Spreading Unnecessary Fear: A Suffolk Schools Story

I was recently in contact with Suffolk County Council regarding the School Risk Assessment Template that was issued to help all Suffolk schools in completing their Covid Risk Assessments. I corresponded with the person who I believe is responsible for the template.

The risk assessment template, which has been used by many schools across Suffolk, had this overview:

“Catching or spreading the COVID-19 virus. This is a virus which has serious effects which debilitates those who have caught it and causes immense distress both physically and mentally. The UK has suffered huge fatality rates.”

This statement is obviously false, and I believe it to be dangerous misinformation. When I queried the Council contact, she responded:

“The Covid-19 virus has indeed had serious effects. These effects have harmed the larger majority of those who have caught it, and the resultant distress felt by the patient, their families and the wider community can be said to be ‘immense’.

…

“The risk assessment has been in operation for nearly 14 months and the feedback from schools has been entirely positive. The set of checks are proportionate, and schools understand the need for reviewing their own situations. In view of this we see no requirement to amend it at present.”

Now I know many people might think I’m being pedantic. But surely it’s reasonable to expect an entirely different set of responses to a disease that has “immense effects on the larger majority of those who have caught it,” compared to one described by the World Health Organisation like this:

“Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.”

In a school context, we have our health secretary, Matt Hancock, saying in parliament:

“the likelihood of children having significant detriment if they catch covid-19 is very, very low.”

Our responses can come at quite extraordinary costs —not just in financial terms, but also in terms of the dramatic effect on the physical and mental health of our school staff and children.

On the one hand, I feel very sorry for this council employee. It must be genuinely terrifying to think that there is a highly transmissible disease out there that is having immensely serious effects on most of those who catch it. That would indeed be a serious problem requiring some serious responses.

But on the other hand, I am incensed. She pointed out to me that:

“…creating a risk assessment template whereby the school staff understand the level of potential harm, this aids in the protection of the pupils, students, staff and visitors.”

I believe the template is misinforming the school staff, and the subsequent disproportionate actions they are taking are harming themselves and our children. As a public body offering advice to schools, I believe the Council has a duty of care to ensure the advice they give is accurate and/or in line with the official guidance. I subsequently wrote a formal complaint to the Council and my MP, Matt Hancock.

It is quite astonishing to me that in the 14 months this template has been in use, not one person has pointed out how wrong the base assumption is (assuming what the Council contact says about the positive feedback is true). Perhaps it is another example of just how successful the government’s campaign of fear has been?

Three days after my complaint, Suffolk County Council issued an update:

“The information has been updated in light of DfE / Government guidance, which follows Public Health England, NHS and WHO advice.”

The updated Risk Assessment Template says:

“Catching or spreading the COVID-19 virus. Update — May 2021

This is a virus which has had serious effects globally. It has had the potential to debilitate those who have caught it and can cause immense distress both physically and mentally. The UK has suffered COVID-related fatality rates of over 151,000 to date.”

This is certainly an improvement, and I guess some acceptance by them that my point was valid. But it’s still wrong! Is there no one at the Council who knows what a “fatality rate” is? Why are they throwing around numbers they clearly don’t understand, when it’s likely to cause unnecessary fear?

These things really matter. The incoming and outgoing Presidents of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recently wrote:

“The young have borne a huge indirect cost of this virus and will continue to do so in the years to come. We closed their wards and cancelled operations; we told them to wait while we treated adults. We borrowed money to shore up the economy — a debt our children will spend much of their future repaying.

“When we closed their schools and playgrounds, we didn’t just interrupt their education and play. We stopped them from seeing friends and having fun, from gaining social skills, from being looked out for if they came from a home that wasn’t a safe place. The effects of this are seen in the poor mental health and stalled social development of so many, and the huge rise in referrals to specialised services which were struggling to cope even before Covid.”

In times of crisis, it is the duty of adults to look after children by behaving rationally and proportionately. If we are going to implement restrictive and harmful policies on our schools and children, then we have a duty to understand the threats, and act accordingly. Those in power, or with influence, must not be hysterical, even if those around them are. They should never, ever spread unnecessary fear.