What councils are saying...
Newport: “Schools’ operational guidance in relation to Covid is still in place with advice and recommended mitigations. Risk assessments are still required and this includes putting appropriate measures in place for exams such as ventilation, hand sanitisation, and spaces between desks. Teachers and pupils with Covid symptoms are asked to stay at home and seek a test. Special schools will continue with their LFD testing regime.”
Merthyr Tydfil: “Schools will be managing risk as they would any other communicable disease. Schools will continue to ensure hygiene measures are adhered to and all schools have detailed risk assessments in place so remain safe environments for staff and learners.”
Cardiff: “Staff must still selfisolate if they test positive for Covid. There is currently no change in the self-isolation guidance. Any pupil who tests positive for Covid should be asked to not attend school. This is because a Covid-19 infection will be treated like any other communicable disease (eg norovirus) and a school can recommend certain measures to protect the health and safety of other pupils and staff. This is not an exclusion but an authorised absence.
“There is no requirement for wearing face masks in a school or setting. Hand sanitiser will continue to be supplied and recommended to be used by staff within workplaces. Hand-washing will remain an effective control measure.
“Health and Safety Executiverequired levels of ventilation to be maintained, continued use of carbon dioxide monitors. With regard to risk assessments mainstream schools will treat Covid-19 the same as other notifiable communicable disease. Special schools are still required to have a Covid-19 risk assessment in place for the setting or individual. Local contingency measures may need to be implemented by the school where there is an increase in staff shortages due to current selfisolation requirement.”
Blaenau Gwent: “The local authority and school leaders have worked continually to ensure that schools in Blaenau Gwent are as safe as possible for our children and young people and for our hardworking staff. Covid is still with us of course and we are following the latest Welsh Government advice on how we live with this virus going forward. We are hopeful we can now move towards some form of normal and will continue working hard to support our children and young people to recover from the impacts of this pandemic and achieve their full potential.”
Caerphilly: “We are unable to provide an answer on the Covid plans for individual schools as each school identify their measures through individual risk assessments. Each school would need to be contacted individually for this information.”