Guernsey primary schools to open in June but secondary schools will remain closed

Channel
Guernsey
Education
Friday 15 May 2020 at 1:22pm

Credit: ITV Channel TV

Primary school pupils in Guernsey will be able to go back to school from Monday 8 June but only for two days a week.

However, secondary schools will have to remain closed because children would be unable to move between classrooms for different lessons in the curriculum.

Only half of primary school pupils will be able to enter premises on a Monday and Tuesday with the other half going in on Thursday and Friday. Wednesdays will be used for 'enhanced cleaning' of school sites.

It is the latest development in the States' lifting of the lockdown in the island on the advice of the Director of Public Health Nicola Brink and senior education officials.

Guernsey pre-schools and nurseries will also be able to have more children on-site. Credit: ITV Channel TV

Coronavirus: All the information and advice for the Channel Islands in one place

Guernsey's government say that siblings at the same school will attend on the same days and those who are vulnerable students or children of essential workers will continue to be supported on all four days.

Discussions will be held next week with school leaders at St Anne's School in Alderney and Herm School on the next step they can take to allow pupils to return.

The Education President in Guernsey says maintaining home-based learning for secondary school pupils is the only efficient way of maintaining their studies for the moment.

Secondary education is delivered in a way which is very different from primary education. For example, students move around every hour or so as they go from lesson to lesson. They have many different teachers every day. In many cases students have different classmates from one lesson to the next. At the moment, such practices are not possible in line with public health guidance on social distancing and bubbles. The strong advice from the leaders of our secondary schools was that if more students were back in school there would only be very limited opportunities for meaningful learning. In addition, staff would not be able to maintain Distance Learning of the current standard. All of this means that for the time being the best educational experience for secondary students will be delivered by maintaining the current Distance Learning offer five days a week. >

Some pupils will be able to have some tuition at the College of Further Education from 1 June. Credit: ITV Channel TV

However from 1 June, the College of Further Education will allow some students to attend their premises who would most benefit from on-site teaching, with socialdistancing rules being followed. Only 50% of students will be allowed in at any one time.

The latest advice is also allowing changes to early years, with pre-schools and nurseries now being able to have more children on-site. The number of staff-to-children ratios, the size of their premises and how the space isused, will determine how many children can be present.

In response to the latest development on reopening schools the teaching union the NASUWT says that it is important to not be complacent in resuming lessons on school sites.