Covid Scotland: School pupils urged to test for virus to keep classes open

After the lockdown of last winter, she said keeping schools open in 2022 was an “absolute priority”, but achieving it needed widespread community support. 

Pupils aged 12 to 15 years are also being encouraged to get their second doses of coronavirus vaccine, with drop-in sessions starting today for those who had their first jag at least 12 weeks ago.

Scottish Labour said it was imperative that enough lateral flow tests was available for pupils and staff, and criticised minister for failing to instil a “culture” of regular testing among pupils so far.

The appeals came as a teaching union warned the Omicron spike could see “significant disruption” unless the Scottish Government took immediate action.

The NASUWT union urged ministers to spend money more on air-cleaning units for schools and colleges to reduce the risk of transmission within classrooms, on-site Covid testing, and find extra to pay for supply staff to cover Covid-related absences.

It emerged over the weekend that the UK Government has asked public sector bodies to prepare for a worst case scenario in which up to 25 per cent of staff are off work.

In England, headteachers have already been told to consider combining classes if necessary.

There were no Covid case numbers reported in Scotland at the weekend, but in England they hit a record 162,572 on Saturday, then 137,583 yesterday for England and Wales combined, although the true numbers are likely to be higher given the New Year holiday.

Ms Somerville said: “It is our absolute priority to keep schools safely open and minimise further disruption to learning. To achieve that, we need the help of the whole school community. Taking lateral flow tests before returning to school, and continuing to test regularly will help prevent outbreaks of the virus.

“We are grateful to schools for their continued efforts to stress the importance of asymptomatic testing. Parents of secondary pupils can also help by encouraging their children to make testing part of their weekly routine – and, importantly, to report all results online, whether positive, negative or void.

“Safety guidance for schools was updated in December in light of Omicron and it is crucial that all the mitigations are strictly followed. These include physical distancing, one-way systems and the correct use of face coverings.

“By testing regularly and following the mitigations, pupils and staff can all play their part in keeping themselves, their families and their schools safe.”

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Gregor Smith, added: “With Omicron spreading so rapidly, it is vital that we all do what we can to limit its transmission. 

“Rapid lateral flow testing helps us to find infectious cases that might otherwise have been missed, as around one in three people with Covid-19 do not show classic symptoms.

“That’s why it is really important that secondary pupils and school and early learning and childcare staff take lateral flow tests before they return to classes and settings after the break, and that they keep testing regularly throughout term.

“They should also take tests before they meet up with others outside of school or early learning settings.

“Pupils and staff who are eligible for vaccination should get their jags, and, where appropriate, boosters as soon as they can to receive greater protection from the virus.

“Those aged 12-15 are being offered second doses of the vaccine from this week and I would urge them to take up the offer.”

NASUWT General secretary Patrick Roach said: "Teachers have been on the frontline throughout the pandemic to support pupils and students and provide them with the best education possible.

"However, the rising number of cases of the Omicron variant could cause significant disruption in the next academic term with many teachers being forced to self-isolate. The Scottish Government must take immediate action to ensure that schools can continue to operate safely and provide high-quality education."

Labour MSP Michael Marra said urging pupils and teachers to test regularly was welcome, but would not stop disruption in schools alone. 

He said: “Testing rates have been incredibly low for many months. 
“These demands have been met with little more than a shrug of the shoulders from the First Minister and the Education Secretary. 

"Tests must now be made available to all staff and pupils as a matter of course.

“A culture of testing for pupils must be built, incentivised and parents have to be encouraged to ensure compliance.

“The pandemic has been devastating for our schools, disrupting learning and entrenching Scotland’s scandalous attainment gap. The SNP urgently need to make schools safer but they are falling badly short.  

“We need action to drive up vaccination rates in pupils, a plan to protect in-person learning and targeted testing to get teachers back into the classroom as quickly and safely as possible. 

“Unfortunately current plans lack the urgency and scale to keep Scotland’s schools safe and open.”

In Scotland, primary pupils need not wear face masks at school, but should on school transport, while secondary pupils should wear masks in classrooms, communal areas, and when moving around the schools, as well as school transport.

In England, face masks have not been recommended until now, but will be being required until at least the end of January, prompting disquiet among some MPs. 

Tory Robert Halfon, chair of the Commons education committee, said the risks of Covid to children were “minimal”, but masks were a risk to their mental health.

He said: “There is a lot of evidence out there from Belgium, to Canada, to the United States, suggesting that masks on children have a damaging effect, or can have a negative effect on their mental health, their wellbeing, their ability to communicate, their emotional awareness. And that’s why I have worries about the mask policy.”

“The World Health Organisation says there should be an impact assessment at the onset of mask-wearing, so this should have been done already by the department in terms of what happens when kids wear masks in school.

“There is no requirement to wear masks in offices for adults. So why is there a requirement for children in schools, in classrooms, when children are at least risk from Covid? I don’t get it.”

However Labour’s Wes Streeting told Sky News it would be better to have masks worn in classrooms than children out of school.

He said: “I think in terms of schools, if the choice is between having masks at schools or children missing schools in huge numbers, of course we want to keep pupils learning. That’s got to be the priority.”

Amid calls from some businesses and politicians to cut the self-isolation period from seven days to five south of the border (it is 10 days in Scotland), the UK Health Security Agency said such a reduction would be “counterproductive” and worsen stuff shortages.