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Please find below a link to an E-learning course on the new ALN system in Wales.
An E-learning course: An introduction to the new ALN system in Wales
Dear Parent/Carer
As you will already be aware, the Swansea approach to returning to schools in January had been revised, with us delaying the return to face-to-face learning until 11 January at the earliest. Last night the Welsh Government, in consultation with the WLGA and Colegau Cymru, has agreed that all schools, colleges and independent schools should move to online learning until January 18th.
The position on childcare is currently unchanged and schools will look to provide a service to our most vulnerable children and those key workers that have no other option available to them from 6 January onwards. This provision should only be accessed as a last resort and wherever possible pupils should remain home.
All schools will provide remote learning from Wednesday 6 January. Remote learning can be delivered in numerous ways and a number of different methods will be used within and across our schools. These methods will include “live” lessons, recorded lessons, work packs etc.
Additional payments or food parcels will be provided for learners entitled to free school meals during the period of home learning.
Regards,
Helen Morgan-Rees
Interim Director of Education
A Happy New Year to you all. I hope you are all keeping safe and well. Further to ongoing discussions between Swansea Local Authority and the Welsh Government, a decision has been taken to delay the return to face to face learning. The Local Authority believe it is wise to wait for emerging data on Covid-19 to be analysed, including the new variant, before returning to partial or full operations.
A formal letter will be released from the Local Authority on Monday 4th of January but I wanted to give you notice as soon as possible.
Childcare for key workers and the vulnerable will start from the 6th as will the blended learning activities from the class teachers. It will be important that ALL children engage in these from home.
Best regards,
Mrs ThomasDear Parents/Carers
I hope your children are settling back into school after a very disruptive few months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
I would again like to thank you for the continued support and co-operation you have shown during this difficult time, and for everything you have done to assist your child’s learning, your child’s school and the council.
The appreciation for all teaching assistants, teachers and leaders in our schools remains strong as we approach the return to compulsory education on Monday. With 80% attendance across Swansea schools already, there is a clear message that the return to education is working.
We have been working with schools so that they are well prepared to welcome children back for the autumn term with the appropriate safety measures in place. Considerable work has been carried out in schools in order to reduce the potential transmission of coronavirus, and to minimise any risk to pupils and staff, including risk assessments, increased cleaning and regular handwashing, social distancing and grouping learners. It is important to remember that coronavirus has not gone away, and we all have a responsibility to keep ourselves and others safe.
It is not a normal autumn term. A risk assessment is being carried out in our schools for the most basic of tasks, and key events such as parent evenings and concerts are not currently possible. Please join me in providing your support to our headteachers and
school staff as they make difficult decisions to ensure the safety of all our pupils. The arrangements that have been put in place by schools are of vital importance and I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is that we all adhere to these measures. In particular I would like to remind parents and carers to please follow social distancing advice when dropping off and collecting your children from school. With all pupils returning next week, it is vital that parents keep their distance to avoid close contact and potential transmission of the virus.
I would ask you to please:
Arrive promptly in your designated time slot.
Stand 2m from other families.
Leave promptly and move away from the school as soon as you have dropped off your child.
Please do not congregate outside the school gates as this is making it difficult for other families arriving at staggered times.
Please can I also remind you of the arrangements if your child is unwell. Under no circumstances should you send your child to school if they:
feel unwell or have any of the three identified COVID-19 symptoms (a new continuous cough, a high temperature or loss of taste or smell) or they have tested positive to COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
live in a household with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 or has tested positive to COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
have returned from a country that is on the quarantine list.
Please note that in these circumstances there is no expectation for the school to be providing work to these children although the Swansea Virtual School remains live and populated with resources should you wish to access it at www.swanseavirtualschool.org.
The latest Welsh Government information shows the virus is continuing to spread in communities across the country with a lockdown imposed in Caerphilly that will go on until at least the end of the month and whole school years having to self-isolate for two
weeks in Newport. It’s essential we observe the guidelines and rules which are likely to be strengthened in the coming days and weeks.
Many thanks for your co-operation, it is important we work together to contain the virus and to avoid a spike in our community and the potential re-introduction of lockdown measures.
Yours sincerely
Helen Morgan-Rees
Interim Director of Education
Dear Parent/Carer,
Planning the safe reopening of schools from next week onwards has progressed well during the summer break and I am delighted that Swansea schools will open the doors to a fresh start, putting safety first.
When I wrote to you in July, I promised to update you on arrangements at the start of the new academic year. We have developed and updated our risk assessments and plans for how schools will operate to include school transport, visitors, staff and pupil risk assessments as well. Our schools have received support to help plan their classrooms and corridors and will continue to receive advice from our officers on how to control the learning environment so that your child is safe during this challenging time.
All children and young people will be encouraged to wash their hands regularly with soap and water throughout the day/session. Hand sanitisers will also be available across each school.
The Test, Trace and Protect guidance, school transport and school trip guidance have also been updated. It is very important that you are familiar with the Test, Trace and Protect (TTP) guidance. Swansea Council will issue up to date guidance via social media on TTP in the next few days and each school’s operational plan will contain a section on TTP.
Additional cleaning hours will allow more frequent cleaning of high frequency contact points in each school. In addition to the thorough daily clean, a “clean as you go” process will continue to be used in all schools. Your school will be able to tell you more about how they will operate but we know that all schools will be contacting parents and carers directly to let them know the days their children should attend up until then, along with specific arrangements for their school. Where possible, school sessions will be provided within the normal operational hours of each school. Where possible, and based on each individual school’s risk assessment, breakfast clubs
and after-school clubs can restart.
School meals will restart on 14 September. Until that time all pupils will need to take a packed lunch for the days that they attend during the first two weeks of term. The choice of BACS payment or a weekly food parcel will continue for those eligible for free school
meals until canteens reopen. Attendance at school will be compulsory from 14 September but schools and Swansea
Council will work with parents and carers to try to resolve any issues and provide reassurance where necessary. Parents are asked to contact their school if a pupil is unable to attend for any legitimate reason. Pupils with medical needs may feel less
confident about returning to school. Help, support and adjustment can be provided if you talk to your school.
If your child is in secondary school, they may be required to wear face masks in school corridors and communal areas. School transport drivers and passenger assistants will be wearing face coverings and personal protective equipment where necessary. There will not be social distancing between pupils on board dedicated school transport vehicles but pupils aged over 11 years will be required to wear face coverings unless they have
an exemption from doing so. In line with Welsh Government guidance, food or drink must not be consumed on board school transport services. Guidance for pupils and parents on school transport will be available to you via your school.
Pupils travelling on public transport will be required to wear 3 layer face coverings if they are aged 11 or over as they will be mixing with the wider travelling public. Social distancing is also required on public transport services. If you have questions or concerns, please talk to your school and we will help schools resolve issues as best we can. A lot of advice changes and it is not always the same in
Wales as the rest of the United Kingdom but we are working closely with Welsh.Government and Public Health Wales to make sure that we are following the up to date advice.
Swansea schools will receive funding for additional staff to help with accelerated learning for certain year groups. If you feel that your child would benefit from extra support, you should discuss your concerns with the school. The start of the new academic year will be very different this year and we all have the same aim of a fresh start with safety first. I sincerely hope that the return to education
from next week onwards is a positive experience for the children and young people here in Swansea.
Regards,
Nick Williams
Director of Education
Dear Parent / Carer,
Following the Welsh government’s announcement on the reopening of schools last week we are now able to make plans for September. Tuesday 1st September will be a preparation day for staff to prepare for the new term and familiarise themselves with the new systems and guidelines we will need to follow. For the following eight days we will be reintroducing different year groups back into school with the intension to have all year groups back in full time education on Monday 14th September.
We intend having all year 7 in on Wednesday 2nd September and then for the rest of that week. On the Wednesday, Year 7 and Year 12 will be the only year groups in that day, this will allow Year 7 to have time to get to know the school and learn and understand the safety measures we have put in place. They will spend time with their form group, be given their timetable and will start their learning.
For the first week, school will start at 8.40am (we suggest pupils arrive around 10 minutes before) and finish at 2.00pm. Lunch will be at 1.15pm; the school canteen will be open serving a reduced menu of hot and cold food or you may wish to send a packed lunch in with your child. The children are expected to arrive in their Morriston school uniform and come with a bag and pencil case. We will send more detailed information through the school website and school twitter account @MorristonComp including a detailed plan for the first week.
As you can appreciate a great deal of planning is going on to ensure our school is safe and is fully compliant with all Government and Local authority COVID 19 guidelines. During the summer holidays please keep checking the school website as there will be regular updates to our planning. We will also be inviting parents/carers into school during September so you can get to know us at Morriston.
Please be assured that the safety of pupils and staff has been and will be our overriding priority and you can be confident that we are taking every possible precaution to create a safe environment for learning in Morriston.
I hope you and your family have a relaxing summer break, and I very much look forward to meeting our new Year 7 in September.
Mr M Franklin
Headteacher
Dear Pupils,
At the end of the school year, I always write to our schools to look back at what has gone well and to celebrate your successes. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the hard work of our headteachers, school staff and pupils has made me very proud. You, your parents and carers, and your teachers have been involved in teaching and learning from home, using technology in ways that are new to many of us. Some of you have also attended school so that your parents
and carers were able to continue their work in important services, such as the NHS.
Many of you will know that your schools are working hard to get ready to welcome you back safely in September.
For those of you who have not been in to school before the summer holidays, you will notice in September that there will be some differences to what you are used to. These changes are
there for everybody’s safety. For example:
Your school will explain any changes to you and your parents and carers before your first day back. Once again, I’d like to thank you all. I hope you have a safe and happy summer and look forward to welcoming you back in September.
Yours sincerely
Nick Williams
Director of Education
Dear Staff/Parents/Carers
At the end of each academic year, I always write to our schools to look back at the school year and to celebrate our successes. In that sense, this year is no different with our schools continuing to do brilliantly in supporting all our learners as they strive to
reach their potential. Given this year’s pandemic, I thought it only right that I extend the scope of my communication to include learners and their families too.
In my letter on 9 July, I was able to confirm that the Welsh Government had announced a return to school for compulsory education for all our learners by 14 September 2020.
Since that announcement, we have been working closely with our schools to plan for this in a safe and organised way.
As was the case when schools opened for the check-in and catch-up sessions there will be different approaches across our schools based on a lot of different factors. Each school is carrying out further risk assessments to help them identify the approach that is
right for your child’s school. However, we have agreed further key principles with our headteachers to ensure that wherever possible there is consistency. All pupils will return in a phased way to school/PRU in the two-week period at the beginning of the autumn term in September (after any preparation days). All pupils (with
the possible exception of nursery) will be full-time by Monday, 14 September.
We would like to highlight the following key points:
Additional cleaning hours will allow more frequent cleaning of high frequency contact points in each school.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the work of our headteachers, school staff and the wider school community has made me immensely proud. From providing childcare to our key workers and our most vulnerable to ensuring that all our learners have food on
the table our staff have been willing to go the extra mile. Whilst at the same time ensuring that our learners have continued to learn from home and their own nearest and dearest have been taken care of. As Director of Education, I will be eternally grateful for
all you have done. For our learners, this will have been a period in time that will define their generation. I would like to thank our learners for how they have approached this strange time in their
learning and make a promise to them that the whole Education system in Swansea is on their side as we continue to ensure that every child and young person has the best possible opportunities in life. Finally, I would like to thank you as parents and carers. The messages of support and challenge have been numerous and I can assure you that they have all played a part in how we as a council have adapted our approaches throughout this time. We will
continue to work with our schools to ensure that you and your children get the support that you need when we return to school in September. Families who need to access childcare during the 6-week summer holiday period should do so from existing registered private childcare providers available in Swansea. Please
contact the Swansea Family Information Service 01792 517222/ fis@swansea.gov.uk for further details.
Please be reassured your child’s school will be providing you with a lot more detail between now and the beginning of term. Thank you for your continued support.
Yours sincerely
Nick Williams
Director of Education