Hundreds of Fife children were in isolation last week because of coronavirus – just days after schools in the Kingdom returned after the Easter break.
Figures published by the Scottish Government show that on Thursday April 15, there were 267 pupils across Fife absent from school for any coronavirus related reason.
The figures include those who have tested positive or are in isolation because they have been identified as close contact of a positive case.
Fife pupils returned from their Easter break last Monday. It also marked the first time since December that all secondary school pupils were in classrooms full-time.
Primary school pupils in the region had previously returned full time between February 22 and March 15.
Figures were not provided for absences in Tayside as schools were still off for the Easter break last week.
The absence figures comes after NHS Fife confirmed at least seven schools and a nursery in the Kingdom had people isolating due to Covid-19 cases in the first week of the new term.
An update from the health board on Monday revealed five or more individuals at the following schools were required to isolate after contact with a positive case:
- Clentry Nursery – Kelty
- Canmore Primary School – Dunfermline
- Fair Isle Primary School – Kirkcaldy
- Kelty Primary School
- Lynburn Primary School – Dunfermline
- Rimbleton Primary School – Glenrothes
- Thornton Primary School
- Torbain Primary School – Kirkcaldy
Contacts of positive cases at the latest schools listed were all identified between April 12 and Sunday.
In a letter to parents and carers, Carrie Lindsay, executive director of education and children’s service at Fife Council, reminded families to stick to the rules to help stop the spread of the virus in schools.
She wrote: “It’s important for us all to remember that while life starts to regain some kind of pre-Covid familiarity, we still need to remain alert.
“There are still quite strict Covid-19 measures in place and the more we all stick with these, the less chance there is of an outbreak in one of our nurseries or schools.
“Community testing can play a big part in stopping the spread on Covid-19.
“There are various places in Fife where you or the rest of the family can get tested, even if you don’t have any Covid-19 symptoms.”
Overall attendance
The Scottish Government figures also showed the overall percentage of pupils in school in the Fife, Dundee, Angus and Perth and Kinross regions this week.
The figures show that on Tuesday (April 20), 92.2% of all Fife pupils were in school.
The figure was slightly higher for Dundee City and the data shows that 94.8% of all pupils in the region were in school on this date.
In Perth and Kinross, the overall attendance was 95.2%.
Schools in Angus had the highest overall attendance, with the figures showing that 95.4% of pupils were in school on Tuesday.
