SCHOOL SERVICE TO CHANGE RADICALLY AS FROM MONDAY

These decisions remove an important fetter which have been a key consideration for the Gibraltar Department of Education and NASUWT Gibraltar in deciding how to continue to impart education in Gibraltar in coming months in the context of the measures being implemented to slow the spread of the COVID 19 virus.

Importantly, in Gibraltar, the advice of the Director of Public Health REMAINS that schools are a safe place for children and for teachers.

However, today, school attendance is already down to 35%.

The Department for Education has already made clear it will not enforce the requirement for children to attend school.

In the circumstances, and given the announcement by the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Education in the United Kingdom, it is likely that school attendance in Gibraltar will be reduced even further from tomorrow.

This will likely especially be the case given that examination classes have now found that external examinations are not going to go ahead this spring/summer term.

As a result, in Gibraltar, the Government and the NASUWT have agreed that it will not be practically possible for schools to remain open to impart the National Curriculum beyond this week.

Government schools will therefore operate in a different way as from Monday.

In the light of this, we have decided that, as from next Monday, schools will continue to provide a service to the community primarily by providing a safe environment for children of all workers who are not otherwise able to make suitable childcare provision without involving relatives over the age of 70 years.

We will extend the times when these facilities will be available for extended hours and additional days to be agreed between the Department and the NASUWT and potentially for extended age groups. The Department and NASUWT will be working on the details together in the coming days.

We will review in the next 48 hours whether all schools are required to provide this facility. This will depend on the numbers of children. We will consider, in particular, which schools will be used for this purpose. These will include schools which have the facility to provide lunches for children.

We would like to reassure all students of examination year groups, that we will be keeping a close eye on the latest information provided by OfQual, to ensure that students’ ability to obtain their qualifications is not compromised.

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20-03-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR