‘Schools will never have to close again if we stick to the Covid rules’
SCHOOLS will never have to shut entirely again, outgoing Education Minister Kirsty Williams hopes as she prepares to hand over what has become one of the toughest jobs in the cabinet.
Ms Williams said she had confidence in the vaccination programme, but people must follow the rules and even then schools will not go back to normal this year.
Asked whether there was a risk, with fear over new variants, that schools and colleges will be shut wholesale again, Ms Williams said:
“I really, really hope not. The massive success of the vaccine programme has to give us confidence going forward. Cases are down and the vaccine programme is going well.”
Despite that confidence she repeated her warning from earlier this year that school and college life is unlikely to return to normal this year.
Although Ms Williams said she hoped all learners can return full time to their classrooms next term, as planned, the pandemic means there are no guarantees.
And she cautioned that it is also too early to say when mitigations such as self-isolating, masks and social distancing in classrooms and around schools will be eased.
These are likely to continue to be needed in education and throughout society, even with the success of the vaccine programme and falling cases.
Ms Williams, who is standing down as a Member of the Senedd after 22 years, said the last year had been a series of tough decisions, thanks to the pandemic, but she is confident the education system in Wales has responded well.
She said she disliked the phrase “catch up”, and believes Wales’ teaching profession, and the new curriculum, due to roll out from next year, will give young people the skills they need after the huge disruption of Covid and lockdown.
Her successor will likely have to deal with some of the same issues Ms Williams has had to tackle this year.
Covid cases in schools, pupils being sent home to self-isolate and blended learning are unlikely to vanish even into the next school and calendar year. Exams could continue to cause controversy and the effect of lockdown and the pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of young people is still high on the education agenda.
Although everyone is keen to avoid the rows and confusion over exam grading last year, there is
still some uncertainty with exams this summer and next year.
Plans to replace 2021’s cancelled exams with external and internal assessments were abandoned when schools and
colleges were shut again in January. Results will now be based solely on teacher assessments, but students in one college say teachers are assessing them for final grades on exam-like tests at very short notice.
And while independent regulator Qualifications Wales is “hopeful” exams can run in 2022, what pupils have to learn for them will look different and contingency plans will be made in case they have to be called off again in 2022.
Looking back over the last year the outgoing Education Minister said the hardest decision was shutting schools last March and she regretted the upset caused to young people by the row and confusion over last year’s cancelled exams.
Kirsty Williams apologised publicly to students last summer after a standardising algorithm downgraded thousands of results. Grades were later awarded on teacherassessed grades only.
She said it had been a year of “making really difficult decisions” but when the Chief Medical Officer had twice told her the only lever left was to shut schools, she had no option.
Looking ahead Ms Williams said people should be optimistic but realistic about how schools and colleges will look next term and from September.
“I hope for a less disrupted term next term. As the First Minister said this week, the idea that it will return to existence as it was before the pandemic is unlikely. We are going to have to live with the virus.
“That may mean restrictions for a period of time and we have to prepare for a (school) system as flexible as it needs to be.
“The virus is still with us and not going away, which is why we need everyone to keep following the rules.
“If cases rise again, inevitably, some will find their way into schools. That’s why we are taking a cautious approach in unlocking restrictions.
“We are not in a world free of Covid but I am hopeful with a strong adherence to the rules and the vaccine programme it will become more of a seasonal factor.”
She said it was too early to say whether or not the new regime of offering rapid lateral flow tests to pupils aged over 14 twice a week has had any impact.
Public Health Wales will look at data from that in the coming weeks, she said.
Ms Williams, who was leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from December 2008 until May 2016 and acting leader from June 2017 until November 2017, has been the only Liberal Democrat in the Labour administration’s cabinet.
As MS for Brecon and Radnorshire she was appointed Education Minister by former First Minister Carwyn Jones in 2016. When Mark Drakeford took over in 2018 he kept her in his cabinet.
Ms Williams, married with three daughters, said she plans to take a break and spend time with her family before deciding what to do next.