Children may find schools a ‘strange place’ on their return to Scots classrooms

Schools may feel like a “strange place” to pupils when they return next month because of safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, a leading psychiatrist has warned.

Schools are set to return in August

Many children will be looking forward to being reunited with their friends and returning to formal learning next month for the first time since March, but classes will not be the same as they were before lockdown.

The Scottish Government’s scientific advisers have said pupils can return in August without physical distancing if coronavirus continues to be suppressed, but teachers should remain two metres apart where possible.

Teachers would need to wear a mask if they are face-to-face with pupils for more than 15 minutes and cannot be two metres away from them, the advisers say.

Dr Justin Williams, vice-chairman of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said going to school could therefore feel very different. He said: “It’s not just about going back to a routine, it’s about going back to a routine with a lot of extra rules that are likely to be necessary to minimise risk and that’s going to be challenging for a lot of young people.”

He also said many children find masks upsetting as it can make it hard to read people’s facial expressions.

The Scottish Government aims to have children back in school full-time from 11 August and hopes to make a final decision by 30 July, with blended in-class and at-home learning remaining a contingency plan if Covid-19 is not sufficiently suppressed.

Dr Williams said children will have mixed emotions about returning to class. He said parents should be given as much information as possible to help prepare their children for what to expect.