School trip axed at 11th hour

A Lanarkshire school trip was cancelled just hours before pupils were due to leave, because of coronavirus.

P7 youngsters from Knowetop Primary in Motherwell were due to head for Kilbowie Outdoor Centre in Oban on Monday morning.

However, parents and carers were alerted on the Sunday night that the week-long residential trip had been scrapped.

A statement read:“in reaching this decision we have been mindful of the additional risk of a residential setting for pupils and staff and the potential consequences of staff and pupil absence.

“We understand that this will be disappointing but minimising risk is essential at this time. We will be in touch soon about how refunds will be processed.”

Many parents have taken to social media asking why it is safe for children to be at school but not on the trip. A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said:“all residential trips to Kilbowie are suspended with immediate effect.

“This is a necessary measure for a number of reasons. There is increased risk in a residential setting. Should a staff member or pupil display symptoms during a trip, isolation is extremely difficult to achieve and the residential setting increases risk of infection.

“Equally, it is important that we maintain staff resilience within schools and, given anticipated increased staff absence due to self-isolation, it is crucial that teachers are available in schools to provide necessary cover.

“Consideration was also given to the challenges of safe operation during a trip should staff members display symptoms and be required to self-isolate, thereby reducing the number of staff available to support pupils.”