Parents call for virtual school for Scottish pupils

Some parents are calling for a Scotland-wide virtual school as anxieties grow at the prospect of indefinite home schooling into the autumn and beyond.

While pupils transitioning into primary and secondary schools should be in class briefly before the summer holidays begin at the end of June, the majority of Scotland’s schoolchildren with not return until 11 August, and then to a blended model of in-school and at-home learning.

With parents already struggling to support their children’s education, often while continuing to work from home, there was consternation when it emerged last week that Scotland’s largest local authority, Glasgow city council, is considering a model that would see children in school only two days out of every five.

Jenifer Johnston, public affairs expert and mother of two, was deluged with responses from overwhelmed parents when she proposed the idea of a virtual school for the Reform Scotland thinktank.

“Parents are currently using up holiday, flexitime, unpaid leave and their employers’ good will with no idea when this might end,” she said. It’s particularly tough for single parents and those in precarious employment.”

Johnston credited the efforts of individual teachers, schools and councils in her proposal, but described the current localised approach as unsustainable, with parents expected to use a huge variety of teaching methods – Microsoft Teams, SeeSaw, Zoom, Show My Homework, Google Classroom, Google Hangouts, emails and printables – while struggling with the functionality of Glow, the national school intranet.

“My ask of the Scottish government is that there is a national online curriculum developed and delivered digitally in really simple, open-access websites, no passwords, no gatekeeping, just lessons broadcast daily on a website, join in if you can,” Johnston wrote in her article for Reform Scotland. “Lessons could be live and recorded to watch later if children can’t get to them right away.”

Eileen Prior, executive director of Connect, Scotland’s national parents’ organisation, said that the stresses of overseeing schoolwork are now magnified by worries about a part-time system from August. “Parents often feel ill-informed about what the expectation is, or simply feel they don’t have the skills or knowledge to support. Lack of access to devices or poor connectivity has been mentioned many times.”

Prior argued that there is now an opportunity to adopt a strategic national approach “where the most skilled and creative develop online materials, and class teachers provide support to their pupils in ways that are immediate and personal”.

Vonnie Sandlan, a mother of four, three of whom are of school age, admitted she was shocked when she read a draft of the Glasgow city council proposals, which the council insists remain under consideration.

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“Seeing a two-day week in black and white was a reality-check. My children are at very different stages, and although I’ve reduced my working hours its been almost impossible to maintain any realistic education for them so far.”

Sandlan, who is chair of her parent council on the south side of Glasgow, is also supportive of a national digital curriculum. “We’ve already got models there from the Open University, or the University of the Highlands and Islands. It surely makes more sense on a logistical level to have one national approach, given the resources it would take.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We are working with all partners in Scotland’s education system to protect pupils’ wellbeing, and ensure learning can continue in an appropriate way, wherever possible. We continue to engage with parent organisations such as National Parent Forum to ensure families are receiving the advice and support they need.”