The Welsh Education Minister Kirsty Williams has said that schools in Wales will remain shut beyond the start of June, whatever is decided by the UK Government for England.
In a message released on Twitter she said that the situation for schools in Wales will not change on June 1st.
The UK Government have said that the lockdown will begin to ease in England on Monday and there have been briefings that schools could reopen on the 1st of June.
“As you’ll know, there is a lot of speculation about what may or may not be announced regarding schools in England this weekend,” Kirsty Williams said.
“As I have said before, you will always hear directly from me on the decisions we make in Wales for our pupils, parents and school staff.
“The situation for schools in Wales will not change on 1 June. You have my guarantee that we will give everyone time to plan ahead of a next phase starting.”
‘Safe’
Kirsty Williams said that any decision to increase the operation of schools will be communicated well in advance. She is working closely with local authorities to ensure that schools are supported in this preparation work, she said.
“In the meantime, critical workers and those who need to use schools or hubs for your children should continue do so,” she said.
“We will continue to be guided by the very latest scientific advice and will only look to have more pupils and staff in schools when it is safe to do so. We will, of course, need to ensure that social distancing requirements can be adhered to.”
The Minister has also written to all of the main teaching unions in the UK and Ireland, in response to their concerns that schools will be open to most pupils before it is safe to do so.
Next week, the Minister will publish a working document which sets out more of the thinking, planning and modelling for the next steps for education in Wales, including childcare and further education, she said.
The document will include how key decisions will be reached and who will providing advice on those decisions.