A whole school year group has been sent into remote learning due to staff shortages related to coronavirus.
Llanwern High School in east Newport has published a letter on its social media pages informing parents that Year 9 pupils will be affected by too many staff being off having tested positive for coronavirus.
A letter from headteacher Tracey Jarvis, dated October 18, reads: “We have significant staff shortages at the school currently with a number of staff off school for an extended period of time having tested positive for Covid or absent because of Covid-related issues.”
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Ms Jarvis said staff had initially tried to mitigate problems with a lack of staff by asking the sixth form students to study independently and through combining classes.
“I have had to take the decision to revert to remote learning for Year 9 tomorrow and the next day,” she wrote. “Pupils in Year 9 will have access to morning and afternoon online sessions which will cover a range of subject areas and long on/access details will be shared subsequently.
“The chair of governors and the local authority are aware that I am taking this decision and although it is with a heavy heart, the decision to revert to remote learning for Year 9 was because they are old enough to not impact on the need for childcare.”
It is hoped Year 9 pupils could return to the school on Thursday, but no decision has yet been made.
It is not the first time the school has had to send students home due to Covid cases. The school was hit by a spike in autumn last year and again in the spring of this year.
The Aneurin Bevan University Health Board region, which covers Newport, has been particularly badly affected by Covid in recent days.
In the six days to October 13 the health board recorded 455 cases in school settings, with 160 of those in Newport.
That is not an unusual number in comparison to the rest of Wales, however, as Betsi Cadwaladr UHB confirmed 667 cases in schools in the same period, and Swansea Bay UHB recorded 342.
More than nine in 10 schools in Wales have reported Covid cases since this term began with fewer Covid infection measures in place, according to the latest available data published on October 13.
With more than 39,000 cases in total tens of thousands of children have missed lessons.
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