The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country’s
largest teaching union, has today highlighted that the growing
number of pupils and teachers infected with COVID-19 is creating
increased concern over the effectiveness of COVID mitigations in
schools and the safety of pupils, staff and the wider community.
Figures published on a regular basis by the Scottish Government
have highlighted week-on-week increases in both the number of
pupils and teachers infected with COVID-19 and, also, the number
of pupils and teachers absent from school due to being required
to self-isolate. The latest
updated figures, published on the Scottish Government website
today, indicate that 29,486 pupils were absent from school on
10th November for COVID-related reasons – an increase
of 28% on the previous week’s figure of 23,034. For teachers, the
figure of 1,559 teachers absent for COVID-related reasons
represents an 18% increase on the previous week’s figure of
1,326.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “Our
members are increasingly concerned by the week-on-week increase
in the number of pupils and staff being infected with COVID-19.
This, coupled with the increase in the numbers self-isolating, is
having a significant impact on education provision and is raising
anxiety levels over the effectiveness of safety mitigations in
our schools. The weekly figures reveal an increasingly bleak
picture and are leading to calls from members for a new approach
to ensuring the safety of everyone within the school community.
With the Deputy First Minister indicating today that some parts
of Scotland may soon move to Level 4 restrictions, this will
inevitably further heighten concerns over school safety and will
prompt consideration of industrial action by our members, if
schools are forced to remain fully open when staff feel it is
unsafe to do so.”
Mr Flanagan added, “The EIS has repeatedly said that schools
remaining fully operational cannot come at the expense of teacher
and pupil wellbeing. Blended and remote learning models are
increasingly being adopted in other countries to stem increases
in COVID infection; It is time for the Scottish Government to
rethink its stance, in light of the rising infection levels,
particularly if some areas do move into level 4 in the near
future.”
Earlier this week, the EIS issued a survey to its teacher members
across Scotland, seeking their views on the effectiveness of
COVID safety measures in schools. The survey will close next week
and will inform the next steps to be taken by the EIS to protect
teachers and pupils from the potential risk of COVID-19
infection.
They EIS survey is seeking members’ views on issues such as:
perceptions of current COVID mitigations in their workplaces;
attitudes to the Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework and
its default position on schools remaining open at all levels; and
member willingness or otherwise to support industrial action in
response to a refusal to implement a move to blended or remote
learning at Level 4, where staff support either contingency. The
survey also includes sections to gauge the specific COVID-related
concerns of teachers in vulnerable groups and teachers without
permanent contracts.
