First Fife pupils prepare for return to classroom with plea to follow guidelines

From Monday, senior secondary pupils in S4-6 will also be welcomed back in small numbers to complete practical coursework that cannot be done from home.

Addressing the Scottish Parliament, Nicola Sturgeon said lockdown measures will remain as they are, with the exception of schools, into March if not beyond.

It is unlikely more pupils from outside these groups will return to school until at least the middle of next month - and the First Minister emphasised that parents should continue to work from home and avoid socialising at school gates, lest they "jeopardise" progress in the fight against the virus.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs: "Being able to get children back to education may mean the rest of us living with some other restrictions for longer. That's a trade-off we may need to make at this stage.

"The proposals of getting more pupils into school later in March very much depends on all of us continuing to abide by the wider restrictions.

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Parents in Fife were advised of the changes last week in a letter sent out by council education chief Carrie Lindsay.

In the letter, she said that the move was "the start of getting every child in Fife back into school as soon as it’s safe to do so", adding that to date children allowed into school had "coped well with the unusual circumstances".

She has also pleaded with parents to continue following coronavirus guidelines.

"We still need you as parents and carers to play your part, by wearing face coverings and staying 2 metres apart from others when you drop off and pick up your child," she wrote.

"Please don’t share the car journey to school with other parents or their children. This virus likes to pass from person to person so let’s do everything we can to stop that happening in and around our schools."

School transport will be available as normal, with kids over the age of five required to wear a face covering on transport unless exempt.

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