Nicola Sturgeon has come under fire over her classroom reopening plan amid reports some secondary pupils will only get a few hours of in-school contact a week.

Ruth Davidson, Holyrood leader for the Scottish Conservatives, said one parent had told her party the situation was a "joke".

Children and young people are preparing to go back to class from March 15.

READ MORE: Pupils who won't wear masks 'should be barred'

Pupils in S1-6 will return part-time, with those in the senior phase getting the lion's share of teaching time so they can carry out tasks and tests necessary for national qualifications. Youngsters in P4-7 will have full-time access.

Classes resumed last month for children in P1-3 and pre-school. 

Campuses have been closed for most as part of efforts to contain Covid-19.

Ms Davidson said: "Pupils and parents were promised a return to the classroom... but it's clear that for many this will amount to only a few hours a week."

The concerns were echoed by parents group Us For Them.

The Herald: P1-3 pupils have already returned to school. P4-7s will go back next week.P1-3 pupils have already returned to school. P4-7s will go back next week.

According to its analysis, thousands of children will continue to do almost all of their learning from home.

It said Aberdeen City Council told parents of S1-S3 pupils that they would offer a “one three-hour block each week for a wellbeing session” in school.

In East Dunbartonshire, youngsters will get to attend one session per week between 9am and 12.30pm.

READ MORE: Headteachers hit out at Nicola Sturgeon over class reopening plan

Inverclyde council bosses described their own offer as “limited” and would only commit to “planned weekly time in school”.

For children in East Lothian, the next three weeks “looks likely to be half a day a week” in terms of face-to-face teaching”. In Edinburgh, the local authority told all year groups to “expect a minimum of half a day per week”.

It is expected all pupils will be back in class full-time after the Easter holidays.

Ms Sturgeon told MSPs on Tuesday: "I do not stand here and say this is perfect but we need to balance all of this to get schools back and [to get] schools back in a way that does not then set back the progress of the country overall."