Reduction in two metre rule or £30 million in funding required to get more pupils in school, says Edinburgh Council

Schools will only reach 50 per cent capacity if the two metre social distancing guidelines are reduced or if additional funding is provided by the Scottish Government.

The children of key-workers comply with social distancing rules while attending a hub school for Edinburgh city centre pupils at Drummond Community High School

Pupils in Edinburgh will only get two days in school per week if the two metre social distancing guidelines are relaxed or if the Scottish Government provides £30 million of new funding, the Evening News understands.

The news will come as a bombshell for parents hoping that their children will receive more than the planned average of 1.3 days a week in school per student from August.

On Friday, Edinburgh City Council announced the plans but they have been subject to criticism from parents and opposition councillors for a lack of ambition and imaginative thinking.

Miss Fraser teaches P1/2 at Juniper Green Primary School is one of the hubs in Edinburgh being used for key worker children to attend

£30m needed from Holyrood or two metre rule must be relaxed

Now, officers have said that unless there is a radical shift in public health advice around social distancing or significant additional funding from the Scottish Government, the plans will stay as they are.

The council confirmed all Edinburgh schools could reopen to 50 per cent of the pupil roll per day, providing two full days of teaching a week, if social distancing guidelines reduced from two metres to one metre.

Officials added that without additional funding to pay for increased staffing costs, use of non-school estate buildings, transport, school meals and cleaning regimes, plans would have to go ahead for pupils receiving just one day per week with an additional day every third week.

Children could attend school and have to comply with strict social distancing requirements.

It is understood the council will, within the next two weeks, approach the Scottish Government for the extra cash, however the Scottish Government told the Evening News that councils had already been provided with “significant additional resources”.

However, deputy First Minister and education minister John Swinney told parents during a question and answer session on Thursday that local authorities across Scotland had been provided with around £500m in funding to tackle the impact of Covid-19.

The news also followed the intervention of the University of Edinburgh’s Professor Devi Sridhar on Wednesday.

The public health expert who is part of the Scottish Government’s expert scientific advisory group for Covid-19 said it was her “personal opinion” said schools could return close to normal in August with little or no social distancing.

She said: “If Covid-19 numbers can be brought low enough in Scotland by 11 August (under 20 confirmed cases) and with appropriate ‘test and protect’ policies, my personal view is that schools should re-open as normally as possible (kids back full-time & able to play/interact together).”

‘Open schools on a Friday’

Conservative education spokesman, Cllr Callum Laidlaw, called for the Scottish Government to review its two metre social distancing guidance.

He said: “There has been some compelling evidence recently including from the WHO who have indicated that one metre is adequate. There is compelling evidence that in an education setting it can be reduced.

“We have eight weeks until children return to school so to make plans based on two metres now is not a sustainable option.”

Cllr Laidlaw also called on the council to look at the use of additional buildings within the school estate and externally.

He added: “If the two metre guidance remains in place, the council needs to look at substantially increasing classroom time through looking at a more flexible school day which could be extended by supervised individual study. That could really tackle the issue around resources at home.

“We also need to be looking at schools being open on Fridays to maximise the teaching and study time within a school environment.”

‘John Swinney needs to stop equivocating’

Labour councillor Scott Arthur said it was up to the Scottish Government whether children in Edinburgh would return to school for two days a week.

He said: “I don’t want to downplay the other impacts of the crisis, but if we are note careful the education lost this year will be felt for a long time – I say that as an S6 parent and a university lecturer.

“To help reduce the educational impact, we need to get kids back in school as soon as it’s safe to do so.

“Scotland’s capital has a plan to get kids safely back in front of teachers two days a week, but we need funding from the Scottish Government to make it happen. Alternatively, the Scottish Government can make the case for reducing social distancing to 1.5m as that will also get kids in schools two days a week.

“John Swinney needs to stop equivocating, and start helping Edinburgh get its kids back in school.”

Councils have received ‘significant additional resources’

A spokesman for the Scottish Government said : “As we have made clear, we do not intend blended learning to be in place a moment longer than is necessary to protect public health – and we want a return to full-time learning in all schools just as soon as possible.

“As the First Minister made clear, we have already given councils significant additional resources and are working with them to look at the plans they can put in place for blended learning, if that is required.

“We will scrutinise these plans and if they have to go further we will discuss with councils the resources that are required.

“By the time schools return we expect councils to have put in place arrangements that maximise the time that young people spend in a school environment with face to face learning.

“Our regular three weekly reviews of the Coronavirus regulations will now include specific consideration of the evidence and data relating to transmission within schools and amongst young people.”

Cllr Ian Perry, education convener at the council, said: “A lot of work is currently being carried out by our schools to see if they can achieve 50% of pupils coming in for learning and teaching.

“I want to reassure parents that we’re doing everything we can to maximise the number of days their children will be in school.

“Reaching that 50% figure involves a lot of complicated planning involving additional resources such as buildings, teacher recruitment and complying with current health advice including the two metres physical distancing guidance.

“Obviously this comes at a financial cost so we’re pleased the Scottish Government has committed to work with Councils to ensure additional resources are made available if required to maximise learning in schools.

“We look forward to continuing dialogue with the Scottish Government as our plans progress.”