Education Secretary John Swinney urged to publish scientific advice on two-metre social distancing in schools

Education Secretary John Swinney was yesterday urged to publish the scientific advice on two-metre social distancing which, it is claimed, is preventing Scots pupils from going back to school full-time.

The Northern Ireland government has said schools there will reopen with the two-metre social distancing rule reduced to one metre between pupils and Boris Johnson is expected to announce within days that the rule will be relaxed in England from July 4, when pubs and restaurants are expected to reopen south of the border.

The Prime Minister said on Friday children of all ages in England should be able to return to school on a five-day-a-week basis in September but schools in Scotland, are still expected to adopt a so-called blended model, combining online and classroom lessons, when they return in August.

After some councils said pupils might only attend school one day a week, Nicola Sturgeon was forced to insist the blended model was only a contingency last week. However, local authorities said it remained the basis for their planning.

Yesterday, Scottish Labour’s education spokesperson Iain Gray said: “Parents concerned about their children returning to as little as one day a week in August will not understand why things are so different here.

“In Northern Ireland plans have been based on advice from their chief medical officer. John Swinney must now show what advice he has received that any move to such an approach in Scotland is ill-advised.

“The Education Secretary must explain to pupils and parents why Scottish schools cannot follow the example of their Northern Irish counterparts.”

A Scottish Government said: “As the First Minister has made clear, the two-metre rule is being kept under constant review as evidence emerges. The Scottish Government’s regular three-weekly reviews of the Covid-19 regulations now includes specific consideration of the evidence and data relating to transmission within schools and amongst young people.

“Where that suggests safety restrictions can be lifted or eased without putting pupils and teachers at undue risk, we will do so.”

Yesterday, the Scottish Government confirmed another two people have died after testing positive for Covid-19. It takes the death toll among confirmed coronavirus patients to 2,472 but, adding suspected cases, the figure now stands at 4,094.