While advice at this time for the UK is for schools to remain open, there are currently 26 countries which have shut their schools nationwide affecting close to 377 million children and their families. There are also 20 further countries that implemented localised closures. It seems fairly inevitable that at some point there will be school closure in the UK as well.
Many children rely on their free and discounted meals at school for a regular feed, without their school meals children may be going hungry. This is a big concern for children in need and children from poorer families.
School closures could also be very disruptive for children with autism and other special needs. Many of these children rely on their routines and not being in school and being uncertain of how long these closures could last could be very unsettling. It may be at times like these at home visual timetables and routines could be very helpful to these children.
Many schools that have closed are attempting to provide opportunities for home learning to their students. This may be successful for many children but I don’t know how feasible it will be to successfully provide home learning for children with special needs or children with English as a second language.
There is also the obvious issue for families of all children that many parents rely on school to provide them with daily childcare while they are at work. If schools close this leaves many parents with limited options.
Situations like this really show us just how much many of our students rely on school and their teachers for a safe and settled life.