SCHOOL’S OUT FOR FESTIVE SEASON
SECONDARY STUDENTS MOVE TO ONLINE CLASSES – WITH PRIMARIES GIVEN OPTION TO FOLLOW SUIT
MANY schools across Carmarthenshire closed early this week, with pupils switching to online learning for the remaining days of the term.
It followed an announcement by the Welsh Government that all secondary schools and colleges in Wales would shut for face-to-face teaching from Monday.
Several councils also took the decision to close their primary schools, but Carmarthenshire Council is not mandating closure, instead allowing all primary and special schools the choice to move to distance learning or remain open from yesterday.
“Council leaders are concerned the situation will only get worse in the coming week if no action is taken and have made the decision in the best interest of staff, pupils, and their families,” said a statement issued via Carmarthenshire Council.
“The rising number of cases in the community is having a significant effect on staff and pupils having to self-isolate, leading to major staffing issues within schools as well as putting considerable pressure on the Test Trace Protect teams.
“All local authorities are working closely with head teachers and chairs of governors to ensure this has as little impact as possible on children’s learning.
“All primary schools are expected to provide childcare for health and social care workers for those who have no other care options. They must also ensure there is provision in place for our most vulnerable learners.
“Families with children eligible for free school meals will receive payment to cover the days they are learning from home.”
Carmarthenshire Council leader Emlyn Dole said: “We are extremely concerned about how quickly the virus is spreading in our communities and this is having a significant impact on our schools.
“We have already seen some schools having to close – not because coronavirus is circulating there but because so many staff are having to self-isolate.
“This hasn’t been an easy decision but we want to make sure pupils and staff can enjoy Christmas”
The announcement by the Welsh Government, that all secondary schools and colleges in Wales would shut for face-toface teaching on Monday, came hours after it indicated there would NOT be a national directive to shut schools.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams said her decision followed expert advice from Wales’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO) showing that the public health situation in Wales was “deteriorating”.
Teaching unions and headteachers’ representatives have all been pressing for an early end to face-to-face teaching in all schools.
The decision to shut secondary schools and colleges in Wales and return to remote learning for the last week of term was part of a “national effort to reduce coronavirus transmission,” the minister added.
She said staff had worked to make schools and colleges safe with almost half of all Welsh schools having had no Covid cases since September, but “education settings being open can contribute to wider social mixing outside the school and college environment”.
The minister added: “Every day, we are seeing more and more people admitted to hospital with coronavirus symptoms.
“The virus is putting our health service under significant and sustained pressure and it is important we all make a contribution to reduce its transmission.
“In his advice to me today, the CMO recommends that a move to online learning should be implemented for secondary school pupils as soon as is practicable.
“I can therefore confirm that a move to online learning should be implemented for secondary school pupils and college students from Monday next week.
“We recognise, as we did during the fire-break, that it is more difficult for primary and special school age children to undertake self-directed learning.
“That is why we are encouraging primary and special schools to continue to stay open.
“Having spoken to local education leaders, I am confident that schools and colleges have online learning provision in place.
“This will also be important in ensuring that students are at home during this time, learning and staying safe.
“Critically, and this is very important, children should be at home.
“This is not an early Christmas holiday, please do everything you can to minimise your contact with others.”
Eithne Hughes, director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, said: “We support the Welsh Government’s decision to move to online learning in secondary schools and colleges.
“This is obviously a difficult decision but the public health advice is very clear that this needs to happen to tackle Covid infection rates in Wales.”
Latest data from Public Health Wales shows there were 861 confirmed Covid cases in schools in the six days to December 10. Since term started in September there have been 2,376 cases among Wales’ 296,800 pupils.
Laura Doel, director of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said: “While we feel this is the right decision for secondary schools, it is going to be a challenge for them to move to fully supporting online learning while simultaneously remaining open for vulnerable children.”
“We are extremely concerned about how quickly the virus is spreading in our communities and this is having a significant impact on our schools
Carmarthenshire Council
leader Emlyn Dole