Some pupils to return to school in East Renfrewshire from June 15

Children in "key transition groups'' will return to school on Monday June 15 in East Renfrewshire, the council has announced.

Nursery children in pre-school year and current P7s will return to educational settings on a rota basis, following all national social distancing guidance.

The council said it is important children in these groups have a chance to return to school before the summer holidays to "lay the foundations'' for learning in the next session.

It is thought East Renfrewshire Council is the first local authority to announce its plans for children returning to school.

Pupils across Scotland are expected to return from August 11 in Scotland with a combination of in-school teaching and at-home learning.

Teachers will be allowed to return to classrooms from Monday June 1 to prepare.

East Renfrewshire Council's convener for education and equalities Paul O'Kane said: It is important that the pupils in the key transition groups get the opportunity to return to a school setting before the summer holidays to lay the foundations for the important learning which will take place in the next session.

"We have put plans in place to ensure social distancing is adhered to within our schools and look forward to welcoming this small group of pupils back.

"It has been a difficult time for all, especially young people who are missing their friends and the normality of school.

"This is the first step on our road to recovery and we will provide details of the approach which will be taken to blended learning in August as soon as is possible.''

The hub schools currently operating in East Renfrewshire for the children of key workers will stop at 3pm on Friday June 5 and all the pupils who have been attending the hubs will return to attending their normal primary or secondary school from Monday June 8.

Other local authorities are still considering their plans.

In discussions with trade unions and head teachers, Glasgow City Council has said a two-day school week could be one solution to allow social distancing in schools.

Aberdeen City Council said it is looking at similar models, including the blended use of classroom teaching and learning from home.

Class sizes are also expected to be significantly smaller to accommodate social distancing.

Highland Council said there is a huge amount of preparation under way but it is too early for it to provide any finalised plans or proposals on what the return to school will look like.

On Friday, the Scottish Government announced a £159,000 fund to help early learning and childcare professionals deliver outdoor play sessions for young children.

Up to 2,000 practitioners will receive training on the "virtual nature school'' platform, with a focus on helping deprived areas.

Sessions are delivered online, with families helped to carry out outdoor play-based tasks and evaluate childrens' learning.