Schools reveal plans to close early when the new term begins

SOME schools in Wales are revealing plans to shut as early as 1.40pm next term as they start telling parents their plans for September.

Across Wales, schools are drawing up a wide variety of plans for how they will operate with start and finish times that are very different to how they were before the pandemic in some cases.

All schools have been told by the Welsh Government to re-open full time from September yet they have been given flexibility on changing start, finish and break times, without having to do the usual consultation with parents and others.

Parent campaign group UsForThemCymru said the changes amounted to “blended learning by stealth” after the Welsh Government had announced a full-time return.

Headteachers said before the end of the summer term that they would need to stagger start and finish times, in accordance with Welsh Government advice, to ensure staff and pupils’ safety and adhere to cleaning and other regimes outlined in the re-opening guidance.

They would make up for lost time with shortened breaks and in other ways.

But parents say the new shortened day and the closure of some breakfast and after-school clubs will make it hard for working parents and carers and affect children’s school work.

UsForThemCymru said it has been contacted by parents from around Wales saying the school day had been shortened and breakfast and after-school clubs cancelled.

Among other cases the mother of a child at Brackla Primary, Bridgend, said the day there will finish 25 minutes earlier but the school has told parents it won’t affect work as they won’t have assemblies.

Another parent said her child’s school in Caerphilly borough will no longer run its breakfast club and will finish the day at 2.45pm.

On Facebook she wrote: “I see they’re not thinking of working parents at all.”

A letter to families from Keri Cole, chief education officer at Caerphilly County Borough Council sums up some of the issues in her LEA and around Wales.

It says: “Schools will still have to adapt start and finish times for pupils, and we know this is inconvenient for you. However, safety is paramount, and schools need to continue to do this in order to minimise contact between groups of pupils.

“Those of you who rely upon school or public transport need to know how your children can access buses and taxis and we are awaiting this precise advice from Welsh Government. We will provide an update as soon as possible.

“Face coverings – There has been a lot of information in the media and some of it can be confusing for all of us. Current advice is that pupils and staff do not need to wear face masks. If this changes, e.g. for school buses, we will let you know.”

A spokesperson for Wales’ largest local education authority, Cardiff council said variations between schools are inevitable: “We are working with schools and childcare providers to help facilitate preparations for the reopening of breakfast and after-school clubs from September.

“Each school and setting is different and there cannot be one approach for all, instead the council will encourage and support schools and providers to come up with safe, local solutions.”

Some of those contacting UsForThemCymru are teachers worried about how they can drop their own children early enough to teach classes in the schools where they work.

A spokeswoman for the group said: “We were shocked to discover that despite the Welsh Government’s promise of a full return to school for all children in Wales, some schools in Wales will be introducing part-time school and blended learning by stealth in September.

“We are calling for all schools to return to their core hours and expand these where necessary for staggered pick-ups, drop-offs and breaks to maximise children’s chance to catch up and continue with their education.

“Shorter days have huge implications for working parents and will make many jobs entirely impossible and unworkable.

“The core school day must be reinstated and children’s right to an education prioritised from September.”

Conservative MS and member of the Senedd’s Children Young People and Education Committee Suzy Davies called on all schools to return full time with the full curriculum in place from September 14.

Although schools can open full time from September 1 she said she supported the Welsh Government giving them two weeks flexibility, but after that it should be work as usual, unless the Covid-19 outbreak worsened.

“There should be a clear presumption now for the normal school and curricu