Parents voice ‘extreme concerns’ about secondary school

The parent council at Taylor High School has approached this newspaper after flagging up concerns in regard to a spate of Covid-19 outbreaks involving staff and pupils.

A spokesperson for the group said that parents have received far too many letters from the NHS warning of positive test results on campus for the school to be a healthy backdrop to teaching.

They added: “While this correspondence seeks to reassure parents that the school is a safe environment for learning, the regularity of these letters suggests otherwise and actively reinforces parent concerns.

“We have been advised that on numerous occasions classes have been left without a teacher and without a lesson plan – others have been cancelled altogether due to low pupil numbers.

“Whilst fully understanding the school cannot legislate for teacher absence to this degree during such a pandemic, there should be contingency plans in place for classes.

“Whilst this is a significant issue for all year groups, we are extremely concerned about fifth and six year students who are working towards Higher/Advanced Higher currently still planned for 2021. We know of some senior pupils who are already in their second isolation period due to being identified as close contacts of fellow pupils or family members who have tested positive for the virus – that is four weeks of lost time.”

A council spokesperson said: “From the outset, the council has been open and transparent with parents and carers about positive cases in schools. There is no current evidence of unexplained widespread transmission beyond the identified groups and the number of new cases has remained low and the situation is being carefully monitored.

“Digital learning is in place for pupils who are self-isolating to access school work and we have invested in technology to support online learning including live lessons, and pupils without digital access have been provided with devices.

“There have been a number of staff absences, the majority unrelated to coronavirus, and in order to try and maintain pupil safety, we are not combining classes, which has led to a larger number of classes requiring cover.

“Every effort has been made by staff present in the school to maximise the amount of teaching in these difficult conditions.”