Teachers to face testing for Covid-19

Compulsory screening proposed

Education Secretary John Swinney has said there needs to be “the maximum amount of co-operation and compliance” with coronavirus guidance if pupils are to return to school full-time from August.

He said Scotland is at “a critical point” in suppressing the virus enough to allow pupils to return to class, following the further easing of lockdown measures.

Speaking at the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing, Mr Swinney said the final decision on whether schools can reopen to all pupils next month will be announced on July 30, and he urged the public not to allow an increased spread of the disease to derail the plans.

“On Wednesday we undertook the most significant relaxation of the lockdown since it began so there’s obviously risks that by relaxing lockdown, there is potentially some greater opportunity for the virus to spread,” Mr Swinney said.

“That’s why if we want to reopen schools full-time in August, we would appeal for the maximum amount of co-operation and compliance from members of the public with all of the guidance that we have given.”

His plea came after the government’s scientific advisers said pupils should not have to physically distance when schools return.

The advice also takes in dedicated school transport, such as a school bus, which will come as a huge relief to local authorities in the north who had been facing a logistical headache.

Their report recommends that if Covid-19 remains suppressed, pupils can return from August 11 without physical distancing though teachers should remain two metres apart where possible.

Teachers would only need to wear masks if they are face-to-face with pupils for more than 15 minutes and cannot remain two metres away, although any pupil or teacher wanting to wear a face covering should be able to do so.

Mr Swinney acknowledged the Covid-19 advisory sub-group on education stressed the evidence is “less clear” about the safety of older children compared to primary school pupils, and he will be considering whether further protections are needed.

“These are some of the practical issues that we will discuss with our local authority partners, with the professional associations, with parents groups and also with young people themselves,” he said.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the government will be looking at whether to make routine coronavirus testing for teachers mandatory.

The scientific advisers’ report suggests the benefits of all children returning to school full-time outweigh the dangers for older pupils “on the balance of known risks”.

Among the recommendations, which Ms Sturgeon said the government will now work on turning into official guidance, is the requirement for everyone entering schools to wash or sanitise their hands, along with an “increased emphasis” on hand hygiene and surface cleaning throughout the day.

It advises certain school activities such as drama and gym classes, assemblies and choirs should not be immediately reintroduced because of the higher risk of virus transmission.

Schools should also take a “zerotolerance” approach to coronavirus symptoms and strictly comply with the government’s Test and Protect contact tracing system.

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS teaching union, said: “The reports highlight the importance of significant mitigations being operational in schools.

“The EIS will engage in discussion as to what these should be.

“Proactive testing of school communities is certainly one measure which should be in place and we also think that more should be done around senior pupils, who are young adults rather than children.”

North and north-east councils also welcomed the guidance, and said officers would now begin looking at it in detail to prepare for August 11.

A Highland spokeswoman said: “We welcome the guidance that pupils do not have to physically distance on dedicated school transport, as this releases capacity which would not otherwise have been available.

“We will be updating our local guidance in light of this, and are assessing the need for changes to those public bus service contracts which are used by pupils going to school.”

An Aberdeenshire spokesman said: “We are reviewing arrangements for school transport in light of John Swinney’s announcement on July 16.

“We can confirm that we have been in discussion with transport operators and will be working on the practicalities around the guidance with them as we prepare for the return to school in a few weeks’ time.

“Furthermore, careful risk assessments are completed on all aspects of schools’ work and shared with staff.

“PPE will be provided wherever it is needed. Staff who are working intensely with pupils, particularly those with additional support needs who require personal care, for example, will have PPE.”

A Moray Council spokesman said: “Moray Council will make school transport arrangements in line with the updated Scottish Government guidance when it is published and make parents aware directly.”

An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “We welcome the publication of this information and will be reviewing the content to further support our planning. We anticipate updated physical distancing guidance based on these recommendations by the end of July.”

The appealing prospect of young people getting back into the classroom for the start of the new term appears an ever more likely one. In terms of their future as individuals – and ours as a nation – the moment cannot come soon enough.

An awful lot of schooling has already been missed and every extra day away from full-time professional teaching widens the knowledge gap.

Yesterday’s science lesson from John Swinney delivered some fresh reasons for hope.

The newly-compiled textbook on safely gathering pupils during a global pandemic suggests it can be done without the need for social distancing.

Or at least that the risk it cannot is outweighed by the potential benefits if it can.

Inevitably though, all the equations and the formulae which underpin the policy remain theoretical.

And ultimately those theories can only be fully assessed – readers will remember from their own school days – by being put to the test in practice.

In this case, that means an experiment in which the health of children, teachers and other staff is at play.

And that means all concerned have a duty to make sure all the necessary precautions – and the proper degree of supervision – is worked out and put in place.

“That means an experiment with the health of children, teachers and other staff at play”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the briefing