SAGE | Schools Week

Long read: Schools let down by government’s hot air on ventilation

Has England been left flapping in the wind as other countries race ahead with ventilation policies for schools? Schools Week investigates… The government’s “minimal” and “negligent” approach to ventilation in England’s classrooms is failing to protect pupils, say scientists and campaigners, including a leading epidemiologist. Instead, they say, it should immediately provide air filters. The […]

Child infection rate rise began when schools reopened, but direct link ‘unproven’, says SAGE

Increases in infection levels among children and young adults began around the same time schools reopened, but a direct link between the two is “unproven and difficult to establish”, government scientists have said. A report endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, published today, found that although infection levels among young people started to […]

Coronavirus: 8 things we learned from SAGE’s advice to ministers on schools

The government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has finally published the advice it provided to ministers over plans to reopen schools. Here are eight things we learned from reading them. 1. We’re still in the dark about the impact on children The dossier of evidence includes a report on the role of children […]

Coronavirus: Scientists told ministers a rota system could help curb transmission in schools

The government told schools not to use rota systems for the return of pupils despite scientific advice that it was “likely to be the most effective strategy” for bringing them back, official documents show. Advice to the government, published today by the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), shows that advisers reported on April […]