School Re-opening Information
Dear Parent/Carer
You will have heard the announcement by the First Minister last week in Parliament regarding the publication of, ‘Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis’. This is a plan for how we slowly get back to a new normal after lockdown.
Within the National Recovery Framework, also published last week, there is a clear message that any return to school for children and young people will only happen if the scientific and health advice tells us it is safe to do so, that is as important to us as it will be to you as parents.
Over the last few weeks we have been looking at all the different ways we could re-open schools and how we keep our children making progress with their learning. We will continue to plan using the ongoing advice from the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland to deliver the best way to keep staff, children and parents safe as we allow children to keep learning.
Children will be returning to school in August across Scotland, but it won’t be the same as before. To keep our pupils and staff safe we need to ensure physical distancing. This will mean changes to previous patterns of attendance at schools, arriving and leaving at different times, different break and lunch times.
We want to do all that we can to keep your children safe when they are at school and we are looking for you to help us share some key messages to keep everyone safe and learning;
· Learning at School Continues at Home – a blended model of in-school and at home learning will be how children will learn from August 2020
· Stay Apart – Children and young people will all need to stay 2 metres apart, for younger children they may stay in small groups when 2m distancing would be difficult.
· Wash your Hands – increased hand washing will be a key feature both at home and in school
We are already listening to groups of parents, staff and our children and young people to help inform what our new school model will look like. We intend to update you with information as our plans develop. There is much to consider such as school transport, school meals, cleaning regimes, blended learning models, school drop offs and pick-ups and much more,
The Scottish Government Parent Club website has new information that you may find helpful and may answer any further questions you might have: www.Parentclub.scot/easing-restrictions-in-scotland . There is also a Q&A page: www.Parentclub.scot/reopening-schools-faqs
We are all looking forward to having our children and young people back in the classroom in what will be a very new model of blended learning and by working together on this we will keep everyone safe and keep our children learning.
Carrie Lindsay
Executive Director – Education & Children’s Services
