A THOUSAND TEACHERS OFF SCHOOL OVER VIRUS

Alarm at rising infections across Scotland amid growing fear of classroom closures

MORE than 1,000 teachers across Scotland have been forced to selfisolate because of Covid symptoms.

It comes as a union warns of a return to ‘blended learning’ because of the risks to staff.

In Glasgow, where a council chief voiced alarm over an ‘extraordinary’ rise in virus cases among school staff, 150 teachers are self-isolating and around 20 of them have tested positive.

elsewhere, local authorities report that dozens of teachers have been told to stay at home by contact tracers. Scottish Government figures show that as of September 8, 1,827 school staff were absent for ‘Covid-19 related reasons’.

Of these, 1,132 were teachers and 695 were other school-based staff.

The NASUWT teaching union said limited physical distancing and poor hygiene in schools were putting teachers at risk.

This could force a return to

part-time schooling as the flu season approaches.

Last night, Scottish Tory education spokesman Jamie Greene said children would suffer if they had to go back to learning online.

He said: ‘It is absolutely imperative we do all we can to keep our children in the classroom, providing it is safe to do so.

‘We saw the incredible levels of anger from parents when the SNP initially proposed blended learning as the de facto method of learning.

‘The reality is that the SNP left blended learning and home schooling plans in such disarray that many children did not participate online at all.’

However, Jane Peckham, NASUWT national official for Scotland, said cases may not have been so high if blended learning had been used at the start of term.

She added: ‘We feel that it is an option that should be kept under review and a contingency that will have to be adopted if the situation continues to deteriorate.

‘Schools were ready for blended learning and there had been a great deal of preparation, whereas for the current there was very little time for teachers to get ready.’

In Edinburgh, 13 teachers are selfisolating; 17 are at home in Angus, 16 in Midlothian, 13 in Falkirk and 45 in East Renfrewshire.

South Lanarkshire Council said 17 teachers were self-isolating or shielding, while another 15 had suspected or confirmed coronavirus. Perth and Kinross said 28 teachers were self-isolating, while in Highland the figure is ten.

The NASUWT has claimed physical distancing is virtually absent from schools and warned of ‘clear evidence that poor employer practice may be to blame as Glasgow schools fail to follow essential safety measures’.

It came after a leaked email last week from the city’s executive director of education, Maureen McKenna, in which she told staff: ‘Colleagues, this week has seen an extraordinary number of cases where teachers have tested positive.’

The NASUWT said no teachers in Glasgow

who responded to its survey could say pupils were always following the rules on social distancing.

Only 6 per cent said managers in schools were reinforcing messages on the need to keep apart.

Glasgow City Council urged anyone with concerns to raise them with their senior management.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen pupils at Taylor High School in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, have been told to selfisolate for two weeks after a teacher tested positive for coronavirus.

In a letter to pupils and their families on Sunday, headteacher Gerry McCormick said: ‘All known close contacts of this teacher have already been contacted by members of school staff and provided with a letter from the NHS.’

A pupil at St Aidan’s High School in Wishaw, Lanarkshire, has also tested positive for the virus.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘School reopening guidance makes clear that contingency plans should be in place in the event of local outbreaks, including the possibility of using remote learning and online resources.

‘The experience of lockdown shows that access to technology and digital cap abil arrangements ity is, and will remain, a fundamental aspect of education in Scotland.

‘Funding allocations for digital devices and connectivity solutions have now been made to all 32 local authorities, who are responsible for making arrangements to secure and distribute equipment to address local needs.’