scholarly journals An analysis of school absences in England during the COVID-19 pandemic

BMC Medicine ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Southall ◽  
Alex Holmes ◽  
Edward M. Hill ◽  
Benjamin D. Atkins ◽  
Trystan Leng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
School Settings ◽  
New Variant ◽  
Tier System ◽  
School Absences ◽  
Analyse Data ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background The introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection, in the UK in early 2020, resulted in the introduction of several control policies to reduce disease spread. As part of these restrictions, schools were closed to all pupils in March (except for vulnerable and key worker children), before re-opening to certain year groups in June. Finally, all school children returned to the classroom in September. Methods Here, we analyse data on school absences in late 2020 as a result of COVID-19 infection and how that varied through time as other measures in the community were introduced. We utilise data from the Department for Education Educational Settings database and examine how pupil and teacher absences change in both primary and secondary schools. Results Our results show that absences as a result of COVID-19 infection rose steadily following the re-opening of schools in September. Cases in teachers declined during the November lockdown, particularly in regions previously in tier 3, the highest level of control at the time. Cases in secondary school pupils increased for the first 2 weeks of the November lockdown, before decreasing. Since the introduction of the tier system, the number of absences with confirmed infection in primary schools was observed to be (markedly) lower than that in secondary schools. In December, we observed a large rise in the number of absences per school in secondary school settings in the South East and London, but such rises were not observed in other regions or in primary school settings. We conjecture that the increased transmissibility of the new variant in these regions may have contributed to this rise in secondary school cases. Finally, we observe a positive correlation between cases in the community and cases in schools in most regions, with weak evidence suggesting that cases in schools lag behind cases in the surrounding community. Conclusions We conclude that there is no significant evidence to suggest that schools are playing a substantial role in driving spread in the community and that careful monitoring may be required as schools re-open to determine the effect associated with open schools upon community incidence.

scholarly journals An analysis of school absences in England during the Covid-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Southall ◽  
Alex Holmes ◽  
Edward M. Hill ◽  
Benjamin D. Atkins ◽  
Trystan Leng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Weak Evidence ◽  
New Variant ◽  
Tier System ◽  
School Absences ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Tier 3

AbstractThe introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 infection, in the UK in early 2020, resulted in the UK government introducing several control policies in order to reduce the spread of disease. As part of these restrictions, schools were closed to all pupils in March (except for vulnerable and key worker children), before re-opening to certain year groups in June. Finally all school children returned to the classroom in September. In this paper, we analyse the data on school absences from September 2020 to December 2020 as a result of COVID-19 infection and how that varied through time as other measures in the community were introduced. We utilise data from the Educational Settings database compiled by the Department for Education and examine how pupil and teacher absences change in both primary and secondary schools.Our results show that absences as a result of COVID-19 infection rose steadily following the re-opening of schools in September. Cases in teachers were seen to decline during the November lockdown, particularly in those regions that had previously been in tier 3, the highest level of control at the time. Cases in secondary school pupils increased for the first two weeks of the November lockdown, before decreasing. Since the introduction of the tier system, the number of absences owing to confirmed infection in primary schools was observed to be significantly lower than in secondary schools across all regions and tiers.In December, we observed a large rise in the number of absences per school in secondary school settings in the South East and Greater London, but such rises were not observed in other regions or in primary school settings. We conjecture that the increased transmissibility of the new variant in these regions may have contributed to this rise in cases in secondary schools. Finally, we observe a positive correlation between cases in the community and cases in schools in most regions, with weak evidence suggesting that cases in schools lag behind cases in the surrounding community. We conclude that there is not significant evidence to suggest that schools are playing a significant role in driving spread in the community and that careful monitoring may be required as schools re-open to determine the effect associated with open schools upon community incidence.

scholarly journals Modelling the impact of reopening schools in early 2021 in the presence of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant and with roll-out of vaccination against COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmina Panovska-Griffiths ◽  
Robyn Stuart ◽  
Cliff Kerr ◽  
Katherine Rosenfeld ◽  
Dina Mistry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
Transmission Blocking ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
New Variant ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Roll Out

Abstract Background Following the resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic in the UK in late 2020 and the emergence of the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, B.1.1.7, a third national lockdown was imposed from January 5, 2021. Following the decline of COVID-19 cases over the remainder of January 2021, it is important to assess the conditions under which reopening schools from early March is likely to lead to resurgence of the epidemic. This study models the impact of a partial national lockdown with social distancing measures enacted in communities and workplaces under different strategies of reopening schools from March 8, 2021 and compares it to the impact of continual full national lockdown remaining until April 19, 2021. Methods We used our previously published model, Covasim, to model the emergence of B.1.1.7 over September 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021. We extended the model to incorporate the impacts of the roll-out of a two-dose vaccine against COVID-19, assuming 200,000 daily doses of the vaccine in people 75 years or older with vaccination that offers 95% reduction in disease acquisition and 10% reduction of transmission blocking. We used the model, calibrated until January 25, 2021, to simulate the impact of a full national lockdown (FNL) with schools closed until April 19, 2021 versus four different partial national lockdown (PNL) scenarios with different elements of schooling open: 1) staggered PNL with primary schools and exam-entry years (years 11 and 13) returning on March 8, 2021 and the rest of the schools years on March 15, 2020; 2) full-return PNL with both primary and secondary schools returning on March 8, 2021; 3) primary-only PNL with primary schools and exam critical years (Y11 and Y13) going back only on March 8, 2021 with the rest of the secondary schools back on April 19, 2021 and 4) part-Rota PNL with both primary and secondary schools returning on March 8, 2021 with primary schools remaining open continuously but secondary schools on a two-weekly rota-system with years alternating between a fortnight of face-to-face and remote learning until April 19, 2021. Across all scenarios, we projected the number of new daily cases, cumulative deaths and effective reproduction number R until April 30, 2020. Results Our calibration across different scenarios is consistent with the new variant B.1.1.7 being around 60% more transmissible. Strict social distancing measures, i.e. national lockdowns, are required to contain the spread of the virus and control the hospitalisations and deaths during January and February 2021. The national lockdown will reduce the number of cases by early March levels similar to those seen in October with R also falling and remaining below 1 during the lockdown. Infections start to increase when schools open but if other parts of society remain closed this resurgence is not sufficient to bring R above 1. Reopening primary schools and exam critical years only or having primary schools open continuously with secondary schools on rotas will lead to lower increases in cases and R than if all schools open. Under the current vaccination assumptions and across the set of scenarios considered, R would increase above 1 if society reopens simultaneously, simulated here from April 19, 2021.Findings Our findings suggest that stringent measures are necessary to mitigate the increase in cases and bring R below 1 over January and February 2021. It is plausible that a PNL with schools partially open from March 8, 2021 and the rest of the society remaining closed until April 19, 2021 may keep R below 1, with some increase evident in infections compared to continual FNL until April 19, 2021. Reopening society in mid-April, with the vaccination strategy we model, could push R above 1 and induce a surge in infections, but the effect of vaccination may be able to control this in future depending on the transmission blocking properties of the vaccines.

scholarly journals Modelling the impact of reopening schools in early 2021 in the presence of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant and with roll-out of vaccination against COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Panovska-Griffiths ◽  
R.M. Stuart ◽  
C.C. Kerr ◽  
K. Rosenfield ◽  
D. Mistry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
Transmission Blocking ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
New Variant ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Roll Out

BackgroundFollowing the resurgence of the COVID-19 epidemic in the UK in late 2020 and the emergence of the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, B.1.1.7, a third national lockdown was imposed from January 5, 2021. Following the decline of COVID-19 cases over the remainder of January 2021, it is important to assess the conditions under which reopening schools from early March is likely to lead to resurgence of the epidemic. This study models the impact of a partial national lockdown with social distancing measures enacted in communities and workplaces under different strategies of reopening schools from March 8, 2021 and compares it to the impact of continual full national lockdown remaining until April 19, 2021.MethodsWe used our previously published model, Covasim, to model the emergence of B.1.1.7 over September 1, 2020 to January 31, 2021. We extended the model to incorporate the impacts of the roll-out of a two-dose vaccine against COVID-19, assuming 200,000 daily doses of the vaccine in people 75 years or older with vaccination that offers 95% reduction in disease acquisition and 10% reduction of transmission blocking. We used the model, calibrated until January 25, 2021, to simulate the impact of a full national lockdown (FNL) with schools closed until April 19, 2021 versus four different partial national lockdown (PNL) scenarios with different elements of schooling open: 1) staggered PNL with primary schools and exam-entry years (years 11 and 13) returning on March 8, 2021 and the rest of the schools years on March 15, 2020; 2) full-return PNL with both primary and secondary schools returning on March 8, 2021; 3) primary-only PNL with primary schools and exam critical years (Y11 and Y13) going back only on March 8, 2021 with the rest of the secondary schools back on April 19, 2021 and 4) part-Rota PNL with both primary and secondary schools returning on March 8, 2021 with primary schools remaining open continuously but secondary schools on a two-weekly rota-system with years alternating between a fortnight of face-to-face and remote learning until April 19, 2021. Across all scenarios, we projected the number of new daily cases, cumulative deaths and effective reproduction number R until April 30, 2020.ResultsOur calibration across different scenarios is consistent with the new variant B.1.1.7 being around 60% more transmissible. Strict social distancing measures, i.e. national lockdowns, are required to contain the spread of the virus and control the hospitalisations and deaths during January and February 2021. The national lockdown will reduce the number of cases by early March levels similar to those seen in October with R also falling and remaining below 1 during the lockdown. Infections start to increase when schools open but if other parts of society remain closed this resurgence is not sufficient to bring R above 1. Reopening primary schools and exam critical years only or having primary schools open continuously with secondary schools on rotas will lead to lower increases in cases and R than if all schools open. Under the current vaccination assumptions and across the set of scenarios considered, R would increase above 1 if society reopens simultaneously, simulated here from April 19, 2021.FindingsOur findings suggest that stringent measures are necessary to mitigate the increase in cases and bring R below 1 over January and February 2021. It is plausible that a PNL with schools partially open from March 8, 2021 and the rest of the society remaining closed until April 19, 2021 may keep R below 1, with some increase evident in infections compared to continual FNL until April 19, 2021. Reopening society in mid-April, with the vaccination strategy we model, could push R above 1 and induce a surge in infections, but the effect of vaccination may be able to control this in future depending on the transmission blocking properties of the vaccines.

scholarly journals Illness absenteeism rates in primary and secondary schools in 2013–2014 in England: was there any impact of vaccinating children of primary-school age against influenza?

2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (16) ◽  
pp. 3412-3421 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. K. GREEN ◽  
N. BROUSSEAU ◽  
N. ANDREWS ◽  
L. SELBY ◽  
R. PEBODY
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
School Level ◽  
First Year ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Multilevel Regression ◽  
Indirect Impact ◽  
Influenza Activity ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Primary School Age

SUMMARYA phased introduction of routine influenza vaccination of healthy children was recommended in the UK in 2012, with the aim of protecting both vaccinated children and the wider population through reducing transmission. In the first year of the programme in 2013–2014, 4- to 11-year-olds were targeted in pilot areas across England. This study assesses if this was associated with school absenteeism, an important societal burden of influenza. During the spring 2014 term when influenza predominantly circulated, the proportion of absence sessions due to illness was compared between vaccination pilot and non-pilot areas for primary schools (to measure overall impact) and secondary schools (to measure indirect impact). A linear multilevel regression model was applied, adjusting for clustering within schools and potential school-level confounders, including deprivation, past absenteeism, and ethnicity. Low levels of influenza activity were reported in the community in 2013–2014. Primary schools in pilot areas had a significantly adjusted decrease in illness absenteeism of 0·05% relative to non-pilot schools; equivalent to an average of 4 days per school. In secondary schools, there was no significant indirect impact of being located in a pilot area on illness absenteeism. These insights can be used in conjunction with routine healthcare surveillance data to evaluate the full benefits of such a programme.

scholarly journals The Impact of the November 2020 English National Lockdown on COVID-19 case counts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul R Hunter ◽  
Julii Brainard ◽  
Alastair Grant
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Rate ◽  
Tier 2 ◽  
New Variant ◽  
Tier System ◽  
Obvious Benefit ◽  
Beneficial Impact ◽  
R Value ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Tier 3 ◽  
The Impact

In the UK the epidemic of COVID-19 continues to pose a significant threat to public health. On the 14th October the English government introduced a tier system for control of the epidemic but just 3 weeks later a National lockdown across all areas of England was implemented. When English areas emerged from Lockdown many were placed in different tiers (most typically moved up at least one tier). However, the effectiveness of the tier system has been challenged by the emergence of a new variant of SARS-CoV-2 which appears to be much more infectious. In addition, from early November a trial mass testing service was being run in Liverpool. We used publicly available data of daily cases by local authority (local government areas) and estimated the reproductive rate (R value) of the epidemic based on 7-day case numbers compared with the previous 7-day period. There was a clear surge in infections from a few days before to several days after the lockdown was implemented. But this surge was almost exclusively associated with Tier 1 and Tier 2 authorities. In Tier 3 authorities where hospitality venues were only allowed to operate as restaurants there was no such surge. After this initial surge, cases declined in all three tiers with the R value dropping to a mean of about 0.7 independent of tier. London, The South East and East of England Regions saw rising infection rates in the last week or so of lockdown primarily in children of secondary school age. We could find no obvious benefit of the trial mass screening programme in Liverpool city. We conclude that in Tiers 1 and 2 much of the beneficial impact of the national lockdown was lost probably because of the leak of its likely implementation five days early leading to increased socialising in these areas before the start of lockdown. We further conclude that given that the new variant is estimated to have an R value of between 0.39 and 0.93 greater than previous variants, any lockdown as strict as the November one would be insufficient to reverse the increase in infections by itself. The value of city-wide mass testing to control the epidemic remains uncertain.

scholarly journals Headteachers’ and chairs of governors’ perspectives on adolescent obesity and its prevention in English secondary school settings

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Booth ◽  
V Halliday ◽  
R J Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Adolescent Obesity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
School Settings ◽  
Sedentary Behaviours ◽  
Public Health Professionals

ABSTRACT Background Secondary schools are an important setting for preventing obesity in adolescence. Headteachers and chairs of governors are identified in national guidance as crucial stakeholders for school-based preventative action. Despite this, their views remain unexplored and unrepresented. Methods A sequential mixed method study was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of 22 secondary school headteachers and chairs of governors in England. Data were thematically analysed and informed the development of a descriptive cross-sectional survey, completed by 127 participants from the same population. Results Unhealthy dietary and sedentary behaviours were viewed as a more significant problem than adolescent obesity. Obesity was perceived as complex and multi-causal, and a range of stakeholders were deemed to have responsibility for its prevention, most notably parents. Support was identified for the role of secondary schools, although this was not an explicit priority and extensive internal and external barriers exist, which hinder preventative action. Conclusions Whilst secondary school settings in England remain an important setting for the prevention of adolescent obesity, it is crucial for policy makers and public health professionals to recognize the factors affecting school leaders’ ability and willingness to contribute to this agenda.

scholarly journals Social distance of class leaders from primary and secondary school students and their parents

2020 ◽  
pp. 43-66
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Milošević
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Collective Good ◽  
Emotional Climate ◽  
School Students

The quality of interpersonal relationships between participants in the educational process (class teachers, students, parents) affects the creation of a favourable socio-emotional climate in and out of the classroom, and is also a significant factor of integration or disintegration of the collective, good or bad interpersonal relationships, satisfaction or dissatisfaction, success or failure achieved by students. In general, it always has a positive effect on the development of students' behaviour, and it depends on the conditions under which a class was formed, the way the class is managed, the position that students have in the class, their mutual relations and students' readiness for appropriate cooperation. With this paper, we explored the social distance that the class teacher sets in relation to students and their parents as an important prerequisite for a qualitative, open and productive cooperation among the actors of the educational process. The sample consisted of teachers in the role of class teachers, students and their parents from 36 primary and secondary schools in the Zlatibor district. The results of this research indicate that class teachers in primary and secondary schools generally have a close relationship with students and parents, although a more direct cooperation is achieved by class teachers in primary schools than in secondary ones. This confirms a more intensive educational function of primary school, as opposed to a more dominant educational function of secondary school and thus a more dynamic, complex, open and direct work of class teachers in primary school with students and parents.

Learning democracy in a new secondary school

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-180
Author(s):  
Núria Simó-Gil ◽  
Antoni Tort-Bardolet ◽  
Montse Barniol ◽  
Teresa Pietx
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Democratic Citizenship ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Quality Of Democracy ◽  
Democratic Citizenship Education

This article presents, first, the theoretical framework developed in a three-year research project that was designed to enable the authors to analyse the characteristics and quality of democracy in 10 centres (five primary schools for children aged from 3 to 12 and five secondary schools for children aged from 12 to 16). Second, students and teachers of one of the participating schools in the region of Barcelona explained their experience of participation as a way of living democratic citizenship education. Last, the article analyses what the authors have learned from this secondary school, as well as a number of research conclusions that allow one to understand some of the important aspects of how students live their condition of democratic citizenship in the school itself.

Stress and work motivation of primary and secondary school teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-723
Author(s):  
Jinda Kongcharoen ◽  
Nutthajit Onmek ◽  
Panaya Jandang ◽  
Sukanya Wangyisen
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Work Motivation ◽  
Secondary School Teachers ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Primary And Secondary School

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the levels of stress and work motivation of primary and secondary school teachers, investigate factors affecting stress of teachers and validate the consistency of the model and empirical data. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 400 teachers of primary and secondary schools. Questionnaire was implemented as the instrument and the data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA and confirmatory factor analysis. Findings The results indicated that teachers of secondary schools have higher overall stress than teachers of primary schools for many reasons, such as financial issues and work obligations. Stress was found to be significantly positively associated with work motivation in secondary school teachers. The study revealed that demographic and work motivation factors influence teacher stress. The validation of a goodness of fitted model demonstrated an acceptable model fit with empirical data (χ2 test/df = 1.913, GFI = 0.934, CFI = 0.965, NFI = 0.930, AGFI = 0.893). Originality/value Teachers under stress could negatively influence their students’ academic performance and might be more vulnerable to occupational diseases. Therefore, the teachers should find favorite activities that reduce stress and thereby contribute to effective teaching. This study would be beneficial for anyone who works to support teachers and wants to reduce turnover among teachers.

scholarly journals The impact of school reopening on the spread of COVID-19 in England

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1829) ◽  
pp. 20200261
Author(s):  
Matt J. Keeling ◽  
Michael J. Tildesley ◽  
Benjamin D. Atkins ◽  
Bridget Penman ◽  
Emma Southall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Reproduction Number ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Older Children ◽  
Developmental Needs ◽  
Social Distancing ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

By mid-May 2020, cases of COVID-19 in the UK had been declining for over a month; a multi-phase emergence from lockdown was planned, including a scheduled partial reopening of schools on 1 June 2020. Although evidence suggests that children generally display mild symptoms, the size of the school-age population means the total impact of reopening schools is unclear. Here, we present work from mid-May 2020 that focused on the imminent opening of schools and consider what these results imply for future policy. We compared eight strategies for reopening primary and secondary schools in England. Modifying a transmission model fitted to UK SARS-CoV-2 data, we assessed how reopening schools affects contact patterns, anticipated secondary infections and the relative change in the reproduction number, R . We determined the associated public health impact and its sensitivity to changes in social distancing within the wider community. We predicted that reopening schools with half-sized classes or focused on younger children was unlikely to push R above one. Older children generally have more social contacts, so reopening secondary schools results in more cases than reopening primary schools, while reopening both could have pushed R above one in some regions. Reductions in community social distancing were found to outweigh and exacerbate any impacts of reopening. In particular, opening schools when the reproduction number R is already above one generates the largest increase in cases. Our work indicates that while any school reopening will result in increased mixing and infection amongst children and the wider population, reopening schools alone in June 2020 was unlikely to push R above one. Ultimately, reopening decisions are a difficult trade-off between epidemiological consequences and the emotional, educational and developmental needs of children. Into the future, there are difficult questions about what controls can be instigated such that schools can remain open if cases increase. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Modelling that shaped the early COVID-19 pandemic response in the UK’.

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