Coronavirus: What lessons can the rest of the UK learn from Scotland’s school return?

The return of schools in England and Wales this week, after closure and the summer holidays, has been called a turning point. As children begin to mix, there is concern that transmission rates of the coronavirus will begin to rise.

In Scotland, the students have been back since mid-August. So what can the rest of the UK learn from this example?

1. Infections increase, but do not increase

Fears that back-to-school will trigger a sharp spike in broadcasting haven’t materialized, at least not yet.

Within days of returning to their desks, some students tested positive for the virus. But Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said they had contracted it outside of school. A large house party in North Lanarkshire was suspected of sparking a cluster of cases involving pupils from four different secondary schools.

In Dundee, a school in need of additional support had to close after a series of cases. But most of them were from the adult teaching and support staff.

While some elementary schools had to ask an entire class to isolate themselves, only a few schools have required a temporary closure for a deep clean.

A few days ago, the first cases of transmission were identified within school facilities in two schools in Glasgow. It was not an unexpected development, says Scotland’s national clinical director, Professor Jason Leitch. Such groups would be treated the same as any other.

University of Edinburgh public health expert Professor Devi Sridhar, who advises the Scottish government, says the key is to keep numbers low in the general population.

“Schools are not high-profile events, but they are not bubbles either,” he said. “They are a mirror of what is happening in society.”

2. Cautious parents put pressure on tests

Almost a fortnight after most schools returned, Scotland was hit by an increase in demand for Covid tests. The reasons are not fully understood, but other viruses, such as the common cold, are suspected to be on the rise. It could be that parents are cautious and reserve a test at the first sign of a “cold.”

The final tip for parents is that “runny nose” does not in itself require testing or self-isolation. Only the main symptoms of Covid – continuous cough, fever, or changes in the sense of taste or smell – require action.

The demand for exams has increased “significantly” since the students returned, Ms. Sturgeon says. But few are positive. In the week through Aug.30, only 37 people under the age of 18 tested positive, of the nearly 30,000 who were tested.

3. Student absences will increase

By the second half of August, all the schools in Scotland had returned. Then the absences started to increase, and attendance dropped to 85% at one point. But Covid was not to blame.

It could be that the coronavirus has led parents to keep their children out of school longer, even if they don’t tell the school that. Covid-related absences, such as a positive test, showing symptoms, or self-isolation, were running at just around 3% with about four times as many students out of school for other reasons.

Truancy is an “emerging problem,” says Jim Thewliss of School Leaders Scotland, who represents high school staff.

“Parents are taking a fail-safe approach,” he says. “They think my son is not well, we are going to take a test and meanwhile we will keep them away.”

He believes that schools will have to find better ways to support stay-at-home learning.

4. Orientation may need to evolve

There has already been a big change in the rules: on the use of face covers. Only after returning were students asked to wear masks in hallways, common areas, and on school buses. The official reason was a new advice from the World Health Organization based on evidence that adolescents transmit the virus in a similar way to adults.

But the week before, images had also appeared on social media of students huddled like sardines in the school hallways as they moved between classes.

Similar advice was soon issued in Northern Ireland and, to a lesser extent, in England.

In Scotland, the Education Recovery Group, which brings together government, the teaching profession, councils and parents, has been meeting regularly since April, providing a forum where issues can be raised.

“It would be false to say that everyone is happy, but at least we have been part of the decisions that have been made,” says Mr. Thewliss.

Prior to recent meetings, stakeholders have listed what has gone well and what has not, and identified emerging issues. Mr. Thewliss says that practical topics like theater, music or physical education have encountered some difficulties that he hopes will be addressed shortly in an updated guide. Schools will also receive new flow charts to help them address issues quickly.

5. Hand sanitizer can affect tight budgets

With so much emphasis on hand hygiene, it is not surprising that schools are using a lot of hand sanitizer. The protective equipment bill is largely being taken up by local councils, which have received additional funding from the Scottish government.

But there has been some confusion, with a headmaster in the west of Scotland complaining that his school faces additional costs of around £ 20,000.

Another teacher said he knew of cases where schools had been urged to be more lenient in their use of hand sanitizer.

School Leaders Scotland says that while there have been some variations across the country, schools have been supplied with PPE and it’s an improved picture.