A secondary teachers’ union is calling for the return of pupils after the summer holidays to be delayed to give teachers time to prepare for the Scottish government’s new plan for full-time education.

The call from the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) comes after the general secretary of primary school leaders’ body the AHDS issued a similar demand, saying that primary heads were already “on their knees” after working 12-hour days to make the government’s part-time learning plans a reality.

Schools had to look anew at their reopening plans earlier this week when the education secretary, John Swinney, announced that he wanted them to prepare to reopen full-time after the summer.

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Mr Swinney made his statement in the week when most Scottish schools were due to finish for the summer holidays, after coming under pressure over council reopening plans, some of which involved pupils being in school just one day a week.

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In a message to members, SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said the union was advising teachers to make no changes to their plans for schools reopening and to “take their well-deserved break”. The SSTA would be seeking “additional time be given to all school staff to prepare for a change from the current blended learning plans for schools, including delaying the return of pupils to secondary schools”.

Mr Searson also said he wanted reassurance that teachers - many of whom have already had to postpone a week of their summer break in order for all schools to reopen at the same time on 11 August - would not be required “to undertake additional work in altering existing plans during the summer vacation”.

He added that the SSTA would be calling for vulnerable or shielding teachers to remain protected when schools returned; suitable social distancing to be in place; provision of suitable PPE (personal protective equipment); proactive testing for all school staff; and “the highest level” of school cleaning regimes.

Mr Searson said: “The SSTA position throughout the Covid-19 crisis has been one of safety first for all teachers and pupils. We have been guided throughout by the scientific and medical evidence and that will continue to be the case. We would all like to return to normal schooling but we are not at that place yet and not likely to be in the coming months.

“The SSTA view remains that schools can only reopen and operate safely if there are significant operational changes in place to ensure effective social distancing, strong hygiene routines linked to thorough cleansing practices, appropriate PPE available where required and ongoing risk assessments in place to monitor operations.
 
“The DFM [deputy first minister John Swinney] statement on 23 June and the decision for all pupils to return to school full-time in August was unexpected. The SSTA had been working with government and local authorities in putting in place plans for blended learning in schools for August. At this point in time that position has not changed.”