Pupils sent home due to too few staff

GROVE Academy has been forced to send some pupils home early as staff shortages due to Covid saw classes cancelled.

The Broughty Ferry school told parents and carers yesterday afternoon that a lack of available teachers meant some senior classes were off.

A message issued by the school said: “Due to staff shortages the following electives have been cancelled this afternoon: Health & Wellbeing, Jewellery, Engineering & Craft.

“Pupils have been made aware that they are not to attend.”

Dundee City Council confirmed that Covid was the primary reason behind the staff shortages, saying that a handful of pupils had to be sent home as a result.

A spokesman said: “Due to staff absence because of Covid, around 30 pupils out of a total of nearly 360 across S5 and S6 at Grove are unable to attend special elective sessions, which are not examinable choices.

“In the meantime, this group of young people is being encouraged to use that time to study for prelim exams which are coming up soon.”

Pupils in Dundee returned from the winter break on Thursday, as did those in Perth and Kinross and Fife.

Angus schools are due back on Monday.

Earlier this week First Minister Nicola Sturgeon outlined changes to self-isolation rules which she said would help ease the pressure on school staff shortages.

Under the updated guidance, close contacts of positive cases who are fully vaccinated (three jags) or under 18 will no longer have to self-isolate.

Instead they will have to do a daily lateral flow test for seven days.

David Baxter, branch secretary of EIS Dundee, said schools should see the impact of these changes in the coming weeks.

He said: “The changes in the self-isolation rules will probably take some pressure off not just teachers but central services.

“But there are still concerns about the delivery of the coursework and the in-school assessment material.

“It’s early days so it will be interesting to see what the picture is like next week.

“I don’t think the true impact of what will happen will be seen until this time next week.”