Schools in Monmouthshire will have remote learning for the first two days of term in January

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Saturday, 19 December 2020 07:30

By Emily Gill - Local Democracy Reporter

Schools in Monmouthshire will have remote learning for the first two days of term in January.

Rising coronavirus rates and the uncertainty of staffing levels in January has led to the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association announce a flexible approach to the new school term.

The new school term starts on January 4 but students will not have face-to-face teaching in Monmouthshire until January 6.

Monmouthshire County Council said that the virus is “highly prevalent” in the community and they “do not know yet what the impact of the change to the Christmas regulations will be or what impact a continued rise in the infection levels could have on staffing levels”.

A spokesman for the council said: “In order to effectively plan for the safe return of all of our learners as soon as possible a decision has been made for January 4 and 5 to be remote learning for all pupils.

“This will allow our schools to assess the impact on any staffing levels and ensure that they can return to face-to-face provision for pupils safely on January 6.

“There will not be any face-to-face support for critical workers’ children or vulnerable learners for the first two days.

“This is in line with the Welsh Government’s expectations that this provision is provided from the third day of school openings. Schools will be contacting parents to advise on how to access remote learning materials for the first days of term.”