Tens of thousands of schoolchildren will return to class in around 350 schools across Tayside and Fife from Wednesday.
It will be the first time in almost five months most of them have seen their teachers and many of their classmates, having been sent home in March as the coronavirus pandemic swept the UK.
Head teachers, their staff and education officers have worked long hours to put in place measures aimed at making school buildings safe for those who learn and work in them.
While there is anxiety among parents and teachers about the return, with Covid-19 suppressed but still a threat, there is also excitement and relief that school will soon be in, albeit under a new normal.
We spoke to parents and teachers about the return to school full-time, which was confirmed at the end of July following proposals for blended learning in which pupils would have been taught in school and at home.
Five-year-old Emily Hughes will attend Pittenweem Primary School, in Fife, for the first time with big sister, Evie, 7, going into P3.
Mum Rachel, who runs Mathie School of Motoring and will be able to restart her work on August 24, said she and her daughters were excited for Wednesday.
They have missed their friends.”
Rachel Hughes, mum of Evie, 7, and Em, 5
She said: “My youngest daughter starts primary one so it will be nice that she will be able to get into P1 full-time rather than just a few days.
“They have missed their friends.
“It will help me massively. I will be able to work when the girls are at school and I won’t need to rely on baby sitters for blended learning. Fingers crossed it stays like that.”
Among those making the step from primary school to secondary school is Lexi Wilson, 12.
At rural Dunbog Primary School she was one of only five in P7 and she will be one of around 1,500 pupils at Bell Baxter High School, Cupar.
Despite lockdown limiting her preparation her mother Jill said Lexi was excited to make the transition.
She said: “She’s been ready for the past six months. We’re probably lucky she’s fairly confident.
Keeping everyone happy and healthy was more important than worrying she might fall behind.”
Jill Wilson, mum of Lexi, 12
During lockdown estate agent Jill, of Glenduckie, near Newburgh, said she decided learning life skills was just as important as schoolwork so Lexi did both.
She said: “We’re usually so busy with life we forget to teach these basic things.
“Keeping everyone happy and healthy was more important than worrying she might fall behind.
“I’m confident she is bright enough to catch up with schoolwork.”
Jill was full of praise for the teachers at Dunbog and Bell Baxter, who she said had done their best in difficult times, and is at ease with the return to school full time.
She said: “We were prepared to toughen up on home learning if it was blended learning.
“I’m fairly relaxed about the whole thing. I feel happy that everyone is being as safe as they can be and I’m happy for Lexi to get back to some normality.”
‘Keen to get back’
Four children in the O’Connor household, from Dundee, will be returning to Ardler Primary School and Baldragon Academy.
George, 6, Lucy, 10, are going into P2 and P6 while Adam, 12, will start S1 with brother Jack, 14, in S3.
Mum Mary, who is the city’s representative on the National Parent Forum of Scotland, said: “They are quite keen to get back now. It was fun to start with but now they are missing their mates and they need to get out.”
She said she saw the advantages of the combined home and in-school learning previously proposed but added: “Going back full-time is even better to get them back into the school routine and it means we’re not having to remember the days and times they have to be in school.”
It might be back to school but it’s not school as we know it.”
Mary O’Connor, mum of George, 6, Lucy, 10, Adam, 12, and Jack, 14
Adam missed out on some transition preparation he should have had, but Mary said: “He is a confident soul and he is quite happy. He has spent quite a lot of time in the school because of his older brother being there.
“The school had an open day one morning and he spent ages going round the classrooms.
“He is quite happy and knows what it is about.”
However, she added: “I have heard from other parents of pupils who might have been ready (for S1) in March but with everything that has gone on their confidence has taken a knock.
“It might be back to school but it’s not school as we know it.”
Fiona Stewart, of Kinnesswood, is pleased there is no requirement for physical distancing among pupils when her sons Gordon, 14, and Nathan, 16 return to Kinross High School.
Even we, as adults, find it hard to socially distance.”
Fiona Stewart, mum of Gordon, 14, and Nathan, 16
She said: “I know there will be parents saying this is terrible, they need to socially distance, but I don’t think they do. My kids have not been shielding they don’t have any health conditions.
“I saw pictures of schools in England where they had drawn circles and they had to be two metres apart.
“My children are older but even we, as adults, find it hard to socially distance. How were they going to manage when they haven’t seen their friends for so long?”
Six-year-old Logan Clenaghan, from Dundee, will be going into P2 while little sister Zara Reilly, 3, will be going to nursery for the first time.
Mum Taylor said she is worried how Logan will adjust after being out of the classroom since March.
It is hoped there are no major classroom changes which would see Logan separated from friends.
“Logan doesn’t deal with change very well, it kind of put him off so there’s that part of me that’s worried,” Taylor said.
“I’ve spoken to the headteacher and she’s reassured me they’re going to help out as much as possible with the transition.”
Like many children, Logan struggled to find motivation to learn from home and may need extra support from teachers to readjust.
Taylor added: “He was in supported study before schools closed so I worry about the learning side of things.
“But I think Logan is excited to go back to school. He has built up a really good bond with his teacher.”
While Zara cannot wait to start nursery, she has loved being at home to “annoy her older brother”.
Jessica Cronin, 7, might not be looking forward to having to do maths when she goes into P3, but she is excited to see her friends again.
Her mum Janis McCulloch, from Dunfermline, said homeschooling Jess and her little sister Emily has led to “mum guilt” as she juggled learning with her full-time job.
She said: She said: “It’s led to lots of arguments, tears and generally everybody feeling quite hard done by and stressed.
When you’re trying to jump from Zoom call to Zoom call and do a good job at work, it’s very hard.”
“Jess has needed someone to go through any learning we’ve had from the school and when you’re trying to jump from Zoom call to Zoom call and do a good job at work, it’s very hard to get your brain to go ‘right I’m going to teach my daughter how to do division now’.
“Especially when you’re not an educator and don’t have the ability to break things down into simple steps.”
While Jess is a little nervous, Emily is excited to get back into the routine of nursery.
Janis added: “It’s been really hard for them not seeing their friends as both had birthdays during lockdown so they both missed out on birthday parties.
“They need to see their friends and that routine of being at school, sitting down and learning. It’ be really good for them to get back.”
‘I think it’s for the best’
Perth mum Hayley Honeyman is looking forward to seeing her two sons Jaxon, 6 and four-year-old Jayce return to Inch View Primary School and nursery on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old expects there may be some teething issues when the kids return after five months away but she believes it is for the best.
She said: “I’m obviously excited for the kids to get back to school and learning because I think that’s really important, they’ve definitely missed out over the last few months.
“I can imagine it might be a bit chaotic on Wednesday because parents might be a wee bit unsure where they have to go but I think once the initial few days are out the way it should be okay.
“They need their routines back and to get back to education with their teachers.”
Inch View primary school are opting for a phased return of pupils, with half the school going in on Wednesday and then the other half on Thursday. All pupils are expected to be in on Friday.
The school day will also look a lot different to how it was before lockdown and Hayley believes it will take the children a bit of time to get used to.
I’m obviously excited for the kids to get back to school and learning because I think that’s really important, they’ve definitely missed out over the last few months.
Hayley Honeyman, Perth mum
She explained: “There will be a lot of changes, like the school meals for example. Usually my son Jaxon, who is going into primary two, gets a hot lunch and he was terrible with it last year when he started but he had just gotten really good with that.
“I’m also a bit worried that the school said the parents can’t come into the playground. My son is going from primary one into primary two, changing classrooms so I think that’s going to be quite hard to just wave him off.
“I can understand why parents might have concerns about them going back but I think it’s for the best.”
The 26-year-old was full of praise for the work Inch View primary put in during lockdown, commending the communication parents received from teaching staff.
Home learning wasn’t all plain sailing though and the combination of working and teaching at home proved to be a challenge.
“It needs be less about the academic focus and more about supporting young people to be able to achieve their potential.”
Sam Watson, deputy rector at Dundee High School
She said: “Inch View have been fantastic and every single day they’ve had work up online and the teacher had work plans for the P1 kids.
“They did really well for both the primary one pupils and the nursery kids and keeping us informed but it was still stressful.“I work from home though so it’s been challenging having the kids here. I think they were getting bored after a while”
‘Stepping into unfamiliar territory’
In many schools, preparations for the return of pupils have been been underway almost as soon as the gates were shut back in March.
For teachers and school staff, this meant keeping up with an ever-changing guidance and coming up with innovative ways to welcome pupils back to the new normal.
Lise Hudson, rector of Dundee High School, is one of those who is looking forward to seeing the schools back action but admits there will be some anxiety about the return.
She said: “We’ve been planning for the return to school since we closed really.
“It needs be less about the academic focus and more about supporting young people to be able to achieve their potential.”
Sam Watson, deputy rector at Dundee High School
“Trying to work with the government guidelines came out and as more knowledge about the virus was gained, we have multiple contiguity plans.
“Naturally there is a lot of anxiety because it is a moving situation but we are so looking forward to having everyone back.
“We are stepping forward into very unfamiliar territory but I have faith that getting the school community back to together, albeit socially distanced, will mean that we can start to enjoy the new situation.”
This step into the unknown will undoubtedly raise anxiety in some young people and to deal with this, deputy rector Sam Watson believes there needs be less focus on academics and increased help in dealing with mental health.
She said: “We’ve got young people who have been out of school for five months and while some are excited and absolutely ready to go back, there is a significant level of anxiety.
“Whether that’s about falling behind with work or worried about how you are going to engage with your friends again, there’s a lot of young people who are worried”
“The guidance team have been working very hard to develop what we call our recovery curriculum and the focus in the first few weeks and months back needs to be about looking after our young people.
“It needs be less about the academic focus and more about supporting young people to be able to achieve their potential.
“There will be a lot of individual support through our guidance team and also up-skilling our staff to be able to give them the support to spot the signs of anxiety or worry in young people.”
