Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford and MP Alyn Smith have welcomed the announcement by Education Secretary John Swinney that schools are to aim return to full time hours in August.

The Education Secretary has explained that this is dependent on continued progress in suppressing the spread of Coronavirus.

A blended model of home and school learning is being developed as a contingency plan, should public health advice determine such an approach would be safer.

Commenting, Bruce Crawford said:

“This is a welcome, cautious approach from the Scottish Government. As we are beginning to open up parts of our economy, for many parents, juggling work and looking after the kids is bound to become increasingly difficult.

“However, achieving this target is entirely dependent on supressing the virus to levels in which it is safe to do so. Therefore it is vital that we all pay close attention to the guidance and restrictions in place so that we can get to this August date for reopening our schools full time.”

Alyn Smith said:

“Stirling Council and education staff have been doing tremendous work in supporting pupils and parents through this crisis. Getting children back into schools as soon as we can is vital for their development and life chances and opportunities.

“However, we want to do this safely. On top of the work that’s already been done, local authorities now need to consider how they can safely educate pupils on site and full time. There are a range of options to be looked at and myself and bruce Crawford stand ready to be helpful wherever we can be.”