Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been quizzed over whether teachers have “enough time and resources” to prepare for the full-time return of pupils in August - and also if they can expect to get a summer break this year.
Willie Rennie, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said during First Ministers Questions this afternoon that teachers were “exhausted” and - while he supported the plan for pupils to return full time in August - he highlighted that yesterday’s announcement had come during the last few days of term.
In some Scottish councils such as Glasgow, teachers should be off on holiday as of this afternoon. Schools in other parts of the country break up tomorrow or Friday, and some have until Friday of next week. Some school staff have taken to social media to express their concern about the timing of yesterday announcements.
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Ms Sturgeon sought to reassure teachers that the work that had been put into the blended learning model was not “wasted work” and may yet be needed, given there were “no certainties” when dealing with a global pandemic.
During First Ministers Questions today, when Mr Rennie asked if teachers would get a break this summer, Ms Sturgeon said: “Yes, of course, teachers will get a break. They have been working very hard throughout all of this and firstly I want to thank teachers and councils for the work they have done to make sure that we do have the contingency of blended learning because we may need it and I want to be very clear about that.
“We have no certainties with this virus and if we see a resurgence nationally or locally that model may be needed, so that has not been wasted work, and I think it’s important that nobody suggests that it has been, and my thanks go to them.”
Ms Sturgeon said last week that she has asked her scientific advisors to examine whether in certain settings and circumstances social distancing could be reduced. She said she expected to receive their guidance on 2 July.
She said today: “I absolutely believe that there is a big role for testing reassuring teachers and parents of the safety of schools but the details of that is the work we will now do, that the deputy first minister will lead, to make sure that before schools go back teachers parents and young people themselves have confidence in the safety of the education they will be having.”
More work on this and “particular arrangements around physical distancing” would be taken forward by deputy first minister and education secretary John Swinney, she said.
