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1. Closing schools to protect life and health requires further action to address impacts on children’s right to education, on mental health, relationships, and the support and protection school usually provides.
Children’s voices and experiences must be central to decisions.
Children’s voices and experiences must be central to decisions.
2. Urgent action remains needed to address impacts of poverty, including food and fuel insecurity exacerbated by school closures, and digital exclusion which seriously impacts learning.
Statement from 20 December on possible further closure of schools: https://cypcs.org.uk/news-and-stories/children-and-families-must-be-urgently-supported-during-any-further-school-closures-says-childrens-commissioner/
Statement from 20 December on possible further closure of schools: https://cypcs.org.uk/news-and-stories/children-and-families-must-be-urgently-supported-during-any-further-school-closures-says-childrens-commissioner/
3. There is a lot of learning from last year about “hubs”, and the need to ensure more children in vulnerable situations are able to make use of them.
4. Teachers, parents and carers have done great work over the last 10 months to support home learning, but much more support is needed. The experience of students is mixed, with those experiencing poverty most badly affected.
5. Last year we produced a human rights briefing on return to schools:
https://cypcs.org.uk/coronavirus/our-coronavirus-work/return-to-school-planning-briefing-paper/
Also see - Independent Children’s Rights Impact Assessment:
https://cypcs.org.uk/coronavirus/independent-impact-assessment/
https://cypcs.org.uk/coronavirus/our-coronavirus-work/return-to-school-planning-briefing-paper/
Also see - Independent Children’s Rights Impact Assessment:
https://cypcs.org.uk/coronavirus/independent-impact-assessment/
6. WHO High-level Meeting on Schooling during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Dec highlighted that necessary and proportionate closure of schools still exacerbates existing human rights concerns particularly for disabled children, those experiencing poverty, and those at risk.
7. Education is not just about academic achievement, but about developing personalities, talents, and abilities of children to their greatest potential.
It is essential to address health, including mental health, social, educational, economic and recreational impacts.
It is essential to address health, including mental health, social, educational, economic and recreational impacts.
8. The use of Children’s Rights Impact Assessments, including children’s voices and experience is an essential part of legitimate decision making. See http://enoc.eu/?page_id=3718
