First Minister’s Statement 02/03/21

Tuesday 2nd March 2021

Today in Parliament the First Minister gave an update on the return to in-school learning for students.  This builds on her statement in Parliament last Tuesday. The next significant date we will prepare for is Monday 15th March,  unless new public health circumstances force a reconsideration. In terms of our school this means

• All students will return to spend some time in-school from Monday 15th March until the Easter break; this is a change from what was outlined last week as only increasing the in-school time for Senior Phase students was indicated, it is a phased part-time return for all our students
• Senior Phase students, who are working towards national qualifications under the Alternative Certification Model, will have priority for in-school time; we will build on the timetable model we introduced on Monday 22nd February to ensure Senior Phase momentum is maintained 
• However, it is expected that all students will receive some in-school education each week up to the Easter break; at this stage it is too early to state how much in-school time will be provided for S1/S2/S3 students and what it means for individual students/classes
• All students will, at least until Easter, be expected to observe the current requirement for 2m distancing in-school; this is a significant change for our students and given the physical layout of the building limits the numbers of students we can safely accommodate in-school at any one time
• Face coverings will need to be worn at all times, except for those with notified exemptions
• E-learning programmes will continue for those not able to be in-school;  largely due to the prioritisation of Senior Phase students and the implications of 2m distancing, at any point in the school day more students will be at-home than in-school, the increase in the number of students following an in-school programme will also impact on our E-learning programme,  in effect we are moving to a Blended Learning model for three weeks

The First Minister also stated, ‘a clear expectation that all secondary school pupils will be back in school on a full time basis following the Easter holidays’.  The logical implication of this appears to be that the 2m distancing mitigation will not apply after Easter.  This remains to be confirmed.

Education Scotland will publish guidance for schools on the phased return over the next few days.  We will review this and work with colleagues across Midlothian to ensure the safety of everyone as we bring more students back to in-school learning.

From Monday 15^th March, all staff and Senior Phase students will continue to be offered twice-weekly Covid-19 lateral flow testing. We will continue to strongly encourage all eligible to take part in this programme of at-home testing as it is a further important way in which we can ensure that our school remains as safe as possible.

Further details on arrangements for Monday 15th March will be posted on the website and in Google Year Group Classrooms later this week and next.