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The schools should be first to open and last to close in future lockdowns, as children's education should be prioritized over other sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic, said England's children's commissioner Wednesday.
Anne Longfield, the commissioner, published a briefing setting out key actions needed to ensure children are "at the heart of planning for the future", given the risks of a second wave of infections leading to the need for further local lockdowns or even a full national lockdown.
She said schools should be the last places to shut in future lockdowns, after non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants, because children have a right to education and must not be an "afterthought".
The briefing said compared to adults, children play a smaller role in spreading COVID-19 and are less likely to get ill from it.
It also suggested that in response to a local outbreak, rapid tracing must distinguish between the source and the location of infections. With rapid testing of pupils and teachers, any confirmed cases and their close contacts can be isolated without necessarily having to send entire classes or year groups home.
Schools are due to open in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to all pupils at the start of next term.
Reopening schools in September is an "absolute priority" for the government and it will be safe, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has said.
Earlier this weekend, scientists advising the British government said pubs or other activities in England may need to close to allow schools to reopen next month.
Graham Medley, chairman of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies sub-group on pandemic modelling, told the BBC there may need to be a "trade-off", with the re-opening of schools seen as a priority for children's wellbeing.
Schools in Britain were closed in March, except to the children of key workers. Some schools had reopened to certain year groups before the summer holiday.
