COUNCIL bosses have urged teachers with concerns about coronavirus safety in schools to speak to head teachers.

Glasgow City Council said "robust" health and safety measures are in place as teaching union NASUWT said its members were concerned about social distancing.

The union's survey of 110 Glasgow teachers showed that just six per cent said managers in schools are always modelling and reinforcing messages about stringent social distancing.

No teachers working in Glasgow, who responded to this snapshot survey of their experiences since the reopening of their school or college since the start of the new academic year, were able to say that pupils in their school were always following physical distancing.

Some 60% said arrangements for cleaning in their school was not adequate while 61% said cleaning arrangements relied on teachers and other non-cleaning staff to carry out cleaning duties.

More than two thirds said their levels of anxiety around work are high or very high, rising to 80% of extremely vulnerable teachers.

NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said: “Claims that teachers are responsible for this rise in coronavirus cases, because they are failing to physically distance from each other, are misplaced and completely unfair.

“This survey highlights the failure by employers in Glasgow to put in place adequate procedures to ensure Covid-safety in their schools.

“Significant numbers of teachers who work in Glasgow are reporting a widespread failure to implement the essential safety measures designed to control the spread of coronavirus in schools or colleges."

There are around 5000 teachers working across ASL, primary and secondary schools.

The union released the survey after a leaked email from Glasgow's director of education, Maureen McKenna, said an "extraordinary number" of teachers have tested positive for coronavirus in the past week.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “We must all work together following the advice and guidance to help suppress the spread of the virus and enable our children and young people to continue their education.

“Schools have produced robust health and safety risk assessments which have been shaped and shared with teachers and school staff.

“The numbers in this survey are a very small minority of Glasgow’s teachers and we would urge anyone who’s got concerns to raise them with their senior management to get them resolved.”