Christmas holidays could be extended for Scottish school pupils under new proposals in an effort to curb the spread of coronavirus.
A leaked document from local authorities body COSLA shows plans for pupils to be off school for an additional week, until at least January 11.
The Christmas break would begin early for many schools, finishing on December 18.
Many schools, including those in Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross currently plan to close on December 23, while Fife will close a day earlier on December 22.
They will return on January 7 in Tayside and January 6 in Fife – unless the Scottish Government approve extension plans.
Council leaders are understood to have debated the subject, proposed as a way of slowing transmission of the virus, at a Covid-19 Education Recovery Group meeting on Tuesday, November 26.
- School pupils wear masks to classes.
Blended learning could be used as a way of teaching children during the extension.
The document read: “The Scottish government are exploring a national extension to Christmas holidays covering 18 December 2020 to 11 January 2021, either on the basis of schools remaining closed or the temporary introduction of remote learning.
“The Scottish government officials have indicated that the objectives of an extension would be to ensure that school staff are not involved in contact tracing into the Christmas period.
“An extension would act as a ‘break’ following the wider relaxation of restrictions over the Christmas period.”
The document also considered potential concerns over the proposals, including whether emergency childcare for key workers would still be available.
The safest way to spend the festive period is to #StayAtHome.
But to prevent isolation and loneliness, we’re making some small changes to the #coronavirus rules between 23-27 December.
Read this thread to find out more ⬇
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) November 26, 2020
Concerns over remote learning were discussed which include the time it could take to implement and roll out the plans.
However the memo addresses concerns to schools remaining open if the plans were introduced as teaching union EIS called for a return to blended learning in tier four areas.
The paper added: “The need to understand the clinical advice and any modelling on the impact of wider relaxation of restrictions over Christmas on school staff and pupils.
“Clarity on the links with the wider restrictions and levels as the context for schools remaining closed.
“Evidence to date from the Scottish Government has indicated that schools are low transmission risk.
“This proposal may have implications for future considerations on schools remaining open, particularly considering the concerns of trade unions.”
Pupils ‘cannot afford’ more time away
Parents group UsForThem Scotland said pupils could not afford to miss out on extra class time.
Organiser Jo Bisset said: “If schools do close for an additional week over Christmas, then that time must be made up in the spring.
“Parents understand that the festive period will be complicated for everyone, not just the schools system.
“And while this will undoubtedly cause difficulty for many from a childcare perspective, that will be eased somewhat by a guarantee that their children won’t miss out overall.
“Blended learning doesn’t cut it- that was made painfully clear during the first lockdown.
“The solution to an extended winter break can only be additional days put back in the calendar before the crucial end-of-term exams.”
The Scottish Government have said plans have not been finalised, however a decision is expected to be made next week.
At the daily briefing, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “We will make sure that we reach a view based on the advice from that expert recovery group, and make sure that we reach a view as soon as we can so that people do have advance notice,” she said.
“We want to give people as much notice as possible if there is to be any change at all, but at this point that decision hasn’t been reached.”
Ms Freeman said it would be wrong to “jump to conclusions” just because they were looking at the issue.
“The deputy first minister (John Swinney) and his colleagues will be working through what they think is the best way for schools to enter the Christmas break and come out of the Christmas break – and that applies to colleges and universities as well,” she added.
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