Within the EIS November survey, thousands of comments from teachers were collected on issues such as behaviour in the classroom, their health, and wider safety concerns about working in schools.
This is the sixth in a series of briefings, that the EIS will issue to the Scottish Government outlining the experiences of EIS members. Some comments have been redacted to ensure they do not identify individual schools or members.
Key Issues
- 2,721 comments were left by members who identified themselves as working in a Secondary School in their response to the survey (not all are included in this briefing)
- Members stated repeatedly that the social distancing guidance was impossible to implement due to the large number of pupils in class or in communal areas such as corridors
- Ventilation was a real problem as teachers are often forced to choose between good ventilation or a warm classroom environment
- Some of the comments suggested that face masks are not being worn consistently, and even where they are in use, members do not feel they go far enough to keep schools safe
- Respondents highlighted their concerns about their mental health and wellbeing due to the strain of working in schools they don’t believe are safe
- Members stated they don’t believe the number of cases in schools is being recorded accurately
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