Education Secretary reveals school return D-Day

Author: Rob WallerPublished 24th Jun 2020

John Swinney has said parents could get as little as two weeks notice that schools will definitely be going back full time in August.

The Education Secretary's admitted a final decision might not be made until 30th July as he answered your questions in a special programme with Ewen Cameron on Forth 1 from 9am.

It follows a u-turn on Tuesday when he announced blended learning would become the back-up option.

30th July - "I think that feels the last point where you could say we're going ahead with this."

Mr Swinney said: "I don't think we could resume full time schooling if we didn't have the green light by 30th July.

"I think that feels the last point where you could say 'right, we're going ahead with this.'"

The Education Secretary shared his secrets for home schooling with a ban on Fortnite and his son only getting to play his PS4 when all his schoolwork is complete.

"He gets to play some of that once the school work is done, later in the day. So that's the deal. You do this you'll get your PS4 - don't do this you won't get your PS4."

"The only way that coronavirus could get into our house is if I took it there...I worry about it a lot."

Mr Swinney shared his own personal worries and concerns as his wife is currently shielding.

"Matthew and Elizabeth have been at home since lockdown happened, and the only way that coronavirus could get into our house is if I took it there, which is something which preys on me a lot. I worry about it a lot.

"Matthew will go to school unless there is clinical advice which tells us the child of a shielding person should not got to school, but I don't expect that to be the case."

He also said parents won't be punished for refusing to send their kids back to school in August if they're worried about Coronavirus:

"If we can't quite reassure them, and give them the condfidence that it's safe for their children to return to school, then I think we have to work with them sympathetically through those issues."

"Obviously the law is very clear that parents have a legal duty to send their children to school but I wouldn't punish them because I think that in the circumstances we've got to try to understand and try to reaassure parents."