Schools across Tayside and Fife are being pushed to their limits by teacher absences due to Covid-19 illnesses and self isolation.
Regular high numbers of teachers off are forcing schools to hold pupils’ lessons in dining halls, head teachers to take classes and whole year groups to be sent home for remote learning.
With the system said to be close to breaking point, one teaching union rep is questioning how much more teachers and education systems can take.
David Baxter, EIS union rep for Dundee, has made a desperate plea for more teachers to help cope with the added pressure high teacher absence is creating.
He said: “It’s clear there are not enough supply teachers in the system – there should be enough supply teachers to cover staff absences and pick up the slack.
“This isn’t the first time we’ve seen kids being taught lessons in dining halls – it was happening before the pandemic.
“If Dundee City Council is serious about closing the attainment gap then we need more teachers. I’m not sure how much more strain the system can take in Dundee.
“Teachers have been stepping up – how much more can they take?”
More than 100 Dundee teachers absent
Last week, 85 teachers in Dundee were absent from work with confirmed Covid or symptoms, and a further 17 were off because they had to self-isolate.
David added: “Senior managers are in covering classes and that means nothing else gets done. The priority is teaching in front of kids but there are still other things which need to be done.”
Similar scenarios are taking place across Tayside and Fife and nationally.
In Fife, the whole S3 year group at Lochgelly High School was sent home to carry out remote learning last week.
Shelagh McLean, Fife Council’s head of service for education, confirmed high numbers of teachers absent due to Covid was to blame, and said the council was making efforts to manage ‘critical’ levels of absence.
A ‘last resort’
The council provides schools with a list of options to work through before making the decision to send year groups home, including combining classes, using part-time staff and heads of departments taking classes.
Speaking in general terms, Graeme Kerr, EIS representative for Fife, says sending a year group home would be a ‘last resort’.
And he emphasised how hard teachers are working to ensure leaning is uninterrupted.
Despite steps such as support staff being brought back into teaching roles, Graeme says the impact of staff absences boils down to a need for more teachers.
He said: “We need more teachers – it comes down to that.
“The few extra teachers we were promised to help with the recovery of lost learning due to Covid have been swallowed up by increased teacher absences.
“The fact we’re even talking about teacher absences shows that the pandemic is still very much here, and the idea of getting kids caught up is in danger.”
He added that coverage from supply can be patchy, with some schools benefiting from good relationships with supply teachers and others having none at all.
Rising teacher absence figures across Tayside and Fife
There were a total of 376 teachers absent from schools across Tayside and Fife last week.
In Angus 172 school staff were absent on March 15 (most recent figures available) either with confirmed Covid or symptoms, or due to self-isolation rules.
Of those, 80 were teaching staff with confirmed Covid or symptoms, plus a further 11 teaching staff were off due to isolation rules.
In Dundee there were 205 school staff off work with Covid or due to self-isolation, 85 of whom were teaching staff with Covid or symptoms and another 17 teaching staff were off to isolate.
In Fife a total of 159 school staff were absent with Covid or to self-isolate, and of those 87 were teaching staff with Covid and another 6 teaching staff were absent to isolate.
And in Perth and Kinross 155 school staff were off in total due to Covid or self isolation, 67 of whom were teaching staff with Covid and a further 23 were teaching staff off due to isolation rules.
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