As reported by BBC News, teachers’ union is calling for a delay in reopening schools after the Christmas holiday because of the rapid spread of Omicron
The Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) says there are already staffing issues and the problem is likely to get worse. However, the Scottish government has insisted there are currently no plans to close schools. It comes as a number of colleges return to blended learning this week. The move is aimed at protecting staff and students amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 variant.
Colleges Scotland said several colleges were also planning hybrid teaching for the first two weeks of next year. Seamus Searson, general secretary of the SSTA teaching union, told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme he was already hearing about schools that were not fully staffed due to rising COVID cases. And he said parents were keeping their children off to ensure they did not catch COVID in the run-up to Christmas.
Searson said: “At the moment, schools are struggling to keep open because of the number of teachers who are away because of the virus.
“We need to be reasonable and say that the virus will spread inside schools.
“There somehow seems to be a notion that the virus isn’t spread in school and teachers are immune.”
The latest official figures published last week showed there were 31,303 pupils off school for any COVID reason.
Of these:
22,416 were self-isolating
5,132 had COVID
3,755 were being kept home by parents/carers
3,291 staff were absent absent
Almost 6,000 new cases of coronavirus were reported across Scotland on Sunday, with Omicron now the dominant variant.
Currently, Scots are being advised to reduce their socialising as much as possible and to limit gatherings to three households – though large-scale events including the Scottish League Cup final have been allowed to go ahead. Both Edinburgh and City of Glasgow Colleges will switch to online learning from Monday until term ends on Wednesday, while other colleges – including Dumfries and Galloway College and Dundee and Angus College – will also minimise activity on campus and move as much as possible online.
Colleges Scotland said the aim was to to protect people and reduce pressure on public transport and the NHS as cases of Omicron rise. Colleges will be keeping in touch with students throughout December and January as plans are subject to change.
Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said: “Colleges have prepared very well for this model, and students can be assured that the quality of their college experience is being protected.”
She said colleges had already been operating at a higher safety level throughout the autumn and winter and expected that to continue when learning resumed in January.
“Everyone over 18 in Scotland can now get first, second and booster doses of the vaccine and getting a jag over the Christmas holidays will help us all get back to classes more quickly and safely in the new year,” Ms Struthers said.
“Students have also been able to access lateral flow tests at their college for many months, and I’d urge anyone attending a campus to test regularly.”
Colleges Scotland said arrangements would vary at different colleges to meet local needs, and urged students to check information regularly.
Audrey Cumberford, chairwoman of the College Principals’ Group and Principal of Edinburgh College, said: “Over the past 21 months colleges have become adept at delivering high-quality learning and teaching remotely or in a hybrid model, with vulnerable students and practical subjects prioritised for access to our campus spaces.”
Paul Little, principal of City of Glasgow College and vice chairman of the College Principals’ Group, added: “In order to keep the flow of qualified and skilled people coming into the workforce – including critical parts of the economy like health and social care, construction, and the maritime industry – the college sector has a crucial role to support our students gain their qualifications even while we deal with this latest wave of the virus.”
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