Using the COVID-19 School Infection Survey to measure the impact of the pandemic on children

Fiona Dawe
Categories: Coronavirus, Office for National Statistics, ONS
Schools Infection Survey Bag

The COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey (SIS) was launched at the start of the 2020-21 academic year, aiming to gain an insight into how the pandemic has affected children’s lives and their education. The first findings from this important study, jointly led by The Office for National Statistics (ONS), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), and UK Health Security Agency, have now been published. Fiona Dawe  explains the vital role this data plays.

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How different countries have measured the output of public services during the pandemic

Categories: ONS
Ambulances outside hospital

To compare how different economies have been impacted by the pandemic, it’s important to understand how different countries measure the output of their public services. So far, the complexity of this topic has made accurate comparisons challenging. Laura Caldwell talks about how the ONS has been working with our colleagues in the OECD to get to the bottom of the issue. 

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Statistically Speaking: A new podcast from the Office for National Statistics  

Categories: ONS
An image showing a speech bubble with the name of the podcast and bubble designs around it

How do you count a whole nation in a day or track the spread of a pandemic?  These and other big topics are on the agenda as ONS launches its new monthly podcast: Statistically Speaking 

Statistically Speaking hears from the people behind the numbers and takes a deep dive into the inner workings of ONS and the latest hot topics from the world of data. 

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Self-isolation and worker absences

Photo of Tess Carter, Head of Strategy and Coordination at the Office for National Statistics.
Categories: Coronavirus, Data, Office for National Statistics, ONS
An image of an office type desk, there is a keyboard and mouse on it

As infection rates increased throughout December and early January, we saw impacts across a range of sectors as more people were isolating following a positive COVID test result. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) needed to assess the scale of self-isolation rapidly, and understand which sectors were most hit by worker absences. Tess Carter explains how data we published today help to provide those insights, and how they compare with our other data sources.  

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