Children could be sent home from school to work remotely again this winter with further waves of Covid expected this winter, headteachers are warning. Health bosses have forecast a Covid and flu "twindemic" and one of Wales' top doctors said "one of more waves" of Covid are expected in coming months.
Kerina Hanson, headteacher of Pennard Primary School in Swansea and NAHT Cymru president, said heads are reporting some staff and children off with Covid already and contingency plans would have to be made. Doctors have warned there could be a tricky winter ahead and you can read more about that here
Ms Hanson said she was hoping it would not be needed, but there was a real possibility of pupils being sent to work remotely again if staff were absent. Schools would have no choice if staff were off sick, especially with the national shortage of supply staff.
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"Remote learning is still in the package of things we can do if we have no one to cover a class. If you can't get supply cover and lots of staff are off you might decide you have to go to remote learning - that is better than no learning.
"Covid is still there - this week our members are reporting high levels of Covid - It's not gone away, we are just not talking about it. We have heard from members that they are seeing a spike in Covid in schools and for children it means missed learning again when they are off ill."
Ms Hanson said all schools want to do their best for pupils but it was no use pretending Covid disruption had vanished. Remote learning and contingency plans could be needed again this winter and this should be communicated clearly and early..
Although people can, by law, go to work or school with Covid, the guidance is that they should not. There is also more sickness absence generally than pre-Covid.
"There is clear guidance that people have Covid they can't come in for five days. Pre-Covid children and staff would come in with coughs and colds, but now tend not to," said Ms Hanson.
"Last year there were high levels of Covid and we are concerned if we have that level of absence again. Schools cannot work without staff and it's really difficult to find supply staff.
"It is something heads are talking about and we are already hearing members' concerns. We are still seeing high levels of sickness
The Association of School and College Leaders shared her concerns. Director Eithne Hughes said: "There are definitely concerns about this winter, especially after the health monitoring reports. The worry is there will be a repeat of last winter with high sickness absence - it may not be Covid but could also be colds and flu."
The latest infection survey from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for the week ending September 26, which is based on a random sample, suggested that 2.09% – or one in 50 – of Wales' population had Covid-19 that week. That is up slightly on 2.07% the week before but a much slower rate of change than in the preceding week
The most common reason for absence for the academic year to date has been illness, with nearly half of sessions missed being for this reason, according to latest Welsh Government figures released on October 12. It is not known how much illness in schools is Covid because Covid statistics in schools are no longer published.
Speaking earlier this week consultant epidemiologist Dr Chris Williams, from Public Health Wales, said the vaccination uptake and overall population immunity were helping to keep serious Covid illness at bay for most people.
But he warned that community transmission, hospitalisations, and deaths had risen over recent weeks which could indicate the start of an early autumn wave.
A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Schools and settings should continue to ensure that the measures in place for their school remain appropriate and proportionate at all times and work closely with their public health advisors and local authorities.
"Guidance and a checklist has been provided to schools and settings to help identify the measures that can be considered that help to reduce Covid-19 transmission, such as effective ventilation and handwashing
“Funding has been provided to schools to monitor air quality and improve ventilation where needed. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will make changes to guidance if necessary, based on the latest advice from Public Health Wales and the Chief Medical Officer.”
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