Teachers’ fury at return U-turn

TEACHERS have expressed their frustration after plans for so-called ‘blended learning’ were shelved by the SNP.

Education Secretary John Swinney announced on Tuesday that children will return to school full-time on August 11 – with no social distancing.

This comes despite him warning that youngsters could be forced to spend half their time learning at home – with limited face-to-face teaching time.

However, he has now backtracked – with teachers hitting out at the lack of communication after weeks of planning and preparation.

Writing on Twitter, primary teacher Jennifer Knussen posted: ‘I’m going to put my cards on the table. This afternoon, I could have wept. My plans. The time spent planning. On reflection, if bringing the bairns back in full-time is safe, I’m up for it. If it doesn’t pan out, because of caveats, I’ve also got plans for that.’

Nicola Fisher, a teacher in Glasgow and former EIS union president, said that the plans for blended learning had taken ‘weeks of work’ – with senior managers ‘on their knees’. She warned many teachers were feeling ‘angry, stressed and let down’ by the U-turn.

But yesterday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted the planning had not been a waste of time, warning that if there is a resurgence of Covid-19 then blended learning will be needed.

Speaking at Holyrood, she noted that teachers had been ‘working very hard throughout all this’.

She added: ‘I thank teachers and councils for their work to make sure that we have the contingency of blended learning, because we may need that; I want to be clear about that.

‘We have no certainties with the virus and if there is a resurgence, nationally or locally, that model may be needed.

‘That work has not been wasted and it is important nobody suggests that it has been.’