Detailed guidance revealed for September return to school
LITERACY, numeracy and digital learning, along with health and wellbeing, must be the priority for next term, Welsh Government guidance for schools reopening full-time in September says.
The guidance, published on Monday, is separated into two documents – one on how schools can operate safely and the other on what children should be taught and how.
“Schools and settings must do everything possible to minimise contacts and mixing”, it says.
But they won’t automatically be closed if a pupil or member of staff tests positive for Covid-19.
Although contact between individuals should be minimised, keeping pupils in contact groups of 30, as suggested in scientific advice to Welsh Government, may not be possible.
In secondary schools, “groups” may mean several hundred in whole years or half years of pupils, the guidance suggests.
Social distancing, keeping groups of whatever size separate, staggered start and finish times and strict cleaning and hygiene protocols mean schools will seem very different next term, but the guidance emphasises pupils must be encouraged to attend and learning must be meaningful.
There should be assessments, although schools will not be judged on these.
The guidance, which also includes the process which should be followed if anyone develops Covid-19 symptoms at school, warns the situation could change depending on what the virus does and schools must have contingency plans to return to remote learning.
The National Association of Headteachers Cymru welcomed the guidance but warned: “We should not underestimate the scale of the logistical challenges this guidance will pose school leaders in particular.
“We should make no mistake, this is not a return to ‘business as usual’ and there is a great deal of work that now needs to be done.”
The guidance includes advice on:
Attendance: Parents won’t be penalised for not sending their children into school but this will be reviewed after half-term. Term will start on September 1 but schools can prioritise years such as exam years before everyone is expected to return on September 14;
Learning: The Welsh Government has announced
£29m to help recruit more staff to address help “recover and raise standards”;
Uniform: This is a matter for school governors;
Canteens: School kitchens are “expected” to be open;
School transport: Pupils won’t have to wear face masks, but this guidance may change; and
Breakfast clubs and afterschool provision: These should reopen.
“Local authorities should work with schools to consider resuming any breakfast and after-school provision, where possible whether this is provision offered by the school or run out of the school by a private provider.”
The guidance for “contact groups” says: “Whatever the size of the group, they should be kept apart from other groups where possible and older learners should be encouraged to keep their distance within groups...
“We recognise that younger learners will not be able to maintain social distancing, and it is acceptable for them not to distance within their group. Both the approaches of separating groups and maintaining distance are not ‘all or nothing’ options, and will still bring benefits even if implemented partially.
“Some schools may keep learners in their class groups for the majority of the classroom time, but also allow mixing into wider groups for specialist teaching, wraparound care and transport. Siblings may also be in different groups.
“All teachers and staff can operate across different classes and year groups in order to facilitate the delivery of the school timetable. This will be particularly important for secondary schools.
“Where staff need to move between classes and year groups, they should try and keep their distance from learners and other staff as much as they can, ideally two metres from other adults. Again, we recognise this is not likely to be possible with younger learners and teachers in primary schools can still work across groups if that is needed to enable a full educational offer.”
If there is a second wave of Covid-19 or a local outbreak, all schools must have a plan to return to full-time remote learning.
The 49-page guidance document cautions the situation may change: “This guidance is designed to enable local authorities working with their schools and settings to plan for the autumn term, recognising that the guidance will evolve over the coming weeks to reflect the latest Welsh Government policies particularly around school transport, shielding and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.”
It quotes a recent report by the Public Health Agency of Sweden, saying: “Children are not a major risk group of the Covid-19 disease and seem to play a less important role from the transmission point of view... The negative effects of closing schools must be weighed against the possible positive indirect effects it might have on the mitigation of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
It goes on to say: “School leaders will need to make judgments at a school level about how to balance and minimise any risks from Covid-19 with providing a full educational experience for children and young people...
“The autumn term will start on September and schools that can accommodate all learners from the start of the term should do so. There will be a period of flexibility in recognition that schools may want to focus on priority year groups such as Years 7, 12, 13 and Special Units for secondary and early years and Year 6 in the primary sector such as those new to secondary schools, those sitting exams next summer or those in reception classes.”
On action to minimise Covid-19 risk, the guidance spotlights the following:
Anyone unwell or with Covid19 symptoms must stay at home;
increased hand-washing and hand-washing facilities; increased cleaning regime; active engagement with Wales’ Test, Trace, Protect scheme;
formal consideration of how to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school;
desks should face forward, but this may not always be possible;
staff should maintain distance from learners and other staff as much as possible;
all staff should be trained in how to put on and remove PPE safely and in the correct order. PPE is not usually necessary but may be in cases of first aid, intimate care or if someone is believed to be infected; and
while passing briefly in the corridor or playground is “low risk”, schools should avoid creating busy corridors, entrances and exits. Schools should also consider staggered break times and lunch times.
The guidance says a school does not have to shut if someone tests positive for Covid-19.
“A positive test on site [therefore] does not require closure of that site”, the guidance says. “The process of testing and contact tracing is part of the ‘new normal’ and where schools and settings follow these guidelines carefully, there is no cause for alarm.”
But schools must engage with the Test, Trace, Protect strategy and;
No-one with symptoms can attend;
no-one living with someone who has symptoms of Covid-19 or has tested positive to Covid-19 in the past 14 days can attend;
those showing symptoms should be kept separate until they can be collected and taken home; and
confirmed cases of Covid-19 in a school are to be flagged by local contact tracing teams
All schools will be sent home testing kits for Covid-19 but staff won’t be routinely tested. There is “very limited benefit in adopting blanket testing of teachers and support staff in schools in Wales”, the guidance says
Laura Doel, director of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said: “We welcome the fact that schools now have a degree of clarity about what the September return will look like.
“Schools can now begin to put plans in place to welcome all pupils back next term. However, we should not underestimate the scale of the logistical challenges this guidance will pose school leaders in particular.
“We should make no mistake, this is not a return to ‘business as usual’ and there is a great deal of work that now needs to be done.
“There are specific areas where we still need clarity from Welsh Government.”
Covid-19