Covid: Teachers lonely amid end-of-term Omicron concern

Dealing with the Covid pandemic has been "lonely" and "difficult" amid the uncertainty over the Omicron variant, head teachers in Wales have said.

Several councils have moved learning online for the last week of term and there is uncertainty for the new year.

One school leader said children were facing uncertainty not seen since World War Two.

The Welsh government said it was providing £24m to help pupils who had missed school and exams.

Tracy Jones, head of Ysgol Merllyn in Bagillt, Flintshire, said there were heavy expectations on school leaders throughout the pandemic.

"It's been difficult," she said.

"As a head teacher you have to be the one who remains calm and steady despite your own anxieties about what's going on.

"You're trying to deal with this change as a person, like a member of the public, everything's unsettled, but also, you've got to deal with all your staff's anxieties and keeping the children safe."

Meurig Jones, of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd in Bridgend, said the last term was the hardest of the whole pandemic after normal ways of working were reintroduced.

"It has been difficult and I still think the unknown is still pressing on us," he said.

"I have found it more challenging as a school leader, it does feel lonely, or more lonely, than it usually is."

He said challenges ranged from being an "expert in health and safety at the drop of a hat" to documentation and dealing with track and trace.

The chief inspector of education's annual report talked about the toll the pandemic had taken on some school leaders who felt "isolated and exhausted" after supporting colleagues through anxiety, illness and bereavement.

Mr and Ms Jones said they both felt well-supported by colleagues, while Ms Jones said counselling and a support group had been helpful.

Five councils - Wrexham, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Ceredigion - have announced in-person teaching would end on Friday for the year.

The NASUWT teaching union has urged the Welsh government to stagger the return of pupils to schools and colleges after Christmas.

Head teachers will be looking for an indication of plans for January in the education minister's end of term letter to schools.

Dafydd Hughes, who started his role as head of Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest during lockdown, said Covid cases in the school and staff shortages had been the main challenges, with his main concern for the new year being whether Omicron would mean reverting to online learning.

"I hope and I pray we don't get to that situation," he said, "the children have suffered enough".

"We all appreciate that difficult decisions have to be made from a governmental level and local authority level, but that is something I don't think any headteacher in Wales wants to see happening again."

Exams are due to go ahead in summer 2022 after being cancelled in 2020 and 2021, but Mr Jones also said clarity on this was a priority.

"There are exams in January, we need to know - are they happening, when will they happen and what are we looking forward to in the summer? Is there going to be an exams series or are we going to go to centre-determined grades," he said.

"There's a lot of background work to be put in place so that we can get everything there - so these learners have a fair chance."

Announcing £24m in funding, the Welsh government said schools with high numbers of children eligible for free school meals would be the priority for £7.5m of extra support for children taking exams.

Another £9.5m will be available to support those in further-education colleges and sixth forms as they move on to the next step with education or a career, along with £7m for pupils whose attendance has suffered.

The latest Welsh government figures showed 86% of pupils were present last week - attendance has not been above 90% since the first week of term in September.

Education Minister Jeremy Miles said the government would do everything it could to ensure all pupils were on a "level playing field" and able to reach their full potential.

"We cannot allow the pandemic to throw any young person off course," he said.

"This new funding will help ensure those who have been impacted the most are given the additional support they need to progress with confidence into the next stage of their lives."