Find out about the protective measures that are in place in schools and colleges throughout England to ensure pupils are as safe as possible

ON MONDAY March 8, schools welcomed back the millions of pupils who have been learning remotely during this latest lockdown. But while many parents heaved a sigh of relief when the Prime Minister announced the plan, many others were understandably concerned about the risk of pupils catching Covid-19 in school or college. But thanks to a raft of existing and new measures — including a fast and efficient test to pick up previously undetected cases of coronavirus — parents can be assured their children and family are as safe as possible. The Covid-19 rapid lateral flow test has been extensively trialled these past few months on some of the 15 per cent of children who had still been attending. Regular rapid testing is also being made available to staff and parents of nursery, school and college students as well as adults in their household, childcare and support bubbles.

Of course, parents know just how important it is for youngsters to have proper lessons: while remote learning has helped pupils, it’s no long-term substitute for the classroom. To help them, the Government has provided £700 million in new funding on top of £1 billion for an education and recovery package to help youngsters catch up on lost learning. It has also provided £8 million for a wellbeing programme that has funded expert support, training and resources for staff to respond to emotional and mental health pressures youngsters may be facing.

It’s important for children to get back to education for so many reasons.

“There’s so much more that schools give than just teaching facts and figures,” says Dr Gavin Morgan, educational psychologist at the University College London. “They’re essential for a child’s wellbeing.

“Children can catch up on lessons they’ve missed, but what you can’t replace are those incidental aspects of education so important for their development, such as play and developing social skills. The longer children stay away from school, the more unhappy, withdrawn and lacking in those skills they’ll become. And unhappy children don’t learn.

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