How can Edinburgh secondary pupils distance when schools are full to overflowing?

Concerns voiced at latest advice on schools

Physical distancing is going to be difficult in secondary schools which are at capacity

SECONDARY schools in the Capital will struggle to meet the latest Scottish Government advice that they should introduce physical distancing for pupils because many of them are close to or over capacity.

Education Secretary John Swinney announced on Thursday that although there was no need for physical distancing in primary schools, secondary schools should take “a practical approach” to maintaining distancing between pupils where possible.

He suggested schools should manage the flow of pupils and staff within buildings and adjust the layout of classrooms “subject always to this not reducing capacity within the school”.

But Alison Murphy, Edinburgh secretary of the EIS teachers’ union, said Mr Swinney’s message was confusing.

“It can’t be a case of ‘Do it if you can, but if you can’t don’t worry’.

“It can’t be if you happen to be a pupil in an under-subscribed school and there’s plenty space you’re fine, but if you’re in an over-subscribed school, well we’re going to take a chance. If it’s right for some children, it’s got to be right for all.”

She said schools would have to try to find a way to implement social distancing.

But she said: “In some senior phase classes what you have is 30 fully-grown adults plus a teacher and you’re supposed to fit them into a really small room. It just isn’t practical. We will need to think about smaller groupings, but that has space and staffing implications.”

Latest figures show 11 per cent of Edinburgh’s schools are overcrowded, compared with five per cent nationally.

Edinburgh Southern Labour MSP Daniel Johnson said Mr Swinney was saying physical distancing should be followed, but only if it doesn’t undermine capacity. “For schools in Edinburgh with high school rolls that places them in a very difficult position.

“Some schools have very narrow corridors and are at or above capacity and therefore physical distancing is an impossibility unless extra buildings and extra teachers are put in place - that’s really what we needed to hear from the Scottish Government.”

Mr Swinney’s statement to MSPs included a pledge of funding for an estimated extra 850 teachers and 200 support staff across Scotland, which the EIS said was “welcome but not enough”.

And Labour’s education spokesman Iain Gray said it would amount to just half a member of staff per school and councils were being given just two weeks to recruit them.

He said: “Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of newly qualified teachers, probationer teachers, supply teachers and retired teachers, who all want to help their schools get back, still cannot get a job. Surely we have to sue all the qualified teachers we can.”

Concerns have also been raised about breakfast and after-school clubs after Mr Swinney could give no guarantee they would reopen at the same time as the return to school.

He said: “Essential breakfast clubs I would want to see as a priority to make sure the wellbeing of young people is supported.

“Some of the after-school clubs may involve a degree of connection and contact which runs contrary to the general advice we’re putting in place and they may have to wait longer before they can be restarted.”

Daniel Johnson called for clarity. “If parents can’t use the breakfast or after-school club it makes getting back to work extremely difficult if not impossible.”

And he said parents at Liberton Primary were worried because the school used Inch House community centre which was not expected to be available.

Lothian Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour said Mr Swinney had to clarify urgently whether clubs would reopen at the same time as pupils return to school full time.

“Breakfast and after-school clubs play an absolutely vital in providing extra childcare for working parents right across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

“While I understand the need for safety measures to be in place, we are fast approaching our schools returning and parents need to make arrangements for their children in terms of before and after school.”

Parents’ group 50/50 voiced concern that the final decision that schools would return full-time would only be made 12 days before it was due to happen.

Spokeswoman Sarah Chisnall said: “It has been four months since Scotland entered full lock down and a little more than that since most schools closed their doors to all pupils. But here we are, in a place where no final decisions have been made and it seems none of the funds are available yet.”

Education convener Ian Perry said the council was aiming to open breakfast and after-school clubs at the start of the session. “We know how important these clubs are to families,” he said. “As part of this, we hope to see Liberton Primary School’s services able to operate from the Inch House community centre.

“All of these plans and our physical distancing decisions for secondary schools will of course depend on final guidance from the Scottish Government.”