First minister Nicola Sturgeon has emphatically denied any suggestion that a return to a mix of home- and school-based learning could be on the cards this week.
She was asked today, during the Scottish government’s daily coronavirus briefing, if she had any concerns about the impact on children’s mental health in the event of a return to “part-time schooling”.
In response, she said: “I have no proposal to switch children to protect schooling. And let me be very clear about that: this is all about trying to manage this infection in a way that allows us to keep schools open.
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“Other than scheduled holiday periods, we don’t have either extended holidays or reshaped abilities or a move to blended learning [planned], so let me be very clear about that.”
Coronavirus: Keeping schools open remains a priority
Earlier in the briefing, Ms Sturgeon gave her clearest indication yet that further lockdown restrictions in Scotland could be announced in the next few days.
The first minister said further restrictions may well be needed in the “near future” to stem the spread of the virus.
She said she “would certainly hope that we could give at least a couple of days’ notice of any restrictions that are going to kick in”, adding that “we want to avoid changing school holidays, but there is also an opportunity over this next couple of weeks [when] most schools are off...to try to reduce some of the transmission and risks that we face - not in schools, because we believe schools are safe to be back, but that go round about schools”.
The first minister also said: “The government will be considering the latest clinical evidence and advice later on today and the cabinet will be considering the up-to-date situation when it meets tomorrow morning.”
The first minister also announced that guidance for people attending parent and baby groups has changed following a review.
Concerns had been raised about the impact that restrictions had on the ability of groups to run, as previously only up to five adults were allowed to attend.
The changes mean that, where babies are under the age of 12 months, up to 10 adults can now attend a group, so long as other health and safety criteria are met. In groups where babies are over the age of 12 months, the maximum number of adults remains at five.
Ms Sturgeon said: “What we hope is that this change, while not satisfying everybody, will strike a better balance between supporting the wellbeing of new parents...in particular, supporting perinatal mental health while also making sure that we are taking appropriate steps to try to stop the virus spreading.”
