Thousands of kids back in class – but for how long?
PUPIlS returned to schools yesterday almost five months after they were closed as part of lockdown.
local authorities across Scotland adopted different approaches to reopening classrooms for the first time since March 20.
Schools in the Borders were the first to have pupils back, while some in Shetland began a phased return.
Alex Bisset, an S6 pupil at Kelso High School, in Roxburghshire, said he felt safe returning to class because extra hygiene measures had been put in place on campus.
But he was pessimistic about how long the school would remain open.
The 17-year-old from Birgham, near coldstream, said: ‘I’m feeling quite happy that things are slowly returning to normal but at the same time I don’t think it’s going to last.’
However, he added: ‘I feel like in not too long there’s going to be perhaps another outbreak and we’ll all be sent home again.’
Kelso High School headteacher Jill lothian was optimistic about the return of pupils, but acknowledged that some parents are worried.
She said: ‘They came in this morning, they were smiling. It was great to see them in school and I hope they’re glad to be back – it’s about learning.
‘What I don’t want is for covid to define them. What’s really important is that we take this opportunity this year and move forward and that’s what we’ll help them with.’
Parent council chairman Gemma O’Brien, who has a daughter at the school, said: ‘I’m nervous for the students.
‘They’ve been cooped up for the past five months with their family and now the day has come where they’re just getting back into school with all of their old friends and new friends and all their teachers.
‘It’s a massive step just to get here and I think a lot of them were not sure when it was going to come and if it was ever going to come this year. I’m a little bit apprehensive for everybody but I know this is what everybody is needing.’
Shetland Islands council, like other local authorities, has chosen a soft approach to school opening with only five primary schools welcoming back all pupils yesterday.
By Monday all local pupils should be back at school full-time, and for many it will be the first time they have been part of a larger group.
Valerie nicolson, headteacher of Anderson High, in lerwick, said she was confident that enough covid-19 safeguard measures were in place to safely restart pupils’ education.
She said: ‘We are following the Scottish Government and local authority guidance.’
Elsewhere in Scotland, pupils will return from Wednesday, with many councils operating a phased return ahead of the August 18 deadline for all pupils to be back full-time.
Social distancing will be in place for adults and will be encouraged for older pupils.
Face masks must be worn only by staff who cannot social distance effectively. However, all have the option to wear one.
There are concerns about how wellprepared teachers are to mitigate the spread of the virus and anxiety among staff who are returning.
First Minister nicola Sturgeon said that such feelings were ‘entirely understandable’ and stressed reopening schools was a priority.
‘Don’t want Covid to define them’