Calls for Scotland's schools to close 'immediately' ahead of lockdown

Teachers will return to work as planned and children of key workers and the most vulnerable children will return to schoo las planned in January.

But Scotland’s biggest teaching union, the EIS has called for schools, many of which will remain open part of next week, to immediately revert to blended learning plans.

EIS general secretary, Larry Flanagan, said: “The EIS welcomes the decision to delay the return of pupils after the Christmas break until January 11 and that for the vast majority of pupils for this return to be to an online platform, with only the children of key workers and vulnerable children being in school.

“With a large number of schools already closed for the break, this late decision will once again create planning challenges for teachers but schools are much better prepared for remote learning than was the case in March.

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“Given that the EIS has been calling for a ‘firebreak’ around the Christmas break, we view this announcement as being the correct one. It would make sense for those schools which are still open to move immediately to remote platforms.”

The NASUWT union has also called for schools in Scotland to move immediately to remote learning.

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, added: “As the First Minister has set out, the situation is now grave and level of risk to everyone’s health and welfare has now escalated considerably. The most important thing we have learned through this pandemic is that failing to act quickly, decisively and preventatively in the face of this virus is always a mistake.

“Given the very real and present threat to public health, it is impossible to understand how there can be any justification for schools to remain open as normal in the run up to Christmas.

“Whilst the First Minister has rightly agreed to delay the return to schools in January for the majority of pupils, the Scottish Government must go further.

“While the level of risk of virus transmission is severe and increasing, immediate preventative action is needed now to protect lives.

“The Scottish Government should accept that moving immediately to remote learning for pupils could help to protect more lives and ensure the safety and welfare of pupils and teachers who remain at risk of catching the virus and passing it to their families over the Christmas holiday period.”

But Scotland’s Children’s Commission has told the Scottish Government that young people’s mental health and education cannot be sacrificed. 

Bruce Adamson has raised concerns that support for remote learning is inconsistent across different parts of Scotland. 

The commissioner has called on the Scottish Government to “do everything in our power to mitigate the significant impact on children”. 

He added: “Many children and young people have had continued problems accessing online learning during periods of self-isolation, especially those with disabilities, and those from families on low incomes and families with one parent.  

“We know that parents and carers are doing their very best to support children to learn at home but they need help to do so. The Scottish Government must ensure that every child that needs a device to access education, has one and can access meaningful support for education online. 

“Teachers are doing an incredible job in supporting children to learn both at school and online but they must be properly supported with more digital resources, additional staffing where possible and the acknowledgement that many will be working with their own children at home at the same time.” 

The Scottish Conservatives have also claimed that thousands of young people missing out on a week of schooling in January will widen the attainment gap between richer and poorer pupils.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said: “We wish schools were able to open safely but until we know more about this new strain of the virus, the government must guarantee that every single pupil will have all the tools and opportunities they need to keep learning at home.

“On the later return date for thousands of people, I urge the Scottish Government to rethink and show more ambition to keep pupils learning as much as possible. Teachers have been told they will be back in school, yet for pupils there are different start dates for many.

“Every pupil should be returning to some form of learning from 5 January. Nobody should be treated differently and miss out on school because of their background or what their parents do.”

He added: “As it stands, children of parents who are out of work or not designated as key workers are likely to fall behind through no fault of their own. The attainment gap between rich and poorer pupils will grow even wider.

“We must also hear about the government’s plans beyond 18 January. If blended learning is the only option, the government will need to urgently boost support to schools to allow for more online learning, as the Parliament has twice voted for them to do in the last month. While this situation is moving fast, parents and teachers need to know what they should prepare for in a month’s time.”

One of Nicola Sturgeon’s top advisers has warned that older school pupils should be treated the same as adults as part of efforts to tackle the virus.

Speaking on Sky News’ Ridge On Sunday programme, Professor Divi Sridhar, the chairwoman of global public health at Edinburgh university, said: “I think we need to divide kids under 12 which we know generally have not transmitted that well between each other – we haven’t seen many outbreaks in nurseries and primary schools – and secondary schools where children are very much like adults after age 12 and how we manage those.

“But schools need to be kept open as much as possible and the way to do that is to keep our community prevalence low so viruses never even enter the school in the first place.”