Chief Operating Officer for Education, Lesley Brown, has written to families following the announcement from Depute First Minister this afternoon that councils should plan for pupils to return to school full-time from August if it is safe to do so.
Dear parents & carers,
You may be aware that the Depute First Minister has, this afternoon, made a statement in the Scottish Parliament about all children and young people returning to school in August. He has indicated that the Scottish Government’s planning assumption is now to have all pupils returning to schools in August if it safe to do so. He has also indicated that this will be conditional and based on the scientific and health advice. He has confirmed that the plans we were putting in place for blended learning will be a contingency and will be essential preparation in case they are needed.
We are now urgently considering the implications of this announcement on our plans for August. It is clear that final decisions on this full return will not be confirmed until during the summer holidays. We are awaiting further specific guidance and will be in touch with you again as soon as we can. We continue to work on the assumption that staff will return to school on the 10th August and pupils will return on the 12th August.
We appreciate that this is a fast changing situation and you will be keen to know what this means for your child / children. We are committed to sharing information with you as soon as we can, including during the summer holidays.
Kind regards,
Lesley Brown
Chief Operating Officer (Education) – Education & Children’s Services