Chamber and committees

We recognise that this is a difficult time for mobile therapists, including nail and beauty technicians.

However, our primary driver is safeguarding public health and wellbeing and preventing transmission of the virus. We are currently developing guidance in partnership with sectoral trade bodies and health specialists to support mobile close contact services to return to work.

While we are not yet able to provide a date for when these services will be permitted to resume, we will aim to do so as soon as is it safe to do so. In the meantime, therapists who operate from a fixed premises – including the practitioner’s own home – are currently permitted to do so provided they follow the relevant guidance.

From the outset, we have adopted a public health focused approach to the border health measures. The data and evidence we receive to inform our decisions on these measures comes from the Public Health England and the Joint Biomedical Centre (JBC) via the UK Government. As this data is owned by the UK Government, we are not able to publish the analysis on specific countries and why countries are or are not on the exemptions list. I have written to the UK Government asking them to make the data publicly available.

We are continuously keeping countries under review and where there is clear evidence that it is safe to do so, we will add further countries to the exemption list. Likewise, if the evidence suggests an exempt country may provide increased risk, we will not hesitate to reinstate quarantine arrangements.

Transport Scotland is in regular dialogue with transport operators who have been reminded, as per the guidance, that they are expected to consider displaying prominent signage highlighting that face-coverings must be worn and also that their staff may enquire of passengers why they are not wearing face-coverings and remind them of their legal obligations in so doing.

We continue to monitor compliance levels and the need to strengthen guidance or legislation remains under review.

Enforcement of the wearing of face-coverings on public transport rests with Police Scotland and the British Transport Police.

Certain aerosol-generating procedures (AGPs) have been permitted in dental surgeries for NHS treatments since 17 August 2020. This development continues to reflect the phased reintroduction of NHS dental services and is supported by the provision of appropriate face-fitted PPE – free of charge – for all NHS treatments.

Staff across the dental sector are working hard to effect the reintroduction of these treatments in surgeries across Scotland and this process is being fully supported by NHS Boards, with work on-going to expedite the rollout of the specialist PPE required to protect against COVID-19 in dental settings.

In considering the relaxation of restrictions on dental care public health and the prevention of viral transmission remains of paramount concern, especially the safety of both patients and practitioners going forward.

Provisional guidance for the safe running of organised activities for children and young people under 18 was published on 1 September. Subject to final review by Health Protection Scotland (part of Public Health Scotland), it will be updated within the next week. Organisers should also consult the guidance: Staying Safe and protecting others to ensure that they meet the necessary requirements.

Provisional guidance for the safe running of organised activities for children and young people under 18 was published on 1 September. Subject to final review by Health Protection Scotland (part of Public Health Scotland), it will be updated within the next week. It does include indoor toddler groups that adults have to attend. Organisers should consult the guidance to ensure that they meet the necessary requirements.

We are routinely testing healthcare workers where the evidence tells us it is appropriate to do so.

We test all asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in suspected nosocomial COVID-19 outbreaks. This decision was made based upon independent expert advice from the COVID-19 Nosocomial Review Group.

In addition, we test, on a weekly basis, staff working in specialist cancer units, in long term care of the elderly and in long stay mental health wards. These further categories were selected either by having regard to evidence of nosocomial spread in certain healthcare settings, and/or by having a likelihood of highly vulnerable patients in terms of COVID-19.

We have provided an additional £75 million for the recruitment of additional teachers for this school year to bring much needed resilience to the education system, and to support children and young people who have suffered loss of learning during lockdown.

All councils will receive their share of this funding and we would expect teachers to be recruited. The funding is enough for the recruitment of around 1,400 additional teachers.

The funding may be used by local authorities to recruit additional post probation teachers, recently qualified teachers and other qualified teachers.

Responsibility for arranging learning for children who have to self-isolate sits with the child’s school. Local authorities have a range of arrangements in place to support an online teaching option as part of this provision.

In recognition of the need to further strengthen the options available to schools, Scottish Government and Education Scotland are working with local government partners to support the development of these options and to ensure that schools can access an enhanced range of options for online learning during 2020/21.

One aspect of this work is the e-learning national partnership project involving Scottish Government, ADES and Education Scotland. For example, e-Sgoil - the online teaching provision based in Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) - is widening access to online lessons across a range of subjects, augmenting the work of classroom teachers across the country. In August, e-Sgoil announced a package of free, live, interactive online study webinars for senior phase pupils starting 7th September. Twenty courses are on offer at National 5 and Higher level, in a range of subjects including Art, Business Management, Chemistry, Computing Science, English, French, Gaelic, History, Mandarin, Maths, Music, Physics, Religious education and Spanish. Education Scotland are working with e-Sgoil to develop a further offer across primary P5-P7 and S1-S3 age groups. Further detail on this e-Sgoil Broad General Education offer will follow, with additional information on the new national partnership offer available at:

https://education.gov.scot/education-scotland/news-and-events/new-partnership-offer-to-improve-availability-of-online-learning-across-scotland/

In addition, schools can access additional support from within their local authority or from their Regional Improvement Collaborative (RICs were set up by Scottish Government to support improvement and collaboration across local authority areas). One example is the West Partnership region which is launching its Online School in September, providing a further offer of teacher led lessons. In the initial development phase, the West Partnership aims to collate short, quality assured video lessons covering the entire 3-18 curriculum. These will also be available nationally for those who wish to access the lessons from other local authority areas.

https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/STEMcentralinmotion/2020/09/01/west-partnership-online-school/

Live or recorded online lessons should be one part of a mix of learning activities; a mix which can include "offline" learning tasks as well as other forms of digital and online learning via the Glow national online learning platform. Since the end of March 2020, Education Scotland have increased the volume of online learning and teaching materials, and have enhanced the overall provision available to schools. As a further aspect to its national offer, Education Scotland's new Scotland Learns resource provides additional learning at home activities and ideas to complement any online learning and offline learning provided by the school. Further information on Scotland Learns is available at:

https://education.gov.scot/improvement/scotland-learns/

Schools can also access additional digital learning resources from a variety of third sector and community learning organisations.

It is important too that teachers have the skills and confidence required to support pupils with online learning. In order to address this need, Education Scotland provides a range of professional development opportunities for teachers’ digital learning and teaching. Further advice and support is available to schools via their local authority and their RIC.

Scottish Government is committed to tackling digital exclusion amongst disadvantaged children and young people through its £25m investment in devices and connectivity. Funding allocations for devices and connectivity have been made to all 32 local authorities who are now in the process of ordering equipment to address local needs. We expect that around 70,000 devices and 18,000 connectivity solutions will be provided to disadvantaged children and young people across the country in the coming weeks and months.

Finally, advice and support to parents on how to support their children’s learning at home is available via the Parent Club website at:

https://www.parentclub.scot/articles/helping-your-child-home-and-blended-learning

The World Health Organisation issued new advice on face coverings on 21 August. After consideration by the Advisory Sub-Group, and following consultation with teachers and local authorities, our advice was updated on 25 August. Paragraphs 79 to 92 of the updated guidance offer advice on the safe use of face coverings in schools.

The guidance has been updated to note that face coverings should (unless exemptions apply) be worn by adults and young people in secondary schools when moving about the school in corridors and communal areas, where physical distancing is particularly difficult to maintain. They should be worn on school transport by everyone over the age of 5. Anyone (whether child, young person or adult) wishing to wear a face covering in school should be permitted to do so.

We seek regular feedback from partners via the Education Recovery Group about the experiences of pupils and staff in schools, and the way in which our guidance is being implemented in schools. Where there is a need to take action, either by updating our guidance or ensuring it is being given practical effect, we will work with partners to do so.