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Businesses who continue to face challenges from the impact of Covid will benefit from a new Hardship Fund. Online applications open at 10am on 9 September 2021 and will close on Wednesday 15 September 2021 with funds allocated on a first come, first served basis. Prepare to applyThe fund is open to businesses facing financial challenges in 2021-22, due to the impact of Covid on the business in 2020-21.

Great things are happening in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s education service. At a meeting of the Community Services Committee today, members were presented with the Annual Performance Review which shows positive progress across many areas of the service. For example:

The successes and achievements of children, young people and school staff across ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute were celebrated today when the Council’s Community Services Committee approved its annual Education Plan for 2021/22. The plan is prepared in line with the requirements of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000, and brings together a range of information about the work of the education service for parents, pupils, staff, carers and communities.

Issued by NHS Highland  As confirmed cases of COVID rise across the NHS Highland area, local schools, which saw pupils returning last week after the summer holidays, have begun to feel the impact.   From 16 – 22 August, NHS Highland saw over 1000 cases which represents almost 10% of our total case count for the whole pandemic in a single week. This increase is expected to continue and we are already seeing a large number of outbreaks in Highland schools with around 60 schools affected so far.  

  Issued by the Scottish Government   

Issued by NHS Highland   Members of the public across Highland, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute are being urged to remain cautious and continue to be vigilant for symptoms of COVID-19 as new confirmed cases for this week are close to hitting 600; 193 of these confirmed on Thursday.   The cases are widespread across all of the NHS Highland area. Fort William, Oban and the Isle of Bute are seeing particularly high rates. There is no single situation driving the numbers up, sustained community transmission explains the increase in cases.  

Giving young people the best educational start in life will be on the agenda when the Community Services Committee meets next week. A proposed learning estate strategy will be considered, covering everything from outdoor learning, school rolls, and the condition of schools, to community involvement, national education priorities, and local ambitions for young people in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute. The strategy also sets out future aims and priorities. These include:

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ has listened to feedback from parents and pupils, and created a tasty new school menu that takes their views into account. The Scottish Government introduced new guidelines for school meals in April and, following feedback from parents and pupils, council officers have worked hard to create a delicious menu that will appeal to pupils, while also meeting the guidance.

Hobbit houses, campfires and water walls are just some of the fun outdoor learning activities that children will get to experience as a result of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute’s new Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) settings and the ongoing expansion of an existing unit on Mull. Willowview in Oban and Silverbirch in Dunoon, both run by ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, welcomed their first children this week, while MAKI Pups in Lochgilphead, run by the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and The isles Coast and Countryside Trust, has been fully operational for nine months now.

Public, private and third sector organisations with ten or more employees (which can include formal volunteers) can now sign up for asymptomatic workplace testing.