Coronavirus school closures: Final year Glasgow primary pupils' upset at 'not being able to say a proper goodbye'

Children in their final year at primary school have expressed upset at the prospect that today could be their last because of the indefinite school closures.

Broomhill Primary pupil Kayla.

Kayla, 11, a primary seven pupil at Broomhill Primary School in Glasgow, said: “With everything that is going on at the moment regarding the coronavirus outbreak, governments have now decided to close all schools in the UK.

“As a primary seven pupil, I am looking at the possibility that I will be missing the last few months of primary school.

“I am feeling anxious about this as I am going to be missing out on a lot of final preparations for secondary school like my induction days, where I would be experiencing life as a first year and being introduced to new teachers, friends and subjects.

“I now feel I am going to have this feeling of anxiousness and uncertainty until I officially start in August.

“Mentally, I am very worried that I am now not going to be ready to make the next step in my education as there will be a big jump from P7-level work to first year level and I am not sure I will be able to cope with the work since I haven’t finished P7 work first.

‘I hope we all return’

Mariam, a P7 from Hutchesons' Grammar School in Glasgow.

“I feel upset as some of my friends are going to different high schools and I am not going to be able to say a proper goodbye, as this has happened quite quickly and a lot of them are already off school self isolating.

“I hope we will all return before summer.”

Another primary seven pupil, from Hutchesons’ Grammar School in Glasgow, also wrote about her “devastation” at the closures.

Mariam, 11, said: “My life is about to change, so is everyone else’s.

“Every year, the primary sevens put on a production, which is always a musical.

“This year, we were working extremely hard and rehearsing for Sister Act Junior.

“Unfortunately, the show has been cancelled.

‘Everything has fallen down on me’

“I am absolutely devastated, as are several other people in my year group.

“I hope it will be rescheduled for a later date, however I don’t suspect we will be returning to school until Senior One.

“In my school, the primary sevens always go away down south to the Lake District for a residential trip for a week.

“We received our ‘Newlands Hoodies’, which are practically like ‘leavers’ hoodies’, but there is an incredibly high chance this trip will be cancelled.

!I can’t hold myself together much longer because I’m so sad all of these fun times have been stolen from me.

“I’ve been looking forward to primary seven ever since I started school, and now, everything has fallen down on me.

“These times are hard for everyone, but hopefully we will all work together and see it through.”

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