Full return of pupils to schools in September has not been ruled out
EDUCATION Minister Kirsty Williams yesterday said she was “not ruling anything out”, as uncertainty remained over how schools in Wales will work when they return for the next academic year.
A full return of pupils to schools in September has not been ruled out, Ms Williams said.
At the same time she indicated “blended learning” at school and home would have to continue.
“I suspect that we will need to continue to have a mixture of online learning and face-to-face contact with teachers for some time,” said Ms Williams.
She said online learning is already being provided by many teachers, but would like to see more of it added from September.
The minister also couldn’t say whether the October half term will be one or two weeks across Wales now that some schools won’t return for the extra fourth week this term as previously announced by Welsh Government.
Asked at the daily Welsh Government coronavirus briefing if Wales would follow England and Scotland having a full return of pupils next term Kirsty Williams said: “I am not ruling anything out.”
Term dates are also uncertain. The Welsh Government’s original plan for re-opening schools included extending the summer term by one week to end on July 27.
In return schools would get a twoweek autumn half term.
That is now in tatters after most councils – including Cardiff – told their schools they could only return for three.
Ms Williams confirmed schools opening for four weeks until July 27 will get a two-week half term next term, but did not confirm the situation for the majority which are now only opening for three weeks.
Asked whether differing half term dates would cause confusion she said: “My proposal was to extend the summer term by a week, recognising that would be a voluntary effort on behalf of those head teachers, support staff and teachers willing to give up what would usually be a week of their holiday to help our children at this time.
“In lieu we will extend October half term. It is still the plan that those local authorities providing four weeks this summer will have a two-week half term in October.”
Asked whether the extra fourth week originally announced had been agreed only for employing councils to later retract that, Ms Williams said it had always ever been a proposal and was not up to her to decide.
“The proposals were shared with the Welsh Local Government Association and I would refer you to their statement released on the day welcoming the plans.
“But they recognised it was for them to – horrible word – ‘operationalise’ the proposals taking into consideration a range of factors.
“They have now done that and I know some of these decisions have been difficult for local authorities to reach.
“But as the employer they are in the position to make those decisions and as I said earlier,I have to accept the decisions they have made taking into consideration their own local circumstances.”
Councils began announcing late last Friday that they had now told schools they could only open for three weeks.
Seventeen of Wales’ 22 local councils have said they will not extend term by a week in their schools.
It is understood that councils and the Welsh Government were not able to reach an agreement with trade unions on the fourth week. This left the decision in the hands of councils, as employers. Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan or Wrexham, have all announced pupils will go back for three not four weeks in their schools.
On Anglesey schools won’t go back on June 29 because of an outbreak of Covid-19 at the island’s chicken processing plant.
The minister said secondary schools are arranging virtual transition days so students in Year Six can familiarise themselves with the buildings and meet their new teachers.
In some cases, this will be able to take place in person, she said.
She added that as some students have found studying at home “a challenge”, she has been working with teachers and education authorities to give extra help to those who need it.
She reiterated that ministers were “not the employer” and local councils had needed to “operationalise” her proposal to return for four weeks.
“Teachers and support staff worked hard to put those plans in place, but for a variety of reasons individual local authorities have not been able to proceed with that proposal,” Ms Williams said.
“But I think it’s really important to acknowledge the hard work that has gone on to ensure, whether it’s for three weeks or four weeks, Wales is doing something unique in providing all our children an opportunity to have some sessions in school ahead of summer.”
Meanwhile, the two largest teaching unions in Wales say they never agreed to schools opening for an extra week this term during talks with the Welsh Government and were surprised when it was announced by Education Minister Kirsty Williams.
National officials for the National Education Union Cymru and NASUWT Cymru said the announcement was made earlier this month apparently without the checks and planning being made with councils by the Welsh Government to ensure it could happen.
They said that lack of planning led to most councils telling their schools they could only open for the last three weeks of term, not the extra fourth week.
They were speaking after the plan for a four week opening, announced by Education Minister Kirsty Williams on June 3, was left in disarray with almost all 22 councils in Wales now telling their schools they can only open for three weeks.
This was after schools had made detailed plans to open for an extra week.
“The fourth week is academic because the idea would be that our members would get that week back in October. Our concern there was how could it be done and when the Minister announced it we thought she must have a plan. There was no plan,” Neil Butler, Nasuwt National Official for Wales, said.
David Evans, Wales Secretary for NEU Cymru added: “On this one particular issue there was not the necessary detailed engagement.”
Mr Evans stressed that talks with Ms Williams were usually constructive, but not on this vital detail.
He questioned how her offer of a two-week autumn half term in lieu of the extra week could work, pointing out that it goes against teachers’ nationally agreed contracts to be available 195 days in the academic year.
“There was never agreement on the fourth week or the in-depth discussions you would expect when making such a significant change.
“People had made plans. I know people aren’t jetting off but there are plenty of people who had other arrangements for that week and were looking forward to a well-earned rest; people had been working and manning school hubs.”
Recalling meetings about how schools could return after suddenly being ordered to close in March with barely any warning, thanks to the risk of the pandemic, Mr Evans emphasised: “The four weeks was never agreed with unions” but he acknowledged: “In fairness to Welsh Government they were lurching from one thing to another trying to come up with ideas and innovations on the hoof.”
But when it came to decisions on schools re-opening detailed conversations hadn’t taken place.
“I know from discussions with the Welsh Local Government Association that they interpreted it that once Kirsty Williams made the announcement she had fully discussed and agreed this with trade unions, but that’s simply not the case.
“In the week before her announcement we were given four options, do nothing and go back in September – which Kirsty Williams said no to – go back early for the autumn term in August – there was a no to that – return on June 29 with limited groups in years six, 10 and 12 or, as an almost throw away line, go back on June 29 with an additional fourth week.
“There was no explanation or rationale for that fourth week. There was nothing on how they would get around the legal and contractual issues of that nor a guarantee of the additional week at half term or how that could happen.”
Mr Evans said the document on school re-opening was delivered to unions late on the Friday afternoon before the announcement and told they must respond by lunchtime on the Monday.
“We said we preferred for years six, 10 and 12 to go back and rejected that fourth week. There was never any agreement on that at all.
“Later on Kirsty Williams said the fourth week was ‘proposed’ but it was presented as a fait accompli.”
He said the NEU wrote to all 22 local education authorities and all head teachers in Wales explaining its position and the contractual issues that make the fourth week “impossible”.
Once the announcement had been made he said the NEU did not advise members not to go in on the fourth week, but said if they did it must be voluntary.
Another union, UCAC said at no point did it oppose or campaign in favour of opening of schools for the fourth week.
UCAC said in a statement: “UCAC has outlined a series of practical issues that would need to be considered and resolved if schools were to open during the extra week, or if the school year were to be varied in any way.
“The reality is that it is local authorities and the Welsh Government who have failed to reach agreement on this issue, not the unions and the Welsh Government.”
Responding to the comments from unions a Welsh Government spokesman said: “By working together, Wales is the only country in the UK where all pupils will have the opportunity to return to school before the summer break.
“Getting to this unique position has involved head teachers, wider education staff, unions and local authorities.”