The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Emotional day as schools are shut
Teachers bid tearful goodbye as pupils and parents across Tayside and Fife prepare to adjust to life amid classroom shutdown
The closure of schools in Tayside and Fife has caused upset and stress among pupils, teachers and parents alike.
Teachers were forced to say a premature goodbye to their pupils while parents rushed to put in place childcare provision.
Some families in the city have had to go to extreme lengths to ensure their children are looked after.
Wendy Moir said her mother will likely need to move in to her home to help with childcare for her son Logan Thom, nine.
Wendy, who works at Craigiebarns, where Logan is a pupil, said: “My mum is 75 and so she would be classed as vulnerable to the virus.
“She would usually pick him up when I’m working but the problem is she lives in Monifieth, so I can’t expect her to do that now. I have no childcare otherwise. It’s looking like the only option.”
Logan said: “Our teacher was upset and crying at the end of the day. I think she was sad because school is finished for a while.”
Mum Kim Ogilvie said the situation has “gotten a bit strange”.
She and husband Andy have three children: Jamie, nine, a pupil at Craigiebarns, Natalie, 17, the head person at Craigie High, and Rachel, 16, also at Craigie High.
She said: “It’s hectic for us right now as we have three kids. We’ve got one wee one to think about and two stressing about exams.
“I work with the NHS putting in place an electronic rostering system so obviously that is difficult right now and I’m working longer hours than usual.
“I think Jamie is looking forward to some time off but I don’t think it has hit home yet that he might not be able to see his friends much now.”
Alex Ritchie, 24, whose boy Leo, six, attends Longhaugh Primary, said the sudden closure of schools is not a huge problem for her family.
The student nurse said: “There’s not much you can do but carry on and deal with it. We know why it’s being done and you have to accept it.”
Those in their final year of primary and secondary face disappointment at being unable to take part in traditional leavers’ celebrations.
Aiden French, a sixth-year pupil at Levenmouth Academy, said: “Usually at the end of the year we have a big assembly where everybody would get awards and we would have a prom in June. We don’t know if that can still go ahead or if this is it.”