Denbighshire County Council has issued a statement
in response to the announcement by Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams MS
today that schools will re-open in phases from June 29.
The main points of the Minister’s announcement
were:
- It is
proposed that all schools will start the next phase on 29 June, with the
term extended by a week, therefore ending on 27 July.
- In the next academic year, beginning in
September, the intention is that the autumn half-term break will be
expanded to two weeks.
- In each school there will be a phased
approach. Year groups will be split into cohorts with staggered starts,
lessons and breaks. It is expected that this will mean, at most, a third
of pupils present at any one time, though schools may need time to reach
this level of operation.
- There will be much smaller classes,
providing secure dedicated time with teachers and classmates. This time
will include online and personalised classroom experience, getting
children and teachers ready for a similar experience in September.
Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, Cabinet Lead
Member for Education, Children’s Services and Public Engagement, said: “The
safety of our children, young people and our staff is a top priority and we
would like to reassure parents and guardians that we will do everything it
takes to create safe environments for when our pupils and students return.
“The Welsh Government has made it clear from the
outset of coronavirus that schools will only re-open in Wales when it is safe
to do so, but we recognise that some parents/ guardians may be still have
concerns around the timing.
“A lot of work is going on in Denbighshire and
across North Wales, to review all our education and school policies and
procedures, to make sure they are fit for purpose for new arrangements to be
put in place that will allow our schools to open safely.
“We will now consider the details of the
announcement in great detail and we will work closely with schools, governing
bodies and teaching unions to prepare for re-opening schools, with stringent
social distancing measures being introduced in every school. There will be
rigorous cleaning and hand hygiene procedures in place and we will ensure that
schools have everything they need to operate safely. We await further guidance
from Welsh Government in due course.
“Schools will provide information over the coming
days and weeks about arrangements that will be put in place and steps
that people must follow to ensure that the health and safety of all our
pupils and staff are protected."
