As swine flu worsens in the UK, do schools really need to have a distance learning plan in place?

The risk of swine flu is certainly proving unpredictable, but the latest statistics regarding the number of those infected are nothing short of shocking. In England, by July 100,000 people have been diagnosed according to The Times - with certain parts of the country, such as London and the West Midlands, having reached epidemic levels. So even as the term comes to an end, should we get a distance learning plan in place just in case our schools are unsafe in September?

According to the BBC, officials have described the probability of the summer holidays being extended as ‘very unlikely'. Yet, scientists at Imperial College London have asked the government to consider closing schools in the autumn in order to slow down the spread of swine flu. This led to England's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson to state that such measures: "would be extremely disruptive to society."

However, measures being implemented in the US are going some way to ensure that if schools do have to close, students can still continue with their studies. In Colorado at the end of August, Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, assorted doctors and health specialists, as well as representatives of Google, Apple, and the International Association for Online Learning met to discuss how schools can still teach even if the gates are closed.

Unlike the negative and doubtful opinion of Donaldson, the prospect of schools having to remain closed and more kids staying at home, in Colorado at least, has been referred to with refreshing frankness - and some fairly simple plans to ensure that ‘extreme disruption' is minimized.

According to local Almosa paper, The Valley Courier reported on a number of recommendations made at the meeting, including: take-home assignments and teachers communicating with students via telephones and online. The result is a coming together of schools, distance and online learning providers, private tutors, and parents - in an all-hands-on-deck effort to keep kids learning should H1N1 really take hold.

So what does this say about the UK's position on swine flu and education? It may be argued that those analysing the latest health figures (in August, the number of cases have slowed considerably) are merely highlighting the likelihood that we will need to cause mass disruption by closing schools is so low that we don't need a back-up plan. Yet, aren't we also admitting that we might not have the distance learning (i.e. online) capabilities to implement a plan like that in Colorado.

Sarah Maple is writing for Kaplan UK about online degree courses.