schools – Page 31 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

First Minister focuses on return to education

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Tuesday 15 June):

Good afternoon, and thank you very much for joining us again today. I’ll start – as always – with an update on the key statistics in relation to COVID-19.

29 new positive cases were confirmed in Scotland yesterday. Now I’m going to say more about the total number of positive cases in a moment, because from today we are incorporating new data into that total.

A total of 870 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That represents a total decrease of 94 from yesterday, but an increase of 3 in the number of confirmed cases in hospital.

A total of 18 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. That is also an increase of 3 since yesterday.

And I can confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,909 patients who had tested positive and needed to go to hospital with the virus have been able to leave hospital.

In the last 24 hours, zero deaths were registered of a patient confirmed through a test as having COVID-19 – so the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, therefore remains at 2,448.

I would however stress – as I did last Monday – that although this is clearly hugely welcome and very encouraging, it is nevertheless common for fewer deaths to be reported at weekends and unfortunately I do expect that we will almost certainly report further COVID-19 deaths in the days ahead.

And as always, I want to emphasis that when we do report these figures, they are not simply statistics – they represent individuals whose loss is a source of grief to many. So once again, I want to send my condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.

I also want to express my thanks – as I always – to our health and care workers, and indeed to all key workers across the country. The Scottish Government and indeed I think people the length and breadth of the country are grateful to you for the work you are doing.

I’m going to focus on education in my remarks today, but before I do that, I want to highlight some new data which we are publishing for the first time today.

Up until now, we have only been able to publish testing results that come from NHS Scotland laboratories.

We have been able to report the total number of tests carried out by facilities run by the UK Government – for example drive-through centres and mobile testing units – but we have not yet been able to publish the breakdown of positive and negative results. Though I should say for the avoidance of doubt, the individuals tested have of course been notified directly of their results.

Public Health Scotland has been working with the UK Government to rectify this issue, and from today, we are able to provide daily figures for all tests in Scotland.

For example, we can see that of those people tested in the 24 hours up to 8 o’clock this morning, 29 positive cases were confirmed. Of those positive cases, 9 were from tests conducted at UK Government facilities, and 20 were from NHS Scotland facilities.

So In total, there have been 18,030 confirmed positive cases in Scotland since the beginning of this outbreak. 15,687 of these confirmed cases were tested in NHS Scotland laboratories and a further 2,343 were test through UK facilities.

Now I know that some people compare each days figures with the previous day’s very carefully. If you have been doing that, you will have expected the NHS lab number I’ve just given to be 88 cases higher than it is.

The reason it’s not is that where a person has been tested more than once – first at a UK facility and then in an NHS Scotland facility – we have removed them from the NHS figure to avoid double counting of testing.

It is also important to stress that including this data from UK facilities does not change the total number of lab confirmed COVID-19 deaths that we have been reporting throughout.

From Thursday onwards, we will be able to provide a more detailed breakdown of test results – by date and by region – on the Scottish Government’s website and I hope that this information will be helpful in giving a full picture of the progress that has been made on testing over the last three months.

Now as I indicated the main issue I want to talk about today is school education. And I want to address parents and young people very directly today. I know you are deeply anxious – as I am – about the impact of this crisis on schooling.

So I want to be very clear today about the some of the principles that we are working on and the Scottish Government’s expectations – and as we look forward to the new school year. I hope to leave you in no doubt about the priority I and the whole government attaches to making sure our young people do not lose out on education or have their life chances damaged as a result of this crisis that we are all living through right now.

So, firstly, I want to be clear that it is our expectation that, by the time schools return on 11 August – and obviously within necessary safety guidelines – councils will have put in place arrangements that maximise the time that young people spend in a school environment having face to face learning.

In this immediate period that we are in right now, the Scottish Government will be scrutinising council plans closely – and where we conclude that all possible steps have not been taken to maximise face to face teaching and learning, we will ask councils to reconsider and revise their plans.

Innovation and creativity will be required here – but let me also be clear that where there are genuine issues of resources, the Scottish Government will work with councils to address those and the quality of your children’s education will be the absolute priority in those discussions.

And then from the 11 August starting point, our aim will be to return to normal schooling as quickly as we possibly can – recognising that of course that along the way we need to build the confidence of parents, young people and teachers that schools are safe.

And I want to be particularly clear on this point. While we of course have a duty to be open with parents that none of us right now have a crystal ball, and that the path the pandemic will take in the months ahead remains uncertain, it is absolutely not the case that we are ‘planning’ for blended learning, with children learning at home for part of the school week, to last a year – or anything like it.

On the contrary, we do not want blended learning to last a single moment longer than is absolutely necessary and so we will be working with councils to return schools to normal as quickly as we can.

We want young people to be back having face to face teaching for 100% of the school week as soon as it is feasible.

To that end, our regular three-weekly reviews of the Coronavirus regulations will now include specific consideration of the evidence and data relating to transmission of the virus within schools and amongst young people – and where that suggests that safety restrictions can be lifted or eased without putting pupils and teachers at undue risk, we will do so.

As part of these reviews, we will ask our International Council of Education Advisers to consider experiences in other countries.

We will also be working with councils to ensure ongoing and enhanced support for any time that young people do spend learning at home.

And let me be clear it is our firm intention, as things stand right now, that next year’s exam diet will go ahead.

We will also be considering carefully how we work to address and mitigate and make up over time any impact of this crisis period on young people’s learning.

Ensuring that our children and young people have the highest quality education – and that life chances are not negatively impacted by what we are all living through right now – is of absolutely critical importance.

I want to give you my personal assurance that it is central to my and to the whole Government’s thinking as we plan and steer the country through our emergence from lockdown.

Before I hand over to the Chief Medical Officer, I want to end by emphasising again our key public health guidance because sticking to this guidance right now remains the most important way of enabling us to make further progress out of lockdown – which I very much hope we will do later this week.

You should still be staying home most of the time, and you should still be meeting fewer people than normal.

When you do meet people from another household, please stay outdoors, and stay 2 metres apart from them.

Don’t meet with more than one other household at a time, don’t meet more than one a day – and keep to a maximum of eight people in a group.

Wash your hands often. Take hand sanitiser with you if you are away from home.

Wear a face covering when you are in shops or on public transport.

Avoid touching hard surfaces if you can and clean any that you do touch.

All of these measure – hand washing, surface cleaning and wearing face coverings – will all help us to reduce the risk as we start to return to more normal life.

Indeed – if anything – these measures become more important, not less important, as we move through this pandemic.

I’d ask all of you to bear that in mind.

And, just as importantly, if you have the symptoms of COVID-19 – a fever; a new cough; or a loss of, or change, in your sense of taste or smell – ask for a test immediately, and please follow the advice on self-isolation.

You can book a test at nhsinform.scot or by phoning NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816.

Sticking to these rules- as you can see from the numbers we are reporting each day – has had and is having an impact. By doing the right thing, we are suppressing the virus.

We are saving lives.

And we are creating the firm foundations on which we can take further steps out of lockdown.

So my sincere thanks, to all of you once again, for continuing to abide by these rules and by this guidance.

Council announces back to school plans

Detailed arrangements are being put in place by the City of Edinburgh Council to ensure the safest return possible for pupils and staff when schools reopen in August.

Following the announcement by the Scottish Government last month, all pupils will return on Wednesday 12 August, a week earlier than programmed.

In accordance with national guidance, social distancing, hygiene regimes and risk assessments will be essential to keep children and staff safe, with the result that not all children will be able to return to school at the same time.

As such, schools are planning that 33% of their pupils will be in school at any one time. Every pupil will have a mix of teaching in school and learning at home and the days they attend will be determined by their school.

Teaching will take place from Mondays to Thursdays with all children attending for whole day and Fridays used by staff to support home learning. Limited key worker childcare support will continue throughout the week including Fridays during normal school hours.

Nursery and primary children will be grouped together to enable family members to attend school on the same days. In secondary schools, pupils will be grouped together either by year group or family group depending on the individual arrangements made by their school.

Pupils at special schools will be in for 50% of the week with the majority offering two full days in school and the rest as home learning.

Individual schools will be in direct contact with parents/carers to let them know final details of the arrangements for pupils.

Education Convener, Councillor Ian Perry, said: “The past three months have been very challenging for the world of education and I want to thank parents, carers and staff in our schools who continue to support our children with home learning and keyworker learning and childcare.

“The health and wellbeing of our children, young people and staff has been at the forefront of our planning for their return to their schools in August. We believe these plans represent the safest return to school as possible for them and in a way that best supports the quality of their learning and their safety

“We are making sure the guidance and advice from both Health Protection Scotland and Scottish Government is being strictly followed when it comes to social distancing, hygiene regimes and risk assessments – it’s essential that we keep our children and staff safe.

“This new blended model is an improvement on the current home learning arrangements, and I want to reassure parents that where possible we review, refine and improve our approach so we can maximise the proportion of in-school learning.”

Education Vice Convener, Cllr Alison Dickie, said: “School recovery lies at the heart of helping our city back on its feet, and I want to begin with a thank you to our teachers and parents and especially the wonderful children and young people of our city.

“This has been an unprecedented time for all of them and I am acutely aware of those who already faced challenges on a daily basis, and to whom school is at times a haven. They are at the heart of our plans.

“Children and young people have missed their teachers, and their teachers them. They have missed their friends and the inspiring and holistic learning environments of our modern classrooms. It’s important too that we build on the home aspect of our blended learning, so that our children feel fully connected and supported.

“Lockdown has also reminded us that learning is wider than just the classroom, and this is an opportunity to realise the full potential of community learning. From our youth workers and After School Clubs, to a range of third partners and community organisations, all have a part to play in this recovery process.”

As schools are starting a week earlier than planned, the summer holidays in 2021 will begin one week earlier, with the school year finishing on Friday 25 June.

£50 million to improve attainment in Scotland’s poorest communities

Pupils living in Scotland’s most deprived communities will benefit from targeted funding from the Attainment Scotland Fund to help close the poverty-related attainment gap.

Nine local councils with the highest concentrations of deprivation in Scotland, known as “Challenge Authorities” – Edinburgh is not among them – will share £43 million of investment from the Attainment Scotland Fund.

In addition, a further £7 million will be shared from the Schools’ Programme between 73 additional schools with the highest concentration of pupils from areas of deprivation.

Edinburgh’s share of the Attainment Fund Scotland grant is £845,595.

The £50 million is in addition to the £250 million Pupil Equity Funding package announced in May for the next two years and an investment of £9 million to provide 25,000 laptops to assist pupils learning at home.

To help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, schools and local authorities will have flexibility to redirect some of this Challenge Authority and Schools’ Programme funding from existing plans to best support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families, with a continued focus on equity in education.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Closing the poverty-related attainment gap remains the defining mission of this Government and the challenges presented by the current pandemic mean that efforts to deliver equity in education are more important than ever.

“This funding will allow local authorities and schools to provide targeted help for some of our most disadvantaged pupils.

“I have given local authorities additional flexibility in how this funding is deployed in light of the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in. This will allow schools and councils to swiftly adjust plans and to work together to identify opportunities to undertake collaborative approaches in response to the current crisis.

“It is important that Headteachers continue to be directly involved in any decision made about the deployment of Schools’ Programme funding and Pupil Equity Funding.

“This work will be supported by our £9 million investment in 25,000 laptops and tablets to assist pupils learning at home.”

Additional information on flexibility in the use of this funding for local authorities was communicated on 15 May and can be found on gov.scot.

‘Widespread anxiety’ as schools return in England

Anxiety is widespread among school workers about their safety, their families’ and that of pupils ahead of a return to the classroom across England today, says UNISON.

UNISON has published a catalogue of concerns from support staff who make up more than half the schools’ workforce.

Teaching assistants, catering staff, administrative workers, caretakers and other school employees have told the union they are being banned from wearing protective masks, denied gloves when handing packed lunches to parents and being spat at by children with behavioural issues.

These issues are among hundreds reported to UNISON’s PPE alert web page by support staff, including many who have continued to work in schools during the lockdown.

They also include accounts of having to buy their own hand sanitiser, parents failing to social distance when they visit and working without hot water in schools attended by the children of key workers.

In separate findings, a survey by UNISON based on responses from 12,781 support staff has found that three in ten (30%) are losing sleep, suffering high anxiety or both as a result of plans to open schools more widely in England.

Only a small minority (4%) said that schools had adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

The union is calling on ministers to make schools have enough PPE to protect staff, their families and the children they look after from the risks of infection from coronavirus.

UNISON head of education Jon Richards said: “Support staff are essential to schools running properly and they shouldn’t have to feel scared about doing their jobs.

“But it’s no wonder they feel anxious and are losing sleep – and that makes for worried parents too.

“Schools need much more time to complete their risk assessments and ensure that, wherever possible, support staff aren’t being made to fill in for teachers.

“Parents need their minds putting at rest that teaching assistants, catering workers and other support staff have access to all the masks and gloves they need. Or they simply won’t send their children back.

“A delay to the reopening plans will allow unions and government the space to work together to reassure staff and families in England that the return to school can happen safely.”

Comments made by school support staff in emails to UNISON’s PPE alert include:

“I‘m making packed lunches in a primary school and also work as a cleaner (in a primary school). I have to hand over the lunches to the children’s parents each day and was told I cannot have gloves as they are a risk.”
“We’ve been told we can’t wear masks. But if a child has a first aid issue then we have to be close to that pupil to administer first aid.”
“I’m a teaching assistant working with key worker children. We have no PPE – no hand sanitiser, no gloves, nothing. We have soap but no hot water.”
“The school cannot source sanitiser anywhere so we need to supply our own and claim the money back from the school.”
“Parents aren’t maintaining distance at the door, and children aren’t being sent in clean clothes as requested. I was coughed on twice today and a child sneezed on me.”
“I’ve worked one-to-one with a pupil who on the first day spat at me. He’s aggressive and they’ve placed us in a small room together. My daughter has asthma – I’m so worried we considered sending her to grandparents until this is over. We’ve been told not to wear masks because they could scare the children.”

Outdoor learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Funding for Virtual Nature School

Children and families are to benefit from expert guidance on learning and play in an outdoor environment during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.

Funding of £159,000 is being given to Living Classrooms to expand their Virtual Nature School programme, providing professional training and learning materials to early learning and childcare (ELC) practitioners. This will help them support the delivery of outdoor play sessions for children who usually attend their settings.

Up to 2,000 practitioners will receive training on the Virtual Nature School’s digital platform and about 20,000 families will benefit. The focus will initially be in areas of higher deprivation, where children will benefit most.

Children’s Minister Maree Todd said: “Playing, learning and having fun outdoors helps to improve children’s wellbeing and resilience, as well as their physical and mental health. It also gives children the opportunity to develop a life-long appreciation of the natural world.

“This is particularly important during the current circumstances, when we are all having to spend so much more time indoors.

“This programme will make a real difference to help families with their home learning, while maintaining a vital connection with the ELC settings and key workers that children are used to having contact with. That will help when the time comes for youngsters to return to those settings.”

The Virtual Nature School (VNS) is a non-profit programme created by Living Classrooms in response to the needs of children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. The work is led by Dr Claire Warden, manager of Auchlone Nursery, Living Classrooms and Mind Stretchers Academy.

The programme currently provides home learning support to non-keyworker families, many of whom normally attend the Auchlone Nursery, where children are unable to attend settings. Sessions are delivered online, with families being supported to carry out outdoor play-based tasks and evaluate their learning.

The programme will be delivered across two eight-week cohorts.

Back to School: John Swinney publishes scientific advice

Education Secretary John Swinney has published a summary of the scientific advice behind the plans to re-open schools and Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings.

In agreement with councils, professional associations and parent representatives, all schools will return on 11 August while ELC settings such as nurseries and playgroups will open over the summer.

The plans are contingent on scientific and medical advice that it is safe to proceed and complementary public health measures, such as Test and Protect, being in place.

The paper (see below) highlights:

growing evidence that the susceptibility to clinical disease of younger children is lower than for adults
generally good evidence that the severity of disease in children is lower than in adults
the majority view of the Chief Medical Officer’s Advisory Group is that actions to support distancing guidance in schools where children are in indoor environments for extended periods of time would be appropriate, while a minority believed schools could operate without distancing

Mr Swinney yesterday updated Parliament on the work to re-open schools and ELC settings.

He told Holyrood: “School closures are considered to have a negative effect on all aspects of children and young people’s progress and development, as well as their wellbeing.

“That is why we are working to enable as many children and young people as possible to return to education and care settings at the earliest date it is safe to do so.

“The scientific evidence and advice is an important part of that decision, alongside consideration of the other harms caused by ongoing restrictions. That is why I have published a summary of the scientific evidence which has informed our discussions and decisions to date.

“The evidence around coronavirus in general, and that relating to children in particular, is continuing to evolve. Some aspects are not yet well understood – the science cannot in many cases provide us with definitive conclusions.

“The scientific advice that we have received so far leads us towards taking a cautious approach and we will continue to monitor the evidence and advice to inform decisions.”

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Scientific evidence on schools and ELC settings

EIS welcomes clarity on school re-openings – but warns challenges remain

Teachers union the EIS has welcomed the clarity provided by the planned re-opening of Scotland’s schools in August but has highlighted that significant challenges remain over managing this effectively.

The EIS has consistently called for three conditions to be met before schools re-open: full test trace and isolate capacity to be established; a programme for implementing operationally in schools all public health advice e.g. physical distancing; and demonstrable evidence that the virus is under control e.g. a lower R figure and steady reductions in new cases.

These remain the yardsticks which must be applied.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “The COVID-19 crisis has had a significant impact on schools, pupils and teachers over the past months.

“Our members will welcome the clarity provided by the First Minister’s announcement today, and the clear statement that schools will not re-open until after the summer and only if health conditions allow.

“This will provide valuable time to allow schools to prepare for what will be a very different learning environment, with physical distancing requiring smaller class sizes and schools delivering a blended approach of part time in-school learning and part time remote learning for most pupils.”

Mr Flanagan added: “The EIS has worked constructively with the Scottish Government and with local authorities throughout this crisis and will continue to do so in the best interests of learners and teachers.

“There is a strong shared commitment to protecting the health and wellbeing of everyone in the school community. Delivering a new blended learning approach is potentially the biggest curriculum challenge of this century, however, and it will require significant commitment from all parties to make it work.”

Mr Flanagan referred to the initial analysis of a recent EIS survey, which more than 26,000 teachers across Scotland responded to, which highlights some of the challenges that schools continued to face.

93% of teachers believed that clarity over how teaching and learning will be delivered in the next academic year was crucial.

77% believed that there was a critical need for adequate time to prepare for the delivery of a more ‘blended’ approach to learning – an acute challenge if staff are also supporting remote learning and hub provision.

Teachers also warned of some of the challenges associated with home learning, particularly for those pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The majority cited digital poverty as a barrier for pupils: 63% cited the lack of access to suitable technology and 57% the lack of internet access at home as issues creating barriers for pupils.

Scottish schools to return on 11th August

Safe return planned through mix of school and home learning

Pupils will return to schools in August subject to scientific advice that it is safe to do so, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has confirmed.

Schools will return on 11 August, one week earlier than planned for most pupils, while Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings will open over the summer.

An agreement reached between councils, professional associations and parent representatives means:

schools will implement physical distancing measures, such as providing seating that is two metres apart and staggering arrival, departure and break times
increased hand-washing or use of hand sanitisers, enhanced cleaning, robust protocols for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases and ongoing risk assessments will be implemented
class sizes will be significantly reduced as a result of the new way of working, with most pupils spending around half their time in class and half learning at home. Time in school will increase further as soon as it is safe to do so
teachers and other education staff will return in June – subject to appropriate safety assessments being completed – to prepare and plan for the new way of working and welcoming pupils back
existing ‘hubs’ will continue to run to provide vulnerable children and those of key workers with childcare over the summer
the school estate will be expanded where necessary and possible by using libraries, community halls, leisure centres, conference venues or taking short-term leases of vacant business accommodation to increase the time children can spend with their teachers
innovative use will be made of existing teachers and staff and, where necessary, consider the role former teachers can play either by returning to the classroom or teaching virtually to support in-home learning

To maximise the time pupils can have in the classroom and support children in the new model of schooling, including digital home learning, the Scottish Government is investing £9 million for 25,000 laptops or tablets – with internet access provided – for disadvantaged children as part of the first phase of provision to support their learning outside school.

Working with local authorities, a second phase of investment will see further funding to support digital inclusion.

Education Scotland will also deliver new national digital learning resources to support schools’ own arrangements for children and young people.

Mr Swinney said: “In reopening Scotland’s schools, our overriding priority is ensuring the health and wellbeing of our pupils and staff and giving parents the confidence schools are safe.

“Subject to public health guidance, teachers and other school staff will be able to return in June to prepare for a new model of learning from August. Comprehensive health and safety guidance will be in place prior to staff returning to school.

“This is not, however, a return to schooling as we knew it – schools are not returning to normal at this stage.

“To keep our pupils and staff safe we will implement physical distancing, staggered arrival and departure times, staggered break times, increased hand hygiene, enhanced cleaning regimes and a range of other measures

“That means a new model of teaching, learning and support will have to be delivered. Precise details will vary from school to school but for the vast majority, classes are going to be much smaller to allow physical distancing and, as a result, children are likely to spend about half their time learning at home.

“To maximise time in the classroom, we will work with local authorities to expand the size of their school estate where that is possible by using outside space, libraries, leisure centres, community halls and anywhere else that can safely be made to work.

“And, with classes being split in two or even in three, we will examine whether we can expand the number of teachers by asking those recently retired to return.

“In all of this, we recognise that some pupils will need extra help, particularly those who don’t have the technology at home to learn effectively.

“That’s why we will provide an initial tranche of 25,000 free laptops – bundled with a free internet connection – to pupils who need it. Education Scotland will support digital learning through new national digital learning resources that will bolster schools’ own arrangements for children and young people.

“We don’t know how long schools will have to work this way, just as we don’t know how long Coronavirus will be a threat. As long as that is the case, school life will feel quite different to before COVID-19.

“We have a mission to make this work, to educate Scotland’s pupils and, above all, to keep them safe. Working with our teachers, school staff, and councils this plan gives us a way to do that.

“We can safeguard our children’s future and get them learning alongside their classmates again. This plan will do that and get our young people safely back to school.”

COSLA Children and Young People spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “In planning for a return to face to face schooling the safety of our children, young people and staff is paramount.

“In preparing for this we have been acutely aware of the impact that not being in school has on our children and young people, particularly those who are most vulnerable. The wellbeing of all of our children and young people is at the heart of everything we do.

“A key part of this agreement is that local authorities will have the flexibility to plan and deliver a return to education which suits local circumstances and takes the needs of all of the children, young people and parents in their area into account.

“Where it safe to do so and the scientific advice allows, local authorities will also have the flexibility to bring some children back to school in June with a particular focus on those at the key transition points of P1 and S1.

“This has been developed with key partners in education. To make sure we get it right for all of our children at this challenging time we will continue to work closely together.”

Coronavirus: England attempts to get housing market moving

UK Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick led yesterday’s daily press briefing and outlined the measures announced to restart, reopen and renew the housing market in England.

Scotland’s First Minister updated MSPs at Holyrood and repeated the ‘Stay At Home’ message.

Good afternoon,

As Housing Secretary, I’m going to set out our comprehensive plan to safely restart, reopen and renew the housing market.

But first, I want to update you on the latest data on the coronavirus response.

2,094,209 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 87,063 tests carried out yesterday;
229,705 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 3,242 cases since yesterday;
11,327 people are in hospital with COVID-19, down 15 per cent from 13,273 last week;
And sadly, of those tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 33,186 have now died. That’s an increase of 494 fatalities since yesterday.

These figures includes deaths in all settings not just in hospitals.

Before turning to the housing market I want to remind people of how we will address this phase of our fight against Covid-19. Firstly, in order to monitor our progress, we are establishing a new COVID Alert Level System, with five levels, each relating to the level of threat posed by the virus.

The alert level will be based primarily on the R value and the number of coronavirus cases.

And in turn that alert level will determine the level of social distancing measures in place.

The lower the level the fewer the measures; the higher the level the stricter the measures.

The social distancing measures remain critical in our efforts to control the virus.

Throughout the period of lockdown which started on March 23rd we have been at Level 4 – meaning a Covid19 epidemic is in general circulation, and transmission is high or rising exponentially.

Thanks to the hard work and the sacrifices of the British people in this lockdown, we have helped to bring the R level down, now that we are in a position to begin moving to Level 3, we will do so in time, in careful steps.

We have set out the first of three steps we will take to carefully modify the measures and gradually ease the lockdown, and begin to allow people to return to their way of life – but crucially doing so while avoiding what would be a disastrous second peak that could overwhelms the NHS.

After each step we will closely monitor the impact of that on the R and the number of infections, and all the available data will be used, and we will only take the next step when we are satisfied that it is completely safe to do so.

The first step – from this week:

Those who cannot work from home should now speak to their employer about going back to work.
You can now spend time outdoors and exercise as often as you like.
You can meet one person outside of your household in an outdoor, public place provided you stay two metres apart.

The second step – from 1 June , at the earliest, as long as the data allows, we will aim to do the following:

Primary schools to reopen for some pupils, in smaller class sizes;
Non-essential retail to start to reopen, when and where it is safe to do so;
Cultural and sporting events to take place behind closed doors, without crowds.

And then Step 3 – no earlier than 4 July, and again, only if the data says it safe to do so, we aim to allow:

More businesses and premises to open, including potentially those offering personal care such as leisure facilities, public places, and places of worship. And on that last point, I have been speaking to faith leaders and will convene later this week a taskforce to establish when and how places of worship can openly safely for some of the practices where social distancing can take place, such as private prayer, potentially private prayer being able to be carried out earlier than 4 July.

(NOTE: These plans are for ENGLAND ONLY. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are currently sticking with the STAY AT HOME message – Ed.)

Many of these businesses and organisations will need to operate in new ways to ensure they are safe, and we will work with those sectors and individuals on how to do this.

Having taken the first step in carefully adjusting some of the measures and our advice to people on what to do, we have also updated what we are asking people to do, which is to Stay Alert, to Control the Virus and Save Lives.

For many people the appropriate course still means staying at home as much as possible. But there are a range of other actions we’re advising people to take when they do go out to work or for other activities.

Limiting contact with other people;

Keeping distance if you go out – two metres apart where possible;

Washing your hands regularly;

Wearing a face covering when you are in enclosed spaces where it’s difficult to be socially distant – for example in some shops or on public transport;

and if you or anyone in your household has symptoms, you all need to self-isolate.

If everyone stays alert and follows these rules, we can control coronavirus by keeping the R down and reducing the number of infections. This is how we can continue to save lives, and livelihoods, as we begin as a nation to recover from coronavirus.

And as we begin to recover from coronavirus, it’s essential that we cautiously open essential parts of our economy, where it is safe to do so.

Earlier today in Parliament, I made a statement setting out our clear, coherent and comprehensive plan to restart, reopen and renew the housing market and our construction industry.

I’m sure that this will be of interest to many people at home who are hoping to move house, and I’d like to set out what this means in more detail.

From today anyone in England can move house if they follow new guidance we have published on gov.uk.

When the lockdown was announced in March, we changed the rules so that people could only move home if they thought it was “reasonably necessary”.

That meant that more than 450,000 buyers had to put their plans on hold.

And each month 300,000 tenancies come up for renewal as well.

A significant proportion of these will result in people needing to or wanting to move home. The pressure to move for some was becoming acute, with serious legal, financial and health implications.

During an already very difficult time, these people have been stuck in limbo. Now they can carry on with their house moves and add some certainty to their lives.

So, from today:

Estate agents’ offices can re-open;
Viewings – whether virtual or in person – are permitted;
Show homes can open;
And removal companies and the other essential parts of the sales and letting process are re-started with immediate effect.

For most people moving home is not a luxury. People decide to move home because their personal circumstances change.

The changes that I have announced today are happening safely in order to control the virus and to protect the public.

We have published very detailed guidance, informed by public health advice, to explain how this can be achieved, with all parties observing hygiene measures and social distancing guidelines.

People have asked why they would be able to look around a stranger’s house, but not visit their parents or loved ones at home.

Now I understand why that might seem confusing at first glance – especially when people have been separated from their loved ones for so long.

But our guidlines makes clear that in the first instance that viewings should happen virtually. When viewings do happen in person, we’ve set out a clear plan to ensure the safety of those already in the property intself, those considering moving in and the estate agents and lettings agents.

These requirements include:

Visits being by appointment only, open house viewings not taking place, and speculative viewings where buyers or tenants are not serious yet, are highly discouraged.

All parties following strict social distancing guidelines

All internal doors should be opened where possible

The current occupier vacating the property for the duration of the visit, going out for their daily exercise, going out to the shops or standing in the garden, if that is possible.

All involved in the process washing their hands upon entering the property. And, once the viewing has taken place, all surfaces in the property including the door handles, should be thoroughly cleaned.

There are of course exceptions. For those who are self-isolating or have coronavirus, they should not be moving or going back to work or allowing trades people or professionals into their home.

Where this is the case, all parties involved in house buying or selling should prioritise agreeing amicable sensible arrangements to change move dates for the individuals concerned. That has been happening across the country in recent weeks and it will need to continue.

We would also ask those who are clinically vulnerable and those who are shielding to consider very carefully their personal situation and to seek personal and specific medical advice before deciding whether to commit to or proceed with moving home.

If you are in this situation, and you decide that you must go ahead, all professionals involved must be made aware so that they can put in place any additional precautionary measures to provide further protection for your health and further legal protection to make sure the transaction goes as smoothly as can be expected.

A vibrant housing market means more than buying and selling homes. We need to get back to building again and Britain needs that.

It is something that this Government has always been committed to. Something that our ambitious First Homes programme will do later this year, with a 30% discount on new homes for key workers including nurses and teachers and police officers as well as local first time buyers.

We want them to be ready as soon as possible and that’s just one of the reasons I am keen to get construction up and running.

To help with this today I am announcing further steps to support safe house building by allowing more flexible working hours on construction sites, where it’s appropriate and with local consent.

I am allowing sites to apply to extend their working hours, again with immediate effect, to 9pm Monday to Saturday in residential areas and beyond that in on-residential areas and setting out a very clear Government position that these applications should be approved by local councils unless there are very compelling reasons why this is not appropriate.

Varied start and finish times will make it easier for sites to observe social distancing, take the pressure off public transport like the tube in London, and keep Britain building.

There are countless examples of the industry behaving responsibly and proactively during this pandemic.

I’d like to thank today Taylor Wimpey, who now have now got construction safely underway on the majority of their sites and have started removing staff from the furlough scheme and getting back to work on full pay.

They are offering a discount of 5% for NHS staff and care workers on new homes – a great way to recognise the contribution that our front line heroes are making to the country.

So thank you to them.

It’s also time that the planning system makes more use of digital technology to operate remotely and efficiently during this pandemic.

I am determined that the planning inspectorate be at the forefront of this work – I welcome the inspectorate now undertaking its first ever virtual hearings.

I am asking them to make all hearings virtual within weeks so that the planning system can resume and be made more permanently more accessible and user-friendly.

This is the most comprehensive restarting of an industry in the first phase of our roadmap with few if any transactions there is no visibility and no precedent with which to accurately judge the state of the housing market, but history tells us that in each economic recovery in modern British economic life the housing market has been key to recovery and revival.

As Housing Secretary, I will do everything I can to support the millions of people employed in the construction and the housing industries, to help their sector bounce back, while always prioritising their safety and wellbeing.

Almost 100 separate organisations have already signed up to the Charter for Safe Working Practice, pledging that they will share the responsibility to ensure that their sites operate safely and in accordance with Government advice.

I’d like to thank all of all of those who have signed and encourage the whole industry to join them.

Today we reopen, we restart and renew the housing market and construction industry to protect lives, to save jobs and to begin rebuilding our economy.

Thank you.

The UK Government’s plans to get England back to work have come in for scathing criticism. Teaching unions yesterday published a joint statement on the safe reopening of schools in England.

The statement follows a longer statement to the Secretary of State on Friday (8 May), which set out in full detail the principles and tests necessary for the safe reopening of schools. It is signed by AEP, GMB, NAHT, NASUWT, NEU, NSEAD, Prospect, UNISON and Unite.

Full text of the education union’s statement:

“We all want schools to re-open, but that should only happen when it is safe to do so. The government is showing a lack of understanding about the dangers of the spread of coronavirus within schools, and outwards from schools to parents, sibling and relatives, and to the wider community.

“Uniquely, it appears, school staff will not be protected by social distancing rules. 15 children in a class, combined with their very young age, means that classrooms of 4 and 5-year olds could become sources of Covid-19 transmission and spread. While we know that children generally have mild symptoms, we do not know enough about whether they can transmit the disease to adults. We do not think that the government should be posing this level of risk to our society.

“We call on the government to step back from the 1st June and work with us to create the conditions for a safe return to schools based on the principles and tests we have set out.”

The principles and tests include (see full statement from Friday 8 May, linked to below):

Safety and welfare of pupils and staff as the paramount principle
No increase in pupil numbers until full rollout of a national test and trace scheme
A national Covid-19 education taskforce with government, unions and education stakeholders to agree statutory guidance for safe reopening of schools
Consideration of the specific needs of vulnerable students and families facing economic disadvantage
Additional resources for enhanced school cleaning, PPE and risk assessments
Local autonomy to close schools where testing indicates clusters of new covid-19 cases

Statement to the Secretary of State for Education on 8 May: The full statement setting out the principles and tests can be found here:

https://www.tuc.org.uk/news/unions-set-out-needs-safe-reopening-schools-letter-education-secretary

First Minister: ‘return to school might not be possible at all this side of the summer holidays’

Statement given by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh on Tuesday 5 May:

Good afternoon, thank you for joining us today.

I want to start with the usual statistical update in relation to COVID-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 12,437 positive cases confirmed – which is an increase of 171 since yesterday.

A total of 1,656 patients are currently in hospital with either confirmed or suspected COVID-19 – that is a decrease of 64 since yesterday.

A total of 104 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, and that is an increase of five since yesterday.

I can also confirm that since 5 March, 2,847 patients who had tested positive and been hospitalised for the virus have now been able to leave hospital, and that of course is positive news

Sadly, though, in the last 24 hours, 44 deaths have been registered of patients who had been confirmed through a test as having the virus – which takes the total number of deaths, under that measurement, to 1,620.

Now, as I always say, we must never every think of these numbers as just statistics. They represent individuals whose loss is a source of sorrow to many, and I again want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this virus. We are all thinking of you.

I also want to again thank our health and care workers for the extraordinary work that you continue to do for us in the most challenging and difficult of circumstances

Now I have one substantive issue that I want to discuss today. And forgive me if I do so at slightly greater length than normal.

This follows my update yesterday on our plans for “test, trace, and isolate”.

Today, I want to set out for you our latest data on the level of infection and the important R number that you have heard us talk about before, and I also want to describe the work that we are doing now to prepare for careful and gradual changes to the lockdown restrictions – I must stress only when we judge it is safe to make them, which I am afraid is not right now.

Now you’ll find more detail on what I am about to cover today in a new document that we have just published on the gov.scot website – it updates the one we published a couple of weeks ago and, again, I’m asking you please to have a look at that.

I also want to encourage you to use the new online tool that we are launching today, which gives you the chance to offer ideas on how we should move forward.

I’ve said before but it is worth repeating that the decisions on how we come out of lockdown will affect each and every one of us, perhaps for some considerable time to come, and so I am determined that I and the Scottish Government make those decisions as openly and as collaboratively as we possibly can.

Now, as I said yesterday, by Thursday this week, we have to formally assess whether any lockdown restrictions should be lifted at this stage. The other UK governments will also be making an assessment on or around that date.

As we move forward, we will continue to discuss and, where appropriate, reach decisions on a four nations – UK – basis. It remains my intention to have UK-wide alignment where the evidence supports it, though obviously my overarching responsibility is to reach evidence based decisions that are right for Scotland.

As I indicated yesterday, I think it is highly unlikely that the Scottish Government will be able to make any significant changes to the current restrictions on Thursday. And I think it’s important that I’m frank with you about that now.

Today’s paper sets out in detail the data that underpins that conclusion.

In short, we are seeing progress – real progress, particularly in the number of people admitted to intensive care – but that progress is still fragile.

That means any increase in the physical interactions we have with other people could quickly see transmission of the virus increase again.

We estimate that there are currently around 26,000 people with COVID-19 in Scotland. I stress these are estimates, but that is still too high a number to consider that the virus is under control.

I have also spoken before about the vital importance – the critical importance – of keeping the R number below 1.

Now we know the R number is higher in care homes, but our best estimate is that the R number in the community is currently between 0.7 and 1. But we cannot be sure that it’s not closer to 1 than 0.7.

There is also some evidence that the R number in Scotland might be slightly higher at this point than in the rest of the UK – although the modelling that is based on is subject to a high degree of uncertainty.

But in any event, the R number is not yet far enough below 1 to be confident that any changes to current restrictions wouldn’t quickly send it over 1 again – and if that happened, the virus would start to increase exponentially again.

That could overwhelm our health service; force us to re-impose restrictions; and it would lead to many more deaths.

Now as an illustration of this, we include in the paper a chart which is based on recent Danish data, and we are looking at experiences in other countries all the time. What this chart suggests is that that if we were to fully re-open nurseries and primary schools now, the most likely scenario would be a resurgence in the virus that would overwhelm our hospital capacity in a matter of weeks.

Now, the fact is that any easing of restrictions, whenever we introduce them, will have an impact on the R number. But if we get our baseline lower than it is now, we will have more headroom to cope with that – and be able to avoid outcomes like the one I’ve just highlighted.

So the hard fact is that we must see further reductions in new cases, hospital and ICU admissions and deaths to be sure that the overall level of infection and the R number are lower than they are now.

And that means, for the moment, we do need to stick with the current lockdown restrictions .

However I am acutely aware that the severity of restrictions we are living under now cannot continue indefinitely – we know that lockdown is doing its own damage.

So we also need to be preparing to make changes as soon as it is safe to do so.

The next three week period of lockdown, after this Thursday 7 May, is due to end on the 28 May.

Now, let me stress, that doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t make any changes before then if the evidence suggests it is safe to do so. If we can, we will.

For example, I’m particularly keen as soon as possible, for the sake of mental health and wellbeing, to enable people to be outdoors more. And obviously we are all keen to get the economy moving again as soon as we can.

So today’s paper sets out some options that we are working on – both in terms of assessing their impact and on the practicalities of implementation – so that we will be ready to make changes when the evidence tell us that it is safe to do so.

Now to be clear with you, because I have to make sure I am setting this out clearly, this is not a list of things we will definitely do by certain dates.

Indeed, we might not be able to take all of these steps even at the end of May.

This is going to be a long process with different phases along the way.

And we will only implement these changes when we are as certain as possible that it is safe to do so – and when we can also assure you of that.

In the meantime, it is vital that we stick rigorously to the current rules.

But as I said a moment ago it is important that we are preparing now.

So I want to briefly set out the options that we are working on. Though, again, I must stress that none of these are changes we are implementing as of right now.

But we are considering, firstly, if and how we could safely change our advice on spending time outdoors – to allow exercise outside to happen more than once a day, so long as we continue to stay apart from people outside our own households.

But second, we are also considering if a slight relaxation in the rules to allow meeting up with a small, defined group of people from other households – in a sort of bubble – might be possible, even if initially that was only possible out of doors and not indoors.

This is, of course, one way in which we could start to interact a bit more with family or friends – which I know is so important to all of us.

However, we also have to consider carefully the impact on the spread of the virus. And we have to think through how such an approach could be implemented in practice – and also how the limitations of it could be enforced if necessary.

It’s also not something that would be possible for those who are currently shielding – so we have to think also about the fairness of it.

The third area we are looking at is when and in what order we can resume some NHS and community care services.

As you know, we stopped some services – for example, screening programmes and non-urgent elective procedures – to ensure that the NHS could cope with the virus. But these postponements also have implications for health, so we must consider how services can be restarted as soon as possible – and that is what we are currently doing.

The fourth area relates to how we carefully, gradually and safely allow businesses to re-open. That is a major area of work, for obvious reasons.

We need to work with business and with trade unions to consider the practical arrangements for different work environments to start up safely – that’s changes to working practices, physical layouts of workplaces, the appropriate use of PPE and the operation of public transport. On this, we are looking carefully at the work the UK government is doing and consulting our own stakeholders on that.

Initially, we are giving particular consideration to businesses in the construction, retail and manufacturing sectors – and also to some outdoor and rural businesses.

However, where home working is possible, we are very likely to insist on that for the foreseeable future.

And I want to be very clear that as of now current guidance to business remains in place.

Finally, I have said before that one of the hardest decisions I have ever taken was the closure of schools. I know the impact this is having on young people – and I want to thank all of you watching today again for your patience – and it also has an impact on family routine.

The Deputy First Minister is chairing the Education Recovery Group, which is considering options for how pupils might gradually return to school.

Now, again, I need to be clear – a return to school might not be possible at all this side of the summer holidays.

But we are considering whether some groups of students – such as vulnerable children, children who are making the transition from primary to secondary school, or who are studying for national qualifications – could return to school ahead of others.

And any initial return to school – when it does happen – is of course likely to require a mixture of time in school and learning at home.

For example it’s possible that different groups could attend school part-time in blocks of a few days – or a week at a time – to enable physical distancing and deep cleaning schools between sessions. In all of this, we are trying to find the right balance between children’s educational and wider needs, and public health imperatives.

But I want to be crystal clear that while we will of course take the greatest care in all of this, that that is particularly the case with schools. We will not compromise the safety of your children.

Now as you will understand from the detail I have just given, and more so if you read the paper that has published today, none of these decisions are easy. There are no absolute certainties in any of this and complex judgments will have to be made.

As I’ve said before, ‘lifting the lockdown’ will not be like flicking a switch. It will be a gradual process which will happen in phases.

What we are seeking to do is find a path to a new normal – one which is less restrictive than the current lockdown, but which doesn’t risk the virus running rampant again.

Now we have not yet put definite dates on any of what I’ve just set out. But I will update you on an ongoing basis in the days ahead as our evidence, assessments and planning develops.

And as soon as we can start to attach even tentative dates, we will do that.

In parallel, we will continue to build the ‘test, trace, isolate’ capacity that I spoke about yesterday.

But let me end on this point – the most important task for all of us in the here and now is to get the virus under more control than it is right now. And I cannot stress that enough.

We really are at a critical stage, and what I’ve set out today about our assessment of the R number in particular tells us how critical this stage is and also how easy it would be to go in the wrong direction.

So that means asking you again to stick rigorously to the current rules. It means asking you to think hard about your own compliance – and tightening that if anything now, not easing up on it. If you have been going out a bit more than you should, please rectify that.

Please stay at home except for essential purposes – and remember, at this stage, essential purposes means only essential food supplies, medicines and daily exercise.

And you should ask yourself if, for example, going for a drive-through coffee is really an essential journey.

Stay two metres from others when you have to be out.

Don’t meet up with people from other households.

Isolate completely if you or anyone else in your household has symptoms.

Wash your hands regularly, and wear a face covering if you are in an enclosed space with other people – like a shop or public transport.

All of this is tough – it is really tough – and I know and understand that.

But I want to stress again – right now we are going in the right direction. If all we keep doing all of the right things, we will keep going in the right direction, and we will get there. Our light at the end of the tunnel that I keep talking about will get brighter as the days go on. And we will find a way through.

So please keep doing the right things, and thank you for everything that you are doing to comply.

Now I’m going to hand over to the Chief Medical Officer who is going to say a few more words about the evidence that is before us before I open up to questions.