Dear Parent / Carer,
I am sure you know that the Welsh Government has announced all schools are to open from September 1st. The statement is on our school website if you want to read the full document.
Whilst the Government want us to return in September the guidance that helps us plan this return will not be available until next week. We will need this information to plan a safe and meaningful return for all students and staff. Some information is available, such as school transport which will be back to full capacity but it will remain a challenge for us to keep safe distances between large groups of children in and out of school buildings. To that extent, the exact conditions by which we will return remain unclear and the Education Minister states that it may take the first two weeks in September for schools to be working at 100% capacity.
We know that in our Local Authority, Tuesday September 1st will be an INSET day for all schools. Ideally, all children will be in school for at least one day in that first week with everyone in the school together at some point in the week beginning September 7th. I have every intention of providing you with the exact plan for September before the end of next week when we break for the summer holiday.
It must be remembered that whatever plan we adopt, any significant increase in the transmission rates of Covid-19 over the summer may lead to changes in Welsh Government and / or RCT decisions. Obviously we hope this will not be the case and by September 14th we are working and learning at Pontypridd High in a way we are more accustomed to.
I will contact you again next week with more specific details about our return in September. I can confirm now that it is unlikely all children will be in school in the first week of September all at the same time. This is because it will be important for us to give every child in each year group, an initial chance to return to school which is positive and as free as possible from any situation which raises anxiety levels given the long period of absence we have all experienced. This is true for students and staff alike.
Thank you as always for your support.
Huw Cripps
Headteacher
