CARLA TALBOT
Furious parents have blasted “diabolical” covid rules which have banned them from their children’s nursery graduations ... as 6,000 football fans gather in Glasgow to watch the Euros.
Cur rent Sc o t t i s h Government regulations mean that no parents are allowed to enter Renfrewshire nurseries to attend graduations - even if they are held outside.
The strict rules are in place despite the area being in Level 2 - which permits a maximum of 250 people to attend outdoor g rouped
standing events.
Frustrated parents at Foxlea Pre-Fives Centre in Foxbar have hit out at the rules, saying there is “no justification” for keeping parents away - particularly as the government is letting 6,000 football fans gather to watch Scotland play in the Euros.
Head of the parents committee, Lauren McLatchie, whose daughter Ivy-Rose, five, is graduating from the nursery, says there is no reason why it should not be able to go ahead.
She revealed parents were allowed to attend small graduations last summer during the pandemic.
She and other parents are calling for a U-turn from the Scottish Government to allow parents to be part of what they say is an important milestone in their wee ones’ lives.
The Foxbar mum said: “There is no clear guidance on this at all. It’s ridiculous.
“We can go out to pubs and restaurants, we can go into people’s houses and other large gatherings are allowed to take place, but we can’t be in small socially distanced groups to watch our children finish nursery?
“Parents were able to be a part of graduations last year when things were far worse, so it does not make any sense that we should be prevented from it this year.
“According to the guidance, there is no reason why parents are being banned from attending.
“There is far more understanding of covid now and a lot of people have now been vaccinated.
“This just feels like a big kick in the teeth for parents who homeschooled their children and spent a large amount of time last year teaching their children and preparing them for school while nurseries were closed.”
Trisha Craig, whose niece Jessica, four, is due to graduate from the nursery later this month, said the situation in “scandalous”.
She added: “The government has said there may be some anomalies to the rules, but this is not an anomaly, there is no justification to this.
“You are talking about allowing 40 parents to watch their child finish nursery outside in a safe and socially distanced way, in comparison to 6,000 football fans being allowed in the one place.
“You can’t guarantee safety at either of these events, but it’s not difficult to see which one carries less risk.
“So why is one not allowed to go ahead? It’s absolutely diabolical.”
West Scotland MSP Neil Bibby backed angry parents.
He said: “Like other parents I missed out on attending my son’s sports day this week.
“Families right across Scotland are missing out on life-forming events in their children’s lives due to ongoing public health restrictions.
“Parents understand that safety comes first.
“What we cannot understand is the inconsistency.
“Why are socially distanced nursery graduations banned on public health grounds when the mass gathering of 6,000 football fans a day is not?
“Nicola Sturgeon has completely failed to justify the glaring inconsistency in the rules she is laying down.
“It’s one rule for big business making money out Euro 2020 and another for Scotland’s families.
“The First Minister said children would be the government’s priority during this pandemic. Clearly they’re not.
“It’s time for clarity and consistency from the Scottish Government.”
Renfrewshire Council confirmed no parents are allowed to attend at nursery events due to current government guidance.
The Scottish Government said it understood this was a big step for parents and children, but said covid guidance was there to ensure staff and children were safe at nursery.
A spokesman said: “We know moving from nursery to school is a big step and it’s important that these transitions are acknowledged and celebrated with our children.
“This year, we’ll need to do that while remembering the covid guidance that’s in place to keep staff and children safe at nursery.
“This means that settings aren’t able to invite groups of parents to celebration events, even if outdoors.
“This may feel different from other areas where restrictions are being eased, but we must remember how important it is to keep our children in nursery and our staff safe.”