THE NATION’S top child doctors have urged Boris Johnson to reopen schools as a priority or risk harming the life chances of a generation.
More than 1,500 of the UK’s leading paediatricians signed a letter to the Prime Minister demanding immediate action.
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Their letter says the current interruption to schooling is “without precedent” and risks “scarring the life chances of a generation”.
Schools for some kids are the “difference between surviving and thriving”, it adds.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health sent the letter to its members yesterday afternoon and had over 500 signatories within an hour.
They have called on the Government to publish a clear plan for getting pupils back into class as part of a national recovery programme for children.
Lockdown harm
College president Prof Russell Viner, a member of the government’s scientific advisory group Sage, has warned lockdown is doing kids more harm than the virus itself.
He said: “The response to this letter in such a short time shows the very real concern paediatricians have for the mental and physical health of children who have now missed many months of education and the broader benefits schools bring.
“Children need their schools.
“Every child deserves to have an uninterrupted education and teachers, school leaders and local authorities have worked tirelessly to provide that before and during Covid.
Children need their schools
Prof Russell Viner
“But teachers do so much more than teach and schools provide so much more than education.
“Schools are vital to the wellbeing of children and young people, providing a range of services from vaccinations to mental health support.
“Schools are also where at-risk children are looked out for and supported.
“Right now, we don’t know how some of the most vulnerable children in our society are faring because they are outside of the safety net that school provides.
“And, of course, schools are also where our children run around, play and laugh and argue with each other.
“They need to return to that sort of a healthy normality as soon as possible.”
Some years have already returned to school but are subject to strict social distancing measures and limits on class sizes.
Other years are due to return in September but the National Education Union has warned this will not be possible if rules stay in place.
No schoolwork
Around 2.3million children in the UK have done almost no schoolwork at home since lockdown began in March, according to researchers.
The study by University College London found one in five had done no homeschooling or managed less than an hour a day.
Dr Liz Marder, a consultant community paediatrician working in Nottingham, signed the letter within two minutes of it being sent out.
She said: “Up until now, very few children have been directly affected by Covid-19.
“But, indirectly, many children and young people have suffered enormously from the impact that the pandemic has had on their daily lives.
“It is our most vulnerable children, such as those from disadvantaged families or those with additional needs, who may suffer most.
“Getting children safely back into education as soon as we can has to be a priority if we are to avoid further damage to the health, well-being and life chances of so many of our young people.”
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Fewer than a dozen Brits under the age of 18 have died from Covid-19 compared with over 40,000 adults.
The letter says: “As paediatricians we are increasingly concerned by the continued absence of millions of children from schools.
“This interruption is without precedent and risks scarring the life chances of a generation of young people.
Clinically, most young people have been spared the worst effects of Covid-19 but the health and social impact will be severe.
“The brunt of the impact of Covid-19 is and will continue to be borne by children and families who have the fewest resources and need the most support.
“Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are twice as likely to leave school without GCSEs in English and maths compared with better-off peers.
“Left unchecked, Covid-19 will exacerbate existing problems and deepen structural social and health inequalities.”
It calls for a recovery plan, and adds: “Without such action, the effects of Covid-19 will linger far beyond the pandemic itself and will limit the life chances of children and young people for years to come.”
