Schools go back after holidays

Renfrewshire youngsters will return to the classroom full time after the summer holidays, it has been confirmed.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the widely-expected move in a statement to the Scottish Parliament yesterday.

In her statement she said all pupils should be back in class by Tuesday, August 11. She accepted some schools may phase this but said that all pupils should be back in class full time from Tuesday, August 18 “at the very latest”.

Renfrewshire Council is expected to outline more details on its plans to parents tomorrow morning.

Steven Quinn, director of children’s services at

Renfrewshire Council, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome back all our children and pupils in August and want to thank our school community for their support over the past four months.

“The announcement has been based on the scientific advice indicating that it is safe for schools and nurseries to fully reopen.

“We very much welcome the supporting guidance also published, which we are currently working through. We continue to work with our schools and early years teams and trade unions to ensure we have everything in place for a safe return for all children, pupils, and our staff.”

The guidance published yesterday said children won’t have to socially distance but schools are encouraged to keep pupils in consistent groups throughout the school day wherever possible.

Senior secondary school pupils should be encouraged to socially distance from each other while school staff should maintain two metre physical distancing from each other and from children wherever possible. Masks should be worn by staff who want to or who are unable to maintain the two metre distance for a long period.

The Scottish Government has warned that schools would revert to the blended model of learning with pupils only in class part-time should the number of coronavrius cases in Scotland increase substantially.

We are delighted to be able to welcome back all our children and pupils in August