Lessons learnt during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Why Australian schools should be prioritised to stay open

Abstract

In 2020, school and early childhood educational centre (ECEC) closures affected over 1.5 billion school‐aged children globally as part of the COVID‐19 pandemic response. Attendance at school and access to ECEC is critical to a child's learning, well‐being and health. School closures increase inequities by disproportionately affecting vulnerable children. Here, we summarise the role of children and adolescents in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) transmission and that of schools and ECECs in community transmission and describe the Australian experience. In Australia, most SARS‐CoV‐2 cases in schools were solitary (77% in NSW and 67% in Victoria); of those that did progress to an outbreak, >90% involved fewer than 10 cases. Australian and global experience has demonstrated that SARS‐CoV‐2 is predominantly introduced into schools and ECECs during periods of heightened community transmission. Implementation of public health mitigation strategies, including effective testing, tracing and isolation of contacts, means schools and ECECs can be safe, not drivers of transmission. Schools and ECEC are essential services and so they should be prioritised to stay open for face‐to‐face learning. This is particularly critical as we continue to manage the next phase of the COVID‐19 pandemic.

Key lessons from the COVID-19 public health response in Australia

“…Schools should be classified as providing an essential service, with school staff vaccinated as a priority group and remote learning only considered as a last resort. 48 …”

Associations Between Anxiety and Home Learning Difficulties in Children and Adolescents with ADHD During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Children with ADHD may experience ongoing challenges during and beyond the pandemic and will require supports to minimise the academic and clinical impacts of the pandemic. Re-opening and keeping schools and early childhood education and care facilities open during and beyond the current pandemic has been identified as a priority to minimise the disruptions that disproportionately affect students with pre-existing difficulties [ 49 , 50 ]. Preventing and/or promoting smooth transitions to future periods of home learning in the context of evolving COVID-19 variants and potential future pandemics and associated school closures is important to minimise negative consequences to children [ 50 , 51 ].…”

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variant transmission and vaccine impact in schools and child-care settings in Australia: a population-based study

“…Throughout 2020, a period of low virus transmission in NSW due to border closures and other mitigation measures (10 cases per 100,000 population), schools remained open with high in person attendance and no increase in secondary attack rates (SARs) in educational settings among thousands of close case contacts. 6 , 7 , 8 These findings contributed to an evolving evidence-base 2 , 9 , 10 , 11 to support recommendations for continuing or resuming face-to-face learning in Australia and some but, not all, countries globally. For example, from February to May 2021, schools were fully closed in 30 countries and partially closed in 60 countries.…”

“…In this study, building on our studies of ancestral variant transmission, 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 we aimed to compare SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) and omicron (B.1.1.529) transmission within educational settings in NSW in relation to community-based outbreaks and mitigation measures, including COVID-19 vaccination.…”