Following conflicting announcements from the First Minister and the cabinet secretary for education this week coupled with a wider debate at First Minsters questions today there has been an increasingly active discussion around the proposals for the return to school in August this year.
Commenting on the debate is Cllr Tim Eagle (Buckie Ward); “Firstly I cannot stress enough that debate is a vital part of life, it is so important we recognise the difference of opinions we all have, at the same time it is very important we do not say anything which attacks individuals. I want to be very clear that our school staff, including our head teachers, teachers and managerial staff have worked tirelessly to ensure the very best for our young people throughout the last 10weeks. In a matter of days they radically changed the way they do schooling. This debate is not about attacking the proposals being put forward across Moray. It is a debate which focuses on the background advice which forms those proposals and one which lets parents have a voice.”
“I have had a large number of e-mails and messages about the proposed return to school. Many parents have raised issues ranging from connectivity issues and mental health to isolation and workload. Some parents have struggled with completing work at home, others have noticed differences in their children. In order to gain a better insight into this I ran a poll on my own Facebook page where not only did 80% of parents say they want as much school as possible but I was inundated with e-mails and messages telling very personal stories about the last 10 weeks.
“I don’t think any of us would want to act against health or scientific advice on this virus, but as we move forward we do not face a binary choice. We must consider health, the economy, jobs, mental health, attainment and wellbeing amongst other things. Very importantly we must protect our teachers and other support workers in our schools.
“Many parents are being asked to return to work and will need childcare if their local school is only operating part of the time. But If we end up with lots of young people in childcare or in hubs then there is an argument they may as well be in school.
“This debate is about recognising there are many stories out there, and to ignore anyone’s view is wrong and as, our strategic documents say, it is important to consider the views of parents.”
“This is more of a national debate than local, and at this point in time I believe our school management team are working as hard as they can within the Scottish Government Guidelines. But the question we have to consider is: are those restrictions too tight, when you consider the wider positive and negatives of both the proposed approach or an approach which brings young people back to school more quickly?
“It appears that more experts nationally now think a quicker return to school will be possible if the current reduction in COVID-19 in Scotland continues”.
