01 · AWARENESS
Recognise what may be hidden
Long Covid can be invisible and symptoms can fluctuate. What a child manages on one day may not predict what they can manage the next.
The National Attendance Portal is showcasing Long Covid Kids & Friends to raise awareness of Long Covid in children and young people — and to help families and schools better understand its impact on engagement, learning, attendance and belonging.
This Long Covid Kids awareness film is deliberately central to our showcase. It gives parents, carers and educators an accessible way into a condition that can be fluctuating, complex and easily misunderstood.
Long Covid can be invisible and symptoms can fluctuate. What a child manages on one day may not predict what they can manage the next.
Fatigue, cognitive strain, pain, recovery after activity and disrupted routines can all affect a young person's ability to engage with school.
When attendance becomes difficult, children should not lose friendships, trusted adults, identity, learning opportunities or a sense of being part of school.
Parents should not have to navigate complex health and education questions alone. Specialist resources can help make school conversations more constructive.
For some children and young people, Long Covid can affect far more than physical attendance. Good support starts by understanding the wider picture.
A full day, travel, stairs, transitions or sustained activity may require more energy than a young person can safely maintain.
Concentration, memory, processing and pace of work can be affected, making ordinary classroom demands harder to sustain.
Symptoms can fluctuate, creating patterns that may look inconsistent unless health and recovery are properly understood.
Extended or repeated absence can affect friendships, confidence, identity and a child's sense that school still includes them.
Long Covid Kids & Friends has an Expert Advisory Panel spanning public health, paediatrics, clinical Long Covid research, education, law and other disciplines. Here are just some of the specialists supporting its work.
Public health researcher whose work includes Long Covid, epidemiology, inequalities and stigma.
Paediatric infectious disease specialist and researcher leading international work on Long Covid in children.
Specialist clinician, researcher and advocate working to improve Long Covid recognition and care.
The Portal is not trying to duplicate specialist expertise. We are using our platform to make it easier for parents and carers to find it. Long Covid Kids & Friends brings together practical support, educational resources, lived experience, research and specialist voices in one place.
These links take you straight to Long Covid Kids & Friends resources.
If your child is struggling to engage with school because of Long Covid or another prolonged health condition, start with what they are experiencing — not simply the percentage on an attendance report.