BUBBLES AT SCHOOL
Swinney looks at plan to keep kids in clusters to halt flare-ups
BY PAUL HUTCHEON GROUPS of pupils could be separated into “bubbles” when they return to school after the holidays next month. The Scottish Government is examining safety options which would keep classes or whole years apart. It follows similar proposals unveiled by the UK Government for schools in England. Education Secretary John Swinney initially suggested schooling would resume on August 11 using a blended learning model, in which kids would be educated at home and school. It was ditched after a parental backlash and Swinney backed a return to full-time schooling, with no physical distancing. The Daily Record can reveal the Scottish Government and key stakeholders are looking at ways of guarding against coronavirus by keeping pupils apart. In England, the Government is considering a “bubble” plan as a way of minimising contacts. The guidance for England states: “The overarching principle to apply is reducing the number of contacts between children and staff.
“This can be achieved through keeping groups separate (in bubbles) and through maintaining distance between individuals.”
Keeping schoolchildren in bubbles that don’t mix with others should make it easier to identify those who should self-isolate, and keep numbers to a minimum, in the event of a positive case.
The guidance noted that smaller bubbles would be possible in primary schools, with larger groups in the later years of secondary education.
The Scottish Government is understood to be discussing whether a bubble plan can be introduced. The talks body is the Covid-19 Education Recovery Group, chaired by Swinney.
An education insider said the policy would be easier to implement in primary schools but more difficult in the years of secondary school in which subject choices are made.
In a statement last month, Swinney
said a return to full-time schooling would depend on various factors, including the “right protective measures and risk assessments” being in place.
It comes after the largest teaching trade union, the EIS, said strict safety measures would have to be in place when schools return.
Its general secretary Larry Flanagan said last month: “In terms of schools, this means looking at measures already being used elsewhere such as mandatory face coverings, protective Perspex shields, proactive testing of teachers and an appropriate level of physical distancing between pupils and most certainly between pupils and staff, alongside continued protections for vulnerable groups.”
The Scottish Government said: “We are considering a range of suggestions as we plan for a full-time return to school in August, where the health and safety of pupils, staff and others is of paramount importance.”
Meanwhile, a campaign group has said schools should be classed as “critical infrastructure” and not shut down if there is a second lockdown.
The Us for Them Scotland campaign suggested schools should be treated in the same way as hospitals and power stations so they can remain open if there are coronavirus outbreaks in the school.
The group’s Jo Bisset wrote to Holyrood’s education committee calling for the move “to stop the unnecessary closing of schools even on an isolated basis”.