Boris Johnson: Children suffer more by staying home

‘Harm of missing school worse than virus risk’
Boris Johnson on a school visit last month; he is concerned at the harm being caused to pupils’ education
Boris Johnson on a school visit last month; he is concerned at the harm being caused to pupils’ education
JEREMY SELWYN

Boris Johnson is to urge parents to send their children back to school, warning that keeping them at home is a far greater threat to their wellbeing than the coronavirus.

The prime minister has ordered a PR campaign to ensure that schools reopen on time in September after being presented with evidence that personal and social “harm” to children is more persuasive to parents than fears about pupils falling behind academically.

The campaign comes as it can be revealed that one of the largest studies in the world on the coronavirus in schools, carried out on more than 100 UK institutions, will confirm that “there is very little evidence that the virus is transmitted in schools”.

At a crunch Downing Street meeting on Thursday, Johnson