Less than fifth of teachers ‘believe schools are safe’

Teaching union reveals concerns among staff ahead of reopening

Fewer than a fifth of teachers across Scotland are confident schools are safe before pupils return next week, a survey has revealed.

The Education Institute of Scotland (EIS), Scotland’s largest teaching union, launched the survey earlier this week and has received more than 24,000 responses.

Interim results show despite 64% of teachers supporting the decision to reopen schools next week, only 18% are confident they are currently safe.

It was also revealed 62% of teachers felt either “somewhat unsafe” or “very unsafe”.

Just 3% of teachers are “very confident” there is sufficient evidence Covid-19 is sufficiently under control to support a safe return to school.

The survey also revealed 60% of teachers lack confidence sufficient operational changes such as effective social distancing and enhanced hygiene routines would be in place by next week.

David Baxter, Dundee EIS secretary, said: “The majority of teachers are looking to get back into the classroom and to teach kids in that environment because that is the bread and butter of what they do.

“But with what’s kicking off in Aberdeen, it shows the vulnerability of the position that we are in, so I’m not surprised that there is that lack of confidence in schools being fully Covidsecure.

“Until we get back into that environment and see what has been put in place, we are going into the unknown.”

Guidance on reopening has been published by the Scottish Government, including precautions such as hand hygiene requirements and “quick access to testing” for anyone who develops symptoms.

But Mr Baxter was critical of the clarity of the advice given, describing it as “wishy-washy”, and believes this is contributing towards teachers’ concerns.

The EIS survey also revealed there is significant support among teachers for testing asymptomatic members of staff, with 72% of respondents backing this measure.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government said: “The guidance on preparing for the start of the new school term sets out the approach that must be taken, including a number of health mitigations.”

ldevlin@dctmedia.co.uk