Dear Parent/Carer,

In an address this afternoon, the First Minister acknowledged that the most recent advice around potential self-isolation will result in some practical challenges for schools. With this in mind, I want to share with you some information around online provision of learning and teaching. It is hoped that all members of our school community will take a balanced, realistic view of what is and is not possible at this time. We are duty bound to prepare and deliver lessons in school, and are simultaneously tasked with trying our best to provide access to online learning experiences for those self-isolating.

I would like to stress that in accordance with NHS and government advice, all young people should be in school if they have no reason to self-isolate. A number of parents/carers have informed us of the fact that young people are not attending school as a precautionary measure.  While I empathise with the predicament families face when deciding to take precautionary measures, it would not be fair or appropriate to expect that elective absence outwith government advice can be supported by the delivery of online learning. It is not possible for staff to simultaneously teach classes and engage in widespread online delivery.

By way of clarity:

• While school remains open, priority will be given to the preparation and delivery of lessons in school
• Where staff have to self-isolate, there is potential for classes not having a subject specialist. However, at the time of writing this is not yet the case within our school. This may change given the challenges the most up to date guidance may bring
• Where pupils have to self-isolate, they will miss lessons delivered in school by school staff. During a self-isolation period, it may or may not be possible for young people to work online, but they may wish to access online material as follows
  • In the short term, we encourage S4-S6 pupils to access SQA and Scholar materials via the SQA website and Glow
  • In the short term, we encourage S1-S3 pupils to access BBC Bitesize Third and Fourth Level content – https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
• Over time, our own portfolio of online materials will increase and will be shared via Glow Groups/Teams
• Given the proximity to SQA exams, priority will be given to uploading materials for pupils in S4-S6

We have extensive contingency plans in place in the event of a school closure, and anticipate that all staff would be engaged in online provision on an ongoing regular basis.  However, while we remain open, we cannot enact these contingency plans fully. As such there can be no realistic expectation on my part that staff simultaneously teach classes and engage in extensive online delivery. This does not mean that we are not already doing all we can to upload content to our Glow site. Rather, it means we request patience in what is a unique set of circumstances.

Please do not hesitate to contact me using the ‘Contact Us’ page of our website if you have any concerns in relation to the above.  Finally, I urge all parents/carers to regularly check the latest government advice in relation to self-isolation. If reporting pupil absence, please state clearly if the absence is due to self-isolation as a result of following government guidance. This will allow us to capture absence appropriately.

Kind Regards

Mr Kane