East Ayrshire schools prepare to restart in August

Tuesday, August 11 had been mooted as a potential return date, but is now set to be an ‘in-service day’ for staff to make final preparations for the return of pupils the following day.

Linda McAulay-Griffiths, Head of Education said: “Detailed planning for August is well underway and we are working together to consider how best to phase in-school learning.

“Safety will always be our main concern and it is clear that social distancing will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

“This means that we can’t have all pupils in school on a full-time basis.

“We are planning a blended approach of in-school and learning at home. I understand that this temporary way of learning will mean that families need to make adjustments for work and childcare arrangements.

“Our in-school learning is likely to involve smaller groups of children coming in for part of the week and learning at home for the rest of the week.

“Outdoor learning will be used wherever possible. Staff will provide tasks and activities to be carried out at home and these will be set by teachers while children and young people are at school as part of their learning experience.

“Each school will assess their own needs and will be supported by the council to ensure that their needs are met and that staff, children and young people are safe and protected. We will keep communicating clearly with parents and carers as plans develop and more details are known.”

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