Ministers have been accused of having no idea whether Covid-hit classrooms in Scottish schools are appropriately ventilated.

Willie Rennie, Scottish Liberal Democrat education spokesperson, claimed the Government did not know if premises had air filters and could not be bothered to find out.

It comes after he asked Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville whether information on the number of devices in use was being collected by the Covid-19 Education Recovery Group. He also asked if a running total would be published. 

In her answer, Ms Somerville said it was for local authorities to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users. She added that it was also for councils to determine what remedial action is required in their schools, in line with guidance. 

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She stressed that recently announced funding of up to £5 million was in addition to previous funding of £10m to address issues around ventilation and CO2 monitoring - and on top of £90m in Covid-19 logistics funding. 

But Mr Rennie said: “The Scottish Government don't know if classrooms have air filters and can't be bothered to find out. It’s completely ridiculous that packed classrooms are the norm again, but in many cases the only option for ventilation is to open the windows in mid-winter. 

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see an air filter in every classroom. This would make classrooms safer, have a long-term benefit in terms of reducing cold and flu outbreaks and allow us to eliminate the need for masks much faster. 

“Instead the government seem to just want to wash their hands of the whole business. It’s shockingly neglectful for the Education Secretary to just leave this in the hands of local authorities.”   

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He added: “The Scottish Government is planning to spend millions on standardised testing, despite the warnings from teachers that these tests are unfair and unhelpful.

"Tests for P1 pupils should be scrapped and the money redirected towards making sure schools and classrooms are safe."