The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Schools impacted by staff absences
One Kirkcaldy school is closed and another has told two whole year groups to stay at home as staff numbers are hit by coronavirus.
Both Pathhead Primary School and Kirkcaldy High School are short of staff, with nine cases of Covid-19 linked with the former over the last fortnight, and four with the latter in just over a week.
Pathhead Primary was closed yesterday morning, with several members of staff absent, some of them self- isolating and some being tested for the virus.
It is the third school in the region to close due to the pandemic.
Sinclairtown Primary, also in Kirkcaldy, closed for a fortnight before the October holiday, while Torr yburn Primar y, in west Fife, reopened on Friday.
Parents were informed by text message yesterday morning as children were getting ready.
Kirkcaldy High has told S5 and S6 pupils to stay away today and tomorrow and study from home.
The decision that senior pupils should learn remotely came after it revealed another 80 pupils and three staff had been advised to self-isolate.
Fife Council confirmed that the Pathhead closure was the result of staff absence.
A message to parents from Jillian Mellis just before 8am said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, with insufficient staff numbers we are having to temporarily close the school and nursery today.”
It is not yet clear when the school will reopen.
Maria Lloyd, Fife Council’s head of education and children’s services, said :“Unfortunately, Pathhead Primary has had to close today as we have a number of teachers who are isolating or waiting on the results of Covid-19 tests.
“Each school has its own contingency plans in place, including plans for remote learning, which are continually reviewed.
“Parents will be updated by the school on contingency plans and if circumstances change.”
Kirkcaldy High rector Derek Allan said there had been an average of 40 Covid- related absences each day last week.
In a newsletter for parents, he paid tribute to staff “who have gone the extra mile throughout this crisis” and praised senior pupils for adhering to the requirement for face coverings in class since Fife began Tier 3 restrictions.
Last week, it emerged that attendance at another Kirkcaldy secondary school, Viewforth High, had been hit hard by the virus, with around half of its pupils being told to isolate and many more staying off.
Both secondary schools and Pathhead Primary are in the KY1 postcode area, where the latest Scottish Government statistics show one in five pupils (19.2%) were absent last Tuesday.