Will the Minister provide details of the ways in which teachers are protected from the transmission of Covid-19 from their pupils?
Our operational guidance clearly sets the mitigating measures schools and settings should take to ensure they remain as safe as possible. The guidance can be accessed via the following link:
https://gov.wales/operational-guidance-schools-and-settings-autumn-term-covid-19
It is essential that schools and settings have in place measures that include:
- a requirement that people who are unwell with symptoms of COVID-19 stay at home
- robust hand and respiratory hygiene including ventilation
- increased cleaning arrangements
- active engagement with Test, Trace, Protect strategy
- formal consideration of how to reduce contacts and maximise social and physical distancing between those in school wherever possible and minimise potential for contamination so far as is reasonably practicable.
It is crucial that staff and pupils who are showing any symptoms of COVID-19 do not attend school and book a test.
There are two basic approaches to reducing the spread of infection in our schools and indeed the wider population:
- Prevention: these are measures to stop transmission if a case attends the setting - this includes social distancing, reducing unnecessary mixing, hand and respiratory hygiene
- Early Intervention: measures to stop secondary transmission if contacts go onto develop the illness – including isolation and testing of people with symptoms, identification and isolation of close contacts.
Prevention should be the primary aim of all control measures and experience to date suggests that prevention measures have been well understood and widely implemented across schools and settings. However, we believe that we can do more to support early intervention and maximise the number of children, learners and staff who can safely continue in a setting. That is why we have produced the additional guidance, this is available on our web page and has been shared with all schools through Dysg and local authorities.
I have already responded to the recommendation relating to the wearing of face coverings in the latest TAG report. I announced that we would strengthen the operational guidance to set out that;
- Face coverings should be worn by learners and staff in secondary schools anywhere outside of the classroom;
- Face coverings should be worn by year pupils and above on dedicated school transport; and
- All visitors should wear a face covering on the school estate including parents during school pick up and drop off.
On 11th December I issued a joint statement with the Minister for Health and Social Services announcing our plans to introduce a serial testing programme in schools and further education settings from January 2021. The statement can be accessed via the link below:
https://gov.wales/written-statement-covid-19-testing-staff-and-pupils
It is of course important to recognise the latest evidence, when considering risks to school and teaching staff, ONS data indicates that teaching is not a high risk profession, with positivity rates of pre-school, primary and secondary school teachers and staff of comparable ages, and household members, statistically similar to other low risk workplaces.
I have always been clear that schools are not risk free, as with any workplace environment, we are working through what truly is unprecedented circumstances, but continuing to keep schools open remains my top priority and I will do everything possible to ensure the school environment is as safe as possible.