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Publication - Advice and guidance

Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on reducing the risks in schools

Last updated 2 September 2022 - see all updates
Directorate
Learning Directorate
Part of
Children and families, Coronavirus in Scotland, Education, +1 more … Public safety and emergencies

Non-statutory guidance to ensure a low risk and supportive environment for learning and teaching.

This document is part of a collection

View supporting documents Supporting documents

Implementation

Implementing this guidance

This guidance sets out which of the current measures local authorities and schools should retain. All other measures can be removed from schools, as they are no longer judged necessary or proportionate to ensure the safety of school communities. The guidance highlights some key mitigations with a particular impact on school operations and educational experiences that are no longer required.

Local implementation of the guidance

This guidance is not a recommendation for schools to return to previous practice that pre-dates the pandemic. Instead, it is intended to support outcomes for children and young people, in a proportionate and responsible manner. This should be led by local authorities in a way that capitalises on the good practice developed over the pandemic period, and which takes full account of practical considerations in a way that does not create operational difficulties or unnecessary additional workload for staff.

The Advisory sub-group has also recommended that we devolve more autonomy and flexibility of decision-making to local authorities, schools and other settings which welcome school pupils in implementing the guidance – recognising also the importance of local dialogue, including with LNCTs, in reaching local decisions. Schools should operate in line with their own circumstances and risk assessments as they do in all areas of school life. If concerns emerge about local decisions and their impact on school safety, those concerns could be raised at the COSLA Workforce Issues Group (WIG) for further discussion. 

If undertaking a particular activity is not explicitly precluded through this guidance – i.e. if it is not listed as a routine measure – then schools and local authorities should treat it as permissible provided they take account of relevant risks. Similarly, while this guidance reduces the mitigations that schools are required to have in place, local authorities and schools are not recommended to return to pre-pandemic practices and are encouraged to retain good practice developed during the pandemic where appropriate.

Contact

Email: CERG@gov.scot  

First published
25 March 2021
Last updated
2 September 2022 - show all updates

  1. Updated the ventilation chapter to reflect HSE advice on use of air cleaning devices.

  2. Content updated.

  3. Updated Purpose, Implementation, Measures to reduce risks, Ventilation and heating, Key scenarios and PDF.

  4. Updated link on Measures to reduce risks.

  5. Updated Purpose and Measures to reduce risks.

  6. Updated Measures to reduce risks and added PDF.

  7. Updated Measures to reduce risks.

  8. All pages apart from 'purpose of this guidance' and 'key scenarios' page unpublished and redirected to archive. New sections added on implementation, measures to reduce risks and ventilation and heating,

  9. Edits made to comply with gov.scot writing style guide

  10. Various changes (outlined in version information page)

  11. Reverses some of the enhanced measures introduced in December 2021 in relation to Omicron.

  12. Further updates to self-isolation sections to align with wording in updated NHS guidance (paras 54, 55, 58, 59, 86, 154, 156, Annex B, Annex E) Critical National Infrastructure exemption, clarifying applicability to individuals who were asked to self-isolate as close contact before 6 January 2022 (para 89)

  13. Updates made to self-isolation sections to reflect amended approach from 6 January, in light of latest evidence and booster programme (paras 54 to 94) vaccination section to reflect latest JCVI advice (paras 115 to 120) outbreak management (minor update) to reflect requirement for ongoing local prioritisation by HPTs (paras 185 and 186)

  14. Clarification re not all adults being high risk contacts.

  15. Updated to reflect current situation particularly in relation to the Omicron variant.

  16. Guidance has been amended to reflect current situation.

  17. Overview and version history pages updated.

  18. Updated information on visitors and drop-off/pick-up.

  19. Self-isolation and contact tracing: information for school and registered childcare settings supporting document updated.

  20. Guidance has been amended to reflect current situation.

  21. Addition of page 'Boarding Schools' and upload of annexe D

  22. Updated changes to previous guidance

  23. Revised self-isolation and contact tracing factsheet added. Replacing previous version.

  24. Addition of self-isolation and contact tracing factsheet.

  25. Updates to vaccination, school visitors and asymptomatic testing information.

  26. Minor updates to section 'changes to previous guidance' to reflect pdf, specifically adding 'new', 'removed', 'updated' against some mitigations.

  27. Links added to Coronavirus (COVID-19): Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues - return to school in August 2021 and formatting updates, version information updated.

  28. Guidance updated throughout and pdf updated.

  29. Various changes (outlined in version information page)

  30. Updated guidance to reflect restrictions easing in parts of Scotland.

  31. Various changes (outlined in version information page)

  32. Updated the guidance for boarding schools and return of international pupils.

  33. Minor amendments in ventilation and testing.

  34. Multiple changes across all sections (outlined in version information page)

  35. Update relating to changes in self-isolation period.

  36. First published.

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