Deserved praise for staff and pupils

What a joy it was this week to see children of all ages return to the classroom following a four-and-a-half month break.

This has been a tough few months for children and young people. Some may not have been too upset when the schools first closed, but months without seeing many of their friends will have been hard. And as the months have gone on, the lack of routine and structure might have made things harder.

Covid-19 has not gone away, however, and young people will no doubt be experiencing a range of emotions as they continue on their educational journey.

Argyll and Bute Council's Policy Lead for Education Yvonne McNeilly has, quite rightly, praised schools staff this week – see story on page three – for all the hard work they have put into ensuring the phased return goes as smoothly as possible and that all Covid guidelines are being followed.

Councillor McNeilly also welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement that all down-graded exam results will be revised to match school assessments.

This has been a time of unprecedented change for everyone and the government’s admission ‘they got it wrong’ and its ensuing effort to put it right has to be recognised.

Many congratulations to all pupils who got the marks they deserved and worked so hard for.

What remains important throughout the next few months, as we hopefully push this virus further away, is that we continue to support each other with the same resolution and kindness as we have during lockdown.