The Welsh Government has today published guidance for schools to plan for pupils to return from 29 June to “check in, catch up and prepare for summer and September”.
The guidance, ‘Keep Education Safe’, provides practical and learning guidance on preparing schools for a phased return up to the end of the summer term, supporting settings to safely increase their on-site operations.
In each school there will be a phased approach. Year groups will be split into small groups with staggered starts and breaks. It is expected that this will mean, at most, a third of pupils present at any one time
The guidance for schools is divided into two sections: on operational matters and on learning. The guidance is supported by a Frequently Asked Questions page on the Welsh Government website, which will provide answers to common questions as they arise.
The Welsh Government is also publishing guidance for childcare settings today, to support the sector in opening up more widely and ensuring providers can operate safely.
Read more here: https://gov.wales/education-coronavirus
The Council is undertaking careful planning around a series of measures which aim to respond to the challenges and issues relating to schools and other education providers, moving out of lockdown.
Cardiff’s Restart Planning report details how schools could operate following lockdown sets out a series of processes and procedures which will aim to support schools, specifically so that they can ensure the safety of staff, pupils and parents and reduce the spread of the virus by operating in physically distanced environments.
Council measures will include:
- New health & safety procedures to include space capacity assessments and risk assessments to establish volume, appropriate furniture lay-out, movement flows and external spaces
- Hygiene and cleaning to establish a regime for hand washing, contact point cleaning and deep cleaning of school spaces
- Workforce capacity assessments to ensure adequate staffing and staff preparation and support to – identify and respond to the needs of staff including virtual health & safety training
- Identifying equipment and additional resources such as PPE and when it is required based on clear and informed advice
- Additional support for pupils and school staff around health & well-being, for example issues around family trauma as well as mental health issues relating to isolation
- Widening of pavements and pathways at some school sites to facilitate social distancing and prevent the need for vulnerable road users to step into the road
- Introduction of temporary 20mph limits on roads around schools where possible and consider temporary road closures at drop-off and pick up times
Regular updates will provide full details of the school arrangements as the 29thJune opening date approaches.
