Report shows school closures due to Covid-19 pandemic are not evidence-based and may have long-term impact on children

States and territories’ decisions to close schools were not evidence-based and may have had some of the most harmful and long-lasting effects on children, a landmark COVID-19 study has found.

Authors Robyn Kruk, Catherine Bennett and Angela Jackson delivered their comprehensive report to the government on Tuesday and recommended that school closures should be avoided at all costs in the event of future pandemics.

They said closures have impacted education, mental health and well-being, child development and, in some cases, supervision of children’s well-being and safety.

Noting former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s attempt to adopt a national approach to schools in the early days of the pandemic, the inquiry said conflicting messages from federal, state and territory governments added to “some of the most confusing news scenarios”.

Health advice issued by the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee has never recommended widespread school closures.

However, as the report notes, it was difficult to provide clear messaging about health risks in schools at the beginning of the pandemic.

As a result, by the time official low-risk advice was available, parents were already starting to panic and schools eventually began switching to remote learning.

“In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was widespread concern and uncertainty among communities about the potential impact of the virus on children. “Evidence quickly emerged that children and adolescents were less susceptible to the immediate health effects of the virus and at significantly lower risk of serious illness and mortality,” the report said.

“Despite this, many parents withdrew their children from schools and early education and care settings to protect them from exposure.”

The report went on to say there was no coherent approach at national level, and conflicting messages between leaders further deepened confusion and fear.

One example was highlighted where the New South Wales, Victoria and ACT governments announced on the same day their decision to move schools to remote learning, with Mr Morrison denying the announcements hours later.

The inquiry took aim at the previous government for being “unable or unwilling” to explain why approaches had diverged, and noted that a lack of consistency over school closures had “led to confusion, fear and distrust”.

“It was often unclear to the public the purpose or justification for response measures and the reasons for different approaches,” the report said.

It recommended that to prepare for a future pandemic, governments should “agree on a framework that guides decision-making across all jurisdictions on issues such as school closures. This must be balanced by jurisdictional flexibility to respond to the local context.”

The inquiry found that while the Australian government had effectively coordinated its response to the early childhood education sector, the lack of consistency in school closures had “led to confusion, fear and distrust”.

“To better prepare for a future pandemic, governments should agree on a framework to guide decision-making across all jurisdictions on issues such as school closures. This must be balanced by jurisdictional flexibility to respond to the local context,” the report said.

It was also suggested that teachers should receive better support in delivering distance learning.