School closures during the pandemic “starkly highlighted” the significance of schools and attendance as a protective factor for children, the Covid-19 inquiry has heard.
In terms of safeguarding, schools are the “constant eyes” on children and the “early warning system”, said Clair Dobbin KC, counsel to the inquiry.
“It’s teachers and other staff in schools who know the children who are hungry or dirty, or who show other signs of neglect or injury, or who know the parents who raise concerns or suspicions,” she said.
Citing the British Association of Social Workers, Ms Dobbin said that evidence will be heard of declining numbers of children being referred to social services during school closures.
She referenced Jenny Driscoll, professor of children’s rights at King’s College London, who said that the pandemic brought to the fore the role of schools in local safeguarding arrangements.
She also said that the pandemic, lockdowns and school closures disrupted “the very fabric of childhood” for children.
Schools’ role in safeguarding children
“Closure of schools starkly highlighted the importance of schools as the agency which knows children and families best and the significance of school attendance as a protective factor,” Ms Dobbin said.
“School is not the entire picture and there are other parts of the state that bear important responsibility for children. The reality is there are carers that can’t cope or provide adequate care or actively provide risk to them.”
Ms Dobbin said that evidence will be produced during the next four weeks of hearings at the inquiry that there was a decline in the number of children referred to social services during school closures, and that there were children who suffered “grievous harm” at the hands of their carers during the pandemic.
“The carers bear responsibility for the violence and neglect inflicted on children, and these children stand as the starkest examples of what adults are capable of doing to children behind closed doors, and these children are a salient reminder of the different ways in which children are vulnerable,” she said.
Inquiry chair Baroness Heather Hallett said that the impact of the pandemic on children and young people was “severe and, for many, long lasting”, because of missed educational opportunities, missed social interaction and - for the most at-risk - the loss of protection from abuse.
In an impact film shown at the start of today’s proceedings, children and young people spoke about their experiences during the pandemic. One girl remembered her terror after a friend passed away, while another recalled going to hospital when she caught Covid and later dropping out of education after struggling to learn online.
Teachers, parents and educational psychologists in the film spoke about the “significant” impact on learning, and the impact on the mental health of young people.
Lack of planning for school closures
Future evidence will be heard from former prime minister Boris Johnson and England’s chief medical officer Professor Sir Chris Whitty, although the inquiry has not yet confirmed whether this will be in-person or through written statements only.
During a previous part of the inquiry it was indicated that former education secretary Sir Gavin Williamson will be called to give evidence in the upcoming series of hearings.
Today’s hearing included reference to evidence that the Department for Education had not begun planning for school closures until after 16 March 2020 - a detail described by Ms Dobbin as “a cause for alarm”.
Sir Gavin’s evidence is said to describe a “discombobulating 24-hour sea change” from keeping schools open on 16 March to talking about closing them on 17 March, and an announcement to shut them being made the following day.
Referring to differences in Sir Gavin and Mr Johnson’s evidence, Ms Dobbin said it was “significant that there should be any dispute about whether planning for so seismic an event existed”.
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