UNION bosses have warned that teachers have been left “in a state of uncertainty” as more than three quarters of staff have indicated they do not feel safe under the measures put in place to re-open schools.
Nicola Sturgeon has stressed that "safety matters" as plans are drawn up for pupils to return full time in August.
But a survey by the NASUWT union has revealed that only 22 per cent of teachers said they feel safe or very safe as a result of measures to mitigate the risks of Covid-19.
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The study also found that almost half of teachers said they do not feel prepared to return to their school or college in August.
NASUWT general secretary, Patrick Roach, said: “Given the abrupt eleventh hour changes announced by the Scottish Government just as schools and colleges were preparing for the summer break, it is little wonder that so many teachers do not feel that schools and colleges are prepared for the full return of pupils in August.
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“Teachers have been left in a state of uncertainty by the announcement, which has made it particularly challenging for schools and colleges to plan and prepare appropriately for reopening on a full-time basis from 11 August.”
He added: “It is also concerning that teachers are reporting that their school or college does not have adequate safety provisions in place, such as PPE and enhanced cleaning routines and that a significant number of vulnerable teachers have been pressurised to attend work by their employer.
“The Government needs to address the concerns raised by teachers and ensure that all schools and colleges take appropriate action to ensure that teachers and other staff are safe at work.”
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The First Minister said there was time for more work to be carried out, led by Deputy First Minister and Education Secretary, John Swinney.
She said: "We have a number of weeks between now and August 11 when we hope schools will be back full time.
"There will be a lot of work done to assess the prevalence of the virus to make sure it’s still low enough to support that full time return that we want to see, but also that we have had proper discussions and done proper work with teachers, parents and council to make sure the package of measures in schools is sufficient to ensure that children and teachers are safe."
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She added: "I’ve been very clear that teachers’ safety here and the confidence in their own safety matters.
"Teachers want to be sure that they are not being exposed themselves to unnecessary risk or taking that risk back to their own families." We take that very seriously and the Deputy First Minister will continue to lead that work."
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