Earlier in the day, parents were told that the end of term in States’ schools was being brought forward from Wednesday next week to Friday this week. The Committee for Education, Sport & Culture said this was because of the challenges and impact of keeping schools open as infections and absence have risen in recent weeks and to limit the risk of Christmas being disrupted for families across the island.
Deputy Ferbrache, the President of the States’ senior committee, Policy & Resources, said he wanted the States to stand behind the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and its recovery plans for schools and students after the holiday break.
Pictured: Deputy Peter Ferbrache said that his Policy & Resources Committee would back the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture and schools in their efforts to help children who may need additional support to catch up on learning disrupted by covid-19.
“The time we’re in education is so important. It lays out your life really,” said Deputy Ferbrache.
“Students of all ages over the past 20 months have suffered despite the excellent efforts of Education, teachers and everybody else. Of course, there have been so many dislocations and changes that it has been very difficult.
“I can say it is the intent of Policy & Resources and I believe of the States in general to give all the resources that Education need to be able to make sure that children’s education is as best served as it can be going forward.
“It’s nobody’s fault that it has been interrupted. It has just been one of those terrible things with this virus which nobody could foresee.”
At the end of last week, the rate of absence among students stood at 17% in primary schools, 21% in secondary schools and 23.5% in special schools. Attendance has improved this week but only very slightly.
Mr Hynes said these figures “reiterated that attendance due to covid and the effects of covid continue to be a problem for our schools and settings”.
Schools will remain open for the first three days of next week – all day on Monday and Tuesday and in the morning on Wednesday – for the children of any parent who must continue going to work on those days and children invited to attend by headteachers. But there is no requirement to attend and no formal learning will take place on those days.
Pictured: The members of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, who have decided that States’ schools should break up for the holidays on Friday this week rather than Wednesday next week.
The President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture, Deputy Andrea Dudley-Owen, said: “Having considered the current challenges in keeping schools fully operational due to staff and student absences, the impact the last 10 weeks of term have had on school staff and young people, and importantly the upcoming Christmas holidays where we of course want to limit the risk of families having their special time severely impacted by covid-19, we have taken what we believe is a sensible decision at this point.
“We certainly did not take this decision lightly and importantly schools will remain open on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning next week so that the children of any parent who simply cannot find alternative arrangements and those invited by the school can continue to attend.
“We expect student numbers in settings will drop significantly and this will reduce the serious pressure that our workforce has experienced in recent weeks, where they have really been on the frontline.
“I would like to extend my deep and heartfelt gratitude to all staff across education for their efforts in helping to keep our children safe and in school during this really challenging time.”
Mr Hynes said that recovery plans being developed by the Education Office and schools would include short- and long-term actions.
Pictured: Nick Hynes, Director of Education, joined Deputy Peter Ferbrache and Dr Nicola Brink last night on the panel for an online briefing about covid-19.
“We’ve started to put together where some of those greatest impacts [of covid-19] might have been felt,” said Mr Hynes.
“And as a result of that we are collating a plan which will include certain sets of objectives and actions that we want to put in place from early next year to start trying to mitigate some of those impacts. Some may be short-term interventions and some we may need to do for a longer period of time.
“Colleagues across Policy & Resources and different areas have been really supportive talking to us to help us plan those. I’m confident that by looking at our data and working with the information we’ve got, we’ll be able to put a plan in place which will mitigate many of the different difficulties that some of our children and young people have felt so far.”