Released SAGE papers on schools (from SPI-M) are narrow analysis on opening schools -> looks at impact of different kinds of school openings on wider community transmission. What parents & teachers want to know is:
What’s the risk in my school? In my neighbourhood? And how could this affect my kids and my health? When are schools safe enough? What is the threshold of risk that is acceptable?
To answer this requires communication on what we know so far about kids & large uncertainty, status of local test/tracing/monitoring systems & number of daily new cases/rate of transmission in local communities. Haven’t seen any SAGE papers address these questions at all.
Also, has anyone looked at child psychology/developmental implications of distancing for young children? Distancing is not a cost-free mechanism in schools- need to ensure appropriate weighing of benefit of reducing transmission to cost to social & behavioural development.
