BY THE time you read this column, we will know if the current lockdown has been extended and, in particular, whether the return of face-to-face learning in schools has had to be pushed beyond the start of February.

All the signs are that fully reopening schools will be later than initially hoped, but that is not because restrictions are not working.

Infection rates in East Lothian have been falling again, so no matter how hard the start of 2021 has been, keeping social contact to a minimum looks as if it is beginning to pay off.

Those rates are still high, though, and we have to knuckle down and keep to the rules.

It is clear that county teachers had worked hard to be ready for another period of remote learning when it came, and while managing home learning is very tough for parents, I think most will have benefited from more guidance, more materials and more ‘live’ teacher contact this time. The council has also distributed IT equipment to many families, so hopefully fewer pupils have been hampered by a lack of laptop or broadband.

Unfortunately, these local efforts have not always been matched by national bodies such as Education Scotland, who failed to ensure IT platforms would not fail on day one, or the Qualifications Authority, who are still struggling to tell senior pupils and their teachers exactly how assessments to replace exams can be done if remote learning continues.

Teachers and parents have done remarkable work to protect our children’s education as best we can and they deserve better support. My colleagues and I have been demanding exactly that in Parliament and in the Education Committee.

At the same time, we are pressing hard for speeding up the vaccination programme, since that is the ultimate route out of these restrictions, hopefully once and for all.