WQ88287 (e) Tabled on 19/05/2023

What steps have been taken by the Welsh Government to address the impact of unplanned staff absences on schools in Wales?

Answered by Minister for Education and the Welsh Language | Answered on 25/05/2023

The Audit Wales report, ‘Covering Teachers’ Absence’ in 2020 concluded that the Welsh Government has taken action to tackle the root causes of teacher absence from the classroom and improve the management of absence.

The Effective Management of School Workforce attendance guidance is available and is regularly shared with schools via Dysg. The guidance sets out the requirement to have clear policies and procedures to manage staff absence effectively, and provides clear advice on what cover options are available: effective-management-of-school-workforce-attendance-1.pdf (gov.wales)

All schools should have an absence policy, which sets out the circumstances, criteria and procedures that will apply when individuals take paid or unpaid leave of absence. The policy should identify what steps need to be put in place to ensure, as far as possible, that the impact on learning is minimised whilst a member of staff is away from the school.