No action taken on school pupil wellbeing petition
GLASGOW councillors have failed to act on a petition calling for the wellbeing of children in secondary schools to be taken more seriously.
An appeal from parents at St Paul’s High School for a warm, dry and safe area for their children to shelter in heavy winds was presented to the committee on Thursday.
Petitioners say that children have no indoor area for breaks and lunch during Covid and are expected to stand outside in all weathers to eat.
They called on Glasgow City Council to step in to ensure pupils are looked after properly in these times.
Education officer Donnie McLeod said: “In both primary and secondary settings the preference should be to avoid large gatherings and crowded spaces as much as possible to keep youngsters in the same groups for the duration of the day.
“They have been reviewing the timetable to reduce the movement of young people as far as possible and two metre distances should remain in place.
“The school is continuing to encourage young people to use outdoor spaces and it is widely accepted that the spread of the virus is less likely to take place outside.
“The aim is to strengthen friendship groupings in a safe way where they are physically distanced. All S1 are going to remain in the usual secure playground. The school will continue to look at the addition of sheltered canopies.
“Of the 143 petitioners who have signed the petition the school is only aware of two parents and they have engaged and tried to address the concerns raised by the two petitioners.”
St Paul’s High School has been adhering to Scottish Government guidance and advice for secondary schools since August 2020 including strict measures around social distancing and managing the safe movement and flow of large numbers of young people in and around the building.
In preparation for the school
re-opening, the school revised social areas for each year group from S1-S6.
Chairwoman councillor Annette Christie said: “I would like to pass on my thanks to the education team for the incredible dedication you continue to show and your resilience while the schools were closed.
“I am sure we can all appreciate the concerns of any parent particularly at this time. We understand why some parents feel they may need to petition the committee.”
Depute Leader of the Council, councillor David McDonald, added: “St Paul’s is one of the four high schools that young people in my ward attend.
“Had this been an important local issue I can assure the rest of the committee that my inbox would have been full of complaints from parents and pupils. I have not received a single complaint from parents or pupils.
“Over the last few months I have attended three virtual meetings with pupils from St Paul’s.
“We are working in a proactive fashion on a whole host of issues between the school community and the wider community.”
Following the discussion, the committee agreed to take no further action.