Schools reopening in Scotland: What can Edinburgh pupils and parents expect when they return?

Education chiefs have released new guidance for parents and their children, ahead of the planned reopening of the capital’s schools next week.

Here is what to expect.

When will primary school pupils return to classrooms?

Primary school pupils will return to school in two cohorts based on their surnames.

Those with surnames beginning with the letters A-L will go back to school on Wednesday, August 12, before staying at home on Thursday, August 13.

Meanwhile, those beginning with the letters M-Z will stay at home on Wednesday, and return to school on Thursday instead.

Then primary schools will reopen fully on Friday, August 14, and both groups of pupils will attend.

When will secondary school students return?

Secondary pupils will be notified today of their precise starting date next week, with different year groups beginning on different days.

But, by Monday, August 17, the council says that all secondary pupils will be back in school full-time.

What social distancing measures will be in place at schools?

While pupils will not be required to follow strict one- or two-metre social distancing rules, measures will be in place in secondary schools to actively encourage physical distancing.

Secondary year groups will, as far as possible, be told to maintain a distance between one another, and pupils will be discouraged from making physical contact in forms such as hand-to-hand greetings and hugs.

Schools may also place a ban on book bags to avoid the virus being brought into schools.

Some students might be told to eat their lunches outdoors to avoid overcrowding in food halls.

Classrooms will be adjusted where possible to create space between desks or individual children, and secondary pupils will be seated forward-facing and side by side, rather than face-to-face.

All schools if necessary will implement one-way systems within buildings and where possible children will use external space to move between buildings.

To aid distancing, start and finish times are likely to be staggered and will vary from school to school.

In most instances face masks will not need to be worn, the council said, however where staff are interacting with pupils face-to-face, less than two metres apart and for more than 15 minutes, coverings should be worn.

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