Parents fume after Edinburgh City Council cancel pupils’ winter fundraiser over ‘nonsense’ covid policies

Parents and pupils at Broughton High School have been left disappointed and confused after their winter fundraiser was cancelled at short notice.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

The school was due to hold the outdoor event – a precaution taken to keep in line with social distancing requirements – later this month but the council has now cancelled it due to issues around crowding.

But the decision has left parents confused about why events like Edinburgh’s Christmas Market are allowed to go ahead despite drawing large crowds.One parent, Fiona Mcdonald said the decision seemed to contradict the Scottish Government’s advice that Christmas parties can go ahead for adults.Speaking to the Evening News, the frustrated mother said: “The S6 pupils at Broughton High were planning to have an outdoor fundraiser in December.

“The Council have banned it from going ahead because of the issue of crowds and social distancing but it was only for S6 pupils and their parents.

“This is nonsense when you have a look at the Christmas market and the throngs of people going through it.

“Not only are our children not allowed to have Christmas parties at school they are not even allowed to have their parents outside in the school grounds to sell them a mince pie.”

It is not the first time pupils at Broughton High School have had to change plans due to the council’s Covid-19 policies.

Last month, the Evening News reported that more than 60 teenagers from the school had been left disappointed after their trip to see Beauty and the Beast at the Edinburgh Playhouse was cancelled by the council.

A spokesperson from the council said the decision to cancel the theatre trips was in line with current national guidance. However, when asked about other local authorities who were allowing theatre trips to continue, the council did not comment.

Speaking on the winter fundraiser cancellation, a council spokesperson said: “We understand the disappointment at this decision but our schools are following current Scottish Government and public health guidance to reduce risk and keep schools open.

"The support of volunteers with essential learning activities is appreciated. However events, such as fayres, are more difficult to risk manage on school grounds and ensure appropriate physical distancing to limit the spread of infection.”

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.