Parents supportive of need for home learning

Helen Budge. Photo: Kevin Jones

Parents with children at Covid-hit Mid Yell Junior High School have been supportive of the need to home-school their bairns.

Director of the SIC’s children’s services Helen Budge says parents and carers “fully understand the picture”.

Mrs Budge said 17 pupils – children of key workers and pupils with additional needs – were being taught in the school building until the positive case came to light.

They will now be learning from their own homes. A deep clean is carried out at the building.

“We have a position where we do have staff members who have been contacted by the test and protect team,” said Mrs Budge.

“We’ve contacted all the key worker parents and parents of bairns that were needing support.

“What they’re saying is there is no in-school provision required.”

Children’s Services have already had experience of Covid in a school environment. The Mid Yell case follows an incident last September when a pupil at Whiteness Primary School tested positive for Covid-19.

This time was slightly different, Mrs Budge said, because home learning was already in place for the majority of pupils.

“It was the school that phoned the parents yesterday and everybody fully understands the picture and were very comfortable at this time to have the bairns at home learning remotely.

“It is a peerie community and they do understand the impact that it can have.”

She added engagement from NHS Shetland had been “exceptional” with “clear direction and involvement”.

“It’s been really powerful partnership working in that respect.”