Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for Central Scotland Graham Simpson has called on the SNP to update the Covid guidance on educational travel for school pupils.
Mr Simpson’s call comes after it emerged that pupils face missing out on trips abroad for another year due to out of date Covid guidance – which was due to be updated in August.
Educational trips, such as those to Dunkirk and Auschwitz, are often planned around nine months in advance meaning another cohort of students will miss out on an important part of their studies and travel companies are unable to trade.
Guidance on “international educational visits”, on the Scottish Government’s website references the old “red” and “amber” lists. It also says the risks of children and staff having to quarantine or stay in another county for longer than planned “should not be underestimated”.
The guidance was due to be reviewed by the end of August this year.
Commenting Scottish Conservative Transport Spokesman, Graham Simpson said: "The sector has been closed since March 2020 but, pre-pandemic, ABTA estimates that more than 160,000 overnight trips were taken each year by Scottish children with specialist school and youth travel providers.
“The failure to support these businesses could result in significant loss of valued skills and expertise that directly benefit schools and other education providers.
"The average lead in time for school and educational bookings is around 9 months. So they’re facing the risk of another entire academic year being lost, which would be very problematic and risk the insolvency of many of these businesses.
"The Scottish Government needs to update its guidance so that schools can book trips with confidence, or they need to say why that can't happen."
Commenting, Luke Pertherbridge, ABTA Director of Public Affairs, said: "School and educational travel companies have been amongst the businesses hardest hit by the COVID crisis, and in Scotland they remain unable to trade.
“These companies urgently need the Scottish Government to confirm that schools can begin to plan and book group travel again, in line with current rules on international travel.
“Updated guidance on educational travel – which currently states that schools and youth work providers are advised not to undertake international visits – has been promised by Ministers since August.
“Yet, despite international travel being reopened more generally, including a more recent relaxation of restrictions, school and educational travel companies are still being prevented from trading.”
