Question reference: S5W-33055
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 5 November 2020
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Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 November 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the manageable level of teacher absence to ensure that schools remain open at all protection levels, and what steps have been taken beyond the general public advice that has been published to minimise COVID-19 infection rates among teachers and other school staff.
Answer
Recent SAGE advice, based on ONS data and published on 13 November, indicates no difference between the positivity rates of pre-school, primary and secondary school staff, relative to other worker groups.
Our updated guidance on reducing risks in schools is intended to keep schools safe, open and welcoming for staff and pupils. It includes guidance on workforce planning, developed with input from local authority partners. This makes clear that local authorities and headteachers, working in close partnership with unions and staff, are best placed to make judgements about how to make best use of available workforce capacity safely and effectively.
To support these efforts, and ensure resilience in the school workforce ,the Scottish Government has made £80m available to local authorities for the recruitment of additional teachers and support staff. To date, local authority figures indicate they have already recruited 1,250 additional teachers and 155 support staff, with an estimated further 200 teachers and 100 support staff planned.
Guidance has also been updated to align with the levels under the Covid-19 Strategic Framework, and includes details of enhanced protection measures to keep schools as safe as possible. This guidance includes strengthened guidance for clinically extremely vulnerable staff, as well as details of testing and surveillance arrangements for school staff.