COVID-19: Dispruption to Education

Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:17 pm on 29 September 2021.

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Photo of Laura Anne Jones Laura Anne Jones Conservative 3:17, 29 September 2021

Minister, following on from what Gareth just said, he's outlined the extreme of what's going on: it's the end of September and we're already seeing school closures and we're seeing whole year groups going off. Another reason for that has been staff shortages, with people going off with COVID, so I'd like to know what your contingency plans are that you've got in place to help those schools affected by that particular problem.

One of the issues also with people missing out on education at the moment is the lack of clarity, as I have raised with you in committee—the lack of clarity that parents have about what to do if they have a COVID case within their families. You say it's very clear, the Government advice, that, if someone has COVID the rest of the family still go to work, school and whatever else, but headteachers are under enormous pressure and coming to me from all angles saying that parents are confused about what's going on, pupils are confused. They're upset by the fact that people are coming into school when they know that someone else in their family has COVID, and there are concerns around that.

I think the three-week cycle is too long, really, to react to what's going on, with COVID numbers rising considerably at the moment. So, how are you going to relook at that and look at the advice? As the Minister for mental health said earlier, I know it's a juggling act, and getting it right is so important. We want children in school, but we also want them to be safe. I know you're under a lot of pressure, but I'd like you to just quickly comment on that.

Also—just quickly, Presiding Officer—we're at a point now where children between—young people, sorry, between—10 and 19 years old are the biggest group presenting with COVID at the moment, with around 2,000 per 100,000 cases now, and that's just the average; in some parts of Wales, that's increasing every day. So, the roll-out of this 12 to 16-year-old vaccine is vital, and I know its delivery is starting on 4 October, but what plans do you have in place to really speed up that delivery of it? Thank you.