Q&A: Fife Council's head of education on plans to open schools in August

Fife Council says working families will need to make their own arrangements for childcare, when youngsters return to classes on a part-time basis in August.

The local authority is working on proposals which would see kids spending just 40% of their time with teachers next year, due to the need for social distancing.

Officials say they are considering whether they can use other buildings and extra staff to take that to 50%.

But unless the rules are relaxed, councils will have to work within current constraints.

Head of education Shelagh McLean took part in a Q&A with Kingdom FM to answer some of the pressing questions around plans to return children to school from August.

You can hear Ms McLean's answers to each of our questions below.

Q: People want to know how often their children will be attending school come August and what the pattern will be. Can you talk us through your current arrangements?

Q: What are the reasons that children won't be able to attend for a greater number of days than currently proposed, in the initial stages?

Q: Are there any plans to increase the capacity of schools, both through the use of other buildings and extra staff?

Q: Given you are looking at those ideas, could the current plans change?

Q: Will plans you set out to parents next week be set in stone for the start of term, or could parents be given new plans at short notice?

Q: Will parents be given a choice over which days their kids will be able to attend - for example, where they have two or more children in the same household?

Q: Following concerns from parents that the standard of work being done by children in different households while they are home learning, what will the council do to support children and families when they are at home?

Q: Some children will have access to technology and others won't. How are you going to ensure that there is fair access to resources for home schooling?

Q: Has the council considered using virtual lessons, where pupils are taught at a certain time on a certain day by their teacher - but remotely?

Q: Another concern is that many parents may be have returned to work by August. How are they expected to balance that with having their children at home for the majority of the week?

Q: Could there be a problem for parents who put in place arrangements, only for those to change before schools return? Or would any change result in children attending school more often, rather than less?

Q: There has been mention of schools being closed on a certain day of the week to allow for deep cleaning. What will be the requirements around cleaning for buildings?

Q: There are concerns that children at Woodmill High School in Dunfermline, who have already faced disruption due to the fire, are now facing more due to the crisis. Will you ensure they are educated to the same standard as their peers?

Q: What is your message to families and children, for whom this is an extremely worrying time?