Council aiming to provide 'safest and most valuable learning experience possible'
Highland Council says it is determined to get children across the region back into schools "as soon as possible" – but it needs to be done safely.
The local authority's approach to a phased reopening of schools and early learning and childcare (ELC) settings was discussed today by the recovery board.
Guided by the national framework, the council says it will look at the local and individual circumstances of each of its 203 school and ELC settings "to provide the safest and most valuable learning experience possible" to 50,000 children and young people when term starts in August.
The recently appointed executive chief officer for education and learning, Paul Senior, has commissioned a programme management office (PMO) to ensure the effective delivery of this programme of work. The PMO, with 11 subgroups, will consist of a range of local area partners, stakeholders and providers. They will meet weekly to develop operational plans and risks assessments and develop a shared approach.
Mr Senior said: “Wellbeing and safety is a top priority for all our children, staff and communities. There are 203 schools in the Highlands, all with different sizes and configurations in response to the needs of their respective communities.
"We will continue to work with our key partners, stakeholders and providers to ensure our educational settings are safe but also positioned to provide the best possible learning and teaching experiences for our children and young people, taking account of the restrictions presented by the Covid-19 crisis."
The chairman of the education committee, Councillor John Finlayson, said: “The recovery board has discussed the many areas needed for deliberation to safely get our young people back to school. Future plans and risk assessments will take account of children’s educational outcomes, equal opportunities, social and emotional needs and their rights.
"Communication with parents is key and plans at individual school level will, of course, be informed by national guidance, authority guidance and, very importantly, local circumstances. We all want to get our young people back in the school setting as soon as possible, but this needs to be done as safely as possible”.
The recovery board chairman and depute leader, Councillor Alasdair Christie, said: “The recovery board welcomed the proposals put forward today for the return of education in Highland. We will all be working together with parents and communities to ensure that the arrangements are as smooth as possible and in line with government guidelines.”
