All schools remain open this time

Every school in South Ayrshire has stayed open during the latest lockdown.

About 2,100 pupils have registered to attend their local primary or secondary in the area. That number is roughly equivalent to one in seven children.

Classrooms are open to vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers.

During the last lockdown only a selection of school buildings stayed open – operating as childcare hubs.

Kids faced technical problems in front of laptops and tablets on

Monday during their first lesson since before Christmas.

The hitch came following an issue with Microsoft Teams, which impacted the Glow system being used in online education across Scotland.

Teachers were ready to start online lessons only to be hit with the glitch as remote learning kicked off.

The vast majority of the area’s pupils remain at home with teachers uploading work for them to access.

A South Ayrshire Council spokesman said parents should only send kids into school if essential.

The spokesman said: “There are round 2,100 registrations in total, however not all will be in at the same time. It will depend on parental work patterns. In order to reduce the chance for the virus to spread, parents are asked only to use childcare in school as a last resort.”

Teachers’ union EIS has supported the decision to introduce remote learning and called for staff to get priority vaccinations.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “There was already heightened concern from teachers in level 4 areas around school safety, and the surge in the new variant will have compounded those concerns especially as it seems clear that children can be as easily infected.”