'Health and safety paramount' says Edinburgh City Council leader following schools closure

Edinburgh City Council leader Adam McVey has said the health and safety of young people and school staff is “paramount” ahead of the planned closure of schools due to coronavirus.

Nicola Sturgeon announced schools across Scotland will shut from Friday, with measures to be put in place for children who receive free school meals and a focus on those due to sit exams.

Cllr McVey said the council “fully support” the Government’s decision and said he hoped parents would understand the reasons for the decision.

Details of measures to help those with childcare needs including free school meals have not been released.

Cllr McVey said: “Obviously the health and safety of young people and all the staff working in our schools is paramount and we fully support the Scottish Government’s decision.

“Our dedicated school staff have been planning in depth for such a scenario and a huge amount of work has gone into preparing online resources so pupils’ learning and teaching can continue.

“There will be a particular focus on pupils sitting exams in the coming months and we will liaise with the Scottish Qualifications Authority and follow their guidelines.

“We realise that this will cause inconvenience but hope parents, carers and our young people will understand the reasons for taking these steps and fully support this decision.

“I’ve been so proud of the amazing resilience shown by everyone working in our schools – teachers, support assistants, cleaners and catering staff – they have demonstrated tremendous dedication in keeping our schools open during these recent challenging weeks.

“As a Council, we're determined to do everything we can to protect our communities especially the most vulnerable in our society. We’ve been working on plans to continue to support our young people who currently get free school meals during school closures and more details will be announced later in the week.”