SCHOOL bus services are being put at risk by pupils refusing to wear face masks and use hand sanitiser.

East Lothian Council’s head of education has urged parents and carers to speak to young people amid reports of increased incidents of non-compliance during bus journeys.

And she has warned that the council only has a “finite number of drivers”, with home-to-school transport facing disruption if they are forced to self-isolate or catch Covid-19.

The warning comes as Nicola McDowell, who took on the head of education role in June, defended the decision not to allow families to attend nativity plays and Christmas concerts this year.

The decision, which follows Scottish Government guidance against allowing additional people into schools, has sparked some anger from parents.

However, Mrs McDowell insists the council’s strict approach will keep schools open, as well as avoiding families risking having to self isolate over Christmas itself.

Speaking about the decision not to hold festive events, she said: “I make no apologies for saying we are taking a very strict approach, we have to do that.

“We would love to be celebrating, not holding back the celebrations, for the staff as well as families; this is something everyone looks forward to, so we are doing what we can in the classrooms.

”Schools are allowed to have Christmas parties within their own classrooms so we will be having that type of event and ensuring there are lots of festivities for our pupils.

“Christmas assemblies are being held virtually, with headteachers delivering them from their offices into all classes.

“There is nothing we would like more than to have nativities and dances. Some sixth-year pupils even wrote asking to have their dance but we have to be so very careful and consider the risk.

“The number of Covid cases is still high and if we ended up doing a nativity event and Covid was spread, it could require families to self-isolate over Christmas. Schools are already closing a week early, the risk is very real.”

Parents and carers across East Lothian are being sent letters this week by Mrs McDowell explaining the nativity decision.

In a separate letter also due to go out, she appeals for help keeping school bus services on the road.

She said: “The risk of not having transport is that the staff are not well. The incidents of non-compliance have increased, with some pupils taking off their face masks and not using the hand sanitiser on the buses.

“It increases the risk of transmitting Covid and we only have a finite number of drivers.”

East Lothian Council invested £1.7 million in additional buses when schools returned in August last year following the first lockdown.

However, it introduced a strict no-mask no-entry policy on school buses, warning that children would be turned away if they did not have them on.

Just over 2,200 children use home-to-school transport in East Lothian and there have been increased reports of pupils taking face coverings off on the buses from drivers, sparking a real concern the service could face disruption.

While the council has contingency plans in place should the number of drivers unable to work impact the service, Mrs McDowell is calling on pupils, parents and carers to “play their part”.

She said: “Like many companies, our bus firms are working with staff shortages caused by Covid and we all have a part to play in ensuring the school service is not disrupted.”

Mrs McDowell, who came to East Lothian in June from Midlothian, where she was schools group manager for seven years, having been headteacher at Mauricewood and Bonnyrigg Primary Schools for a decade, said the priority in East Lothian was to keep schools open.

The local authority recently took the decision to close 12 of its 29 public toilets completely and only allow use of accessible facilities at a further eight, as cleaning services were re-routed to schools to cover staff shortages.

Mrs McDowell said that an education recovery group was established to bring together council services from across departments, with the common goal of making schools a priority.

She said: “In East Lothian, we are absolutely committed to keeping the schools open and we have great support from across council services to ensure this happens.”