerns being reported included about parental behaviour, physical and emotional abuse, neglect and sexual abuse.
Local councils are bracing themselves for a spike in safeguarding referrals in the coming weeks as children return to schools, many for the first time in more than 5 months.
The Local Government Association (LGA) – which represents local councils across England and Wales – has raised what it calls its ‘deep concerns’ about falling referrals.
The LGA is concerned that long-term funding cuts had already led to the scaling back of early help services even before the pandemic hit. It wants the government to use the forthcoming Spending Review to give councils the resources to ‘invest in preventative, universal and early help services’.
The DfE's figures cover the period from April 20 to June 14 and show that the number of referrals from schools decreased by 77 per cent, while referrals from the police increased by 16 per cent (when compared to the same period in 2018).
For example, this means that in the weeks May 18 to 24 and June 1 to 7, there were 1 360 referrals from schools – compared to 5 960 referrals across the same two weeks in 2018.
Judith Blake, chair of the LGA's Children and Young People Board, said: ‘Some children and their families will need significant interventions, but others will just need some extra help to get through a difficult period. It will be essential that the right services can be there to support them and help them cope. It is vital that councils have the funding they need to support children, young people and families during the current phase of the crisis and beyond.’
Children's charity Barnardo's has warned that many vulnerable children have been isolated and hidden during the lockdown and over the summer.
Chief executive Javed Khan said: ‘These figures show that many vulnerable children have been hidden from view by the cloak of the COVID-19 lockdown. Teachers, health visitors and other professionals have not had the opportunity to identify children at risk and refer them for further support in the normal way.
‘But now with children returning to school, it's very likely we will see a significant rise in referrals, including for children who have suffered bereavement and anxiety – especially in BAME communities – and for children who have been trapped in unsafe homes.
‘It's absolutely vital that children's services have the resources and capacity they need to respond to those identified as needing support without having to wait until they hit crisis point.’
Barnardo's has recently launched its See, Hear, Respond programme, funded by the DfE and delivered in partnership with almost 80 national and local charities across England.
See, Hear, Respond is there to support children with anxiety disorders, whether they be general or related to specific issues. It is also looking to support children transitioning to secondary school as well as those who have been excluded from mainstream schools, among others. Teachers and other professionals are being urged to refer children and families who may need support.’
2020–2021 national flu immunisation programme expanded to year 7
Concerns of the flu and COVID-19 co-circulating this winter has led to the widening of the eligibility criteria for immunisation.
If both COVID-19 and influenza circulate at the same time this winter, it could put even more strain on the health-care service than usual, as well as further increase the risks for vulnerable people. Therefore, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England (PHE) (2019) announced in August that the annual flu immunisation programme would be expanded to include other groups, including:
- Household contacts of those on the NHS shielded patient list (individuals who expect to share living accommodation with a shielded person on most days over the winter and therefore for whom continuing close contact is unavoidable)
- Children of school year 7 age in secondary schools (those aged 11 on the 31st of August 2020)
- Health and social care workers employed through direct payment (personal budgets) and/or personal health budgets, such as personal assistants
- 50–64-year-olds in November and December depending on vaccine supply.
In the letter DHSC and PHE (2019) explained: ‘A recommendation to extend flu vaccination to children was made in 2012 by JCVI to provide both individual protection to the children themselves and reduce transmission across all age groups…
‘This year as part of our wider planning for winter, in case we see flu and COVID-19 both circulating at the same time, PHE has secured additional vaccine to enable the programme to be extended into Year 7 in secondary schools in 2020/21. Although it is the first time Year 7 pupils will be offered the vaccine nationally, these children will have been offered the flu vaccine when they were in primary school so both they and their parents will be familiar with the programme.’
The letter also suggested that this season an inactivated vaccine may be offered to those children whose parents refuse the live attenuated influenza vaccine due to porcine gelatine content in order to prevent localised outbreaks:
‘It is essential to increase flu vaccination levels for those who are living in the most deprived areas and from BAME communities. We need to ensure equitable uptake compared to the population as a whole and help protect those who are more at risk if they are to get COVID-19 and flu. It will therefore require high quality, dedicated and culturally competent engagement with local communities, employers and faith groups.’
DHSC and PHE (2019) further announced that this academic year, the flu vaccination programme will be supported by a new public-facing marketing campaign to encourage take up among eligible groups for the free flu vaccine. The campaign is due to launch in October.
County lines: Safeguarding alert issued to schools as cases rise sharply
A county lines safeguarding alert has been issued to schools after a worrying spike in referrals nationally.
Home Office figures for the April to June period show that referrals to the National Referral Mechanism – the system for identifying victims of modern slavery – more than doubled from 199 to 409. Of these, 346 (85 per cent) were for children.
The period coincided with the COVID-19 lockdown and it is feared that many criminal gangs adapted their methods and took advantage of vulnerable children who were out of view of teachers, social workers and youth workers.
County lines refers to the use of children and vulnerable adults by individuals or gangs to transport and sell Class A drugs – mainly from urban areas into market or coastal towns. Children are also used to transport and hide weapons.
A report last year from the National Crime Agency (NCA, 2019) warned that the high profits being made by criminals means that their methods are constantly changing to ‘minimise risks’ and core to this is the exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults.
The NCA said that offenders often approach victims before the age of 11 in order to build a relationship and trust – making county lines a safeguarding issue for both primary and secondary schools. The grooming techniques are similar to those we see in cases of sexual exploitation.
Responding to the recent Home Office figures, Iryna Pona, policy manager at The Children's Society, said that the charity had seen evidence of how criminals continued to ‘cynically groom and exploit vulnerable children to traffic drugs’ during the COVID-19 lockdown.
She said: ‘They adapted their methods where necessary and took advantage of a situation in which many children were out of view of teachers, social workers and youth workers – meaning that even these shocking figures may be just the tip of the iceberg. Our research has also found that awareness of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) among professionals is patchy.’
The NRM is an online process via which professionals can refer potential victims of modern slavery for support. Home Office guidance (2020) states: ‘If the potential victim is under 18, or may be under 18, an NRM referral must be made. Child victims do not have to consent to be referred into the NRM and must first be safeguarded and then referred into the NRM process.’
Writing in CHHE's sister title, SecEd earlier this year (2020), virtual school headteacher Darren Martindale offered his advice to schools on supporting pupils at risk of county lines and other criminal activity – warning that exclusion was a major factor in increasing pupils' vulnerability. He wrote: ‘Many (though not all) young offenders come from very difficult backgrounds. However, children who are coerced into this world become particularly vulnerable and educators have a pivotal role in protecting them. These children are often looking for someone to run to – and they run the wrong way.’
He described the dangers victims face: ‘There is an insidious process of luring children into these gangs. At first, they might be invited to undertake a bit of ‘work’ for what seems a harmless reward, e.g. food, gifts, money or accommodation. Class B drugs (e.g. cannabis) are often also supplied to the child as a hook.
‘Brainwashing and coercion through violence usually follow, until the young person is completely isolated and controlled through intimidation. These gangs are characterised by more extreme levels of violence than local gangs. Their victims have stumbled into a world where shootings, stabbings, the breaking and severing of limbs and other horrendous forms of violence are not uncommon.’
The NCA report estimated that around 2 000 county lines existed (at the time of its writing in February 2019) and that children aged from 15 to 17 make up the bulk of the vulnerable people involved.
Victims have common risk factors, the NCA states, including poverty, family breakdown/intervention by social services, looked after status, frequent missing episodes, behavioural and developmental disorders, and exclusion from mainstream schooling.
Children from ‘seemingly stable backgrounds’ are also targeted by offenders, who exploit vulnerabilities such as difficulties with parents and peer groups.
Back at The Children's Society, meanwhile, a campaign is underway to urge government to launch a national strategy to tackle child criminal exploitation, define it in law and ‘help end the postcode lottery when it comes to identifying children at risk of exploitation and offering support early’.
Ms Pona continued: ‘Even when children are assessed to be victims of child criminal exploitation, the support they receive remains inconsistent and often insufficient and too many children are not identified until exploitation is deeply engrained in their lives.
‘It's vital that all vulnerable children who are not yet in school, or in the event of future school closures, have access to a named trusted professional who can help ensure they are getting the support they need and identify any risks they may be facing.’