Schools and other education settings to stay closed all next week
SCHOOLS, colleges and other education and early years' settings in Guernsey will remain closed for the whole of next week [starting Monday 1 February].
Education, Sport & Culture says the decision will give it more time to develop robust plans for a testing system which will help settings reopen to the children of critical workers.
It says work 'is now well under way' to put the system in place. In the meantime, sites will remain closed to ensure that the risk of Covid-19 spread is as low as possible.
Reopening sites as soon as is safely possible remains a priority and ESC says this is why a decision was made earlier in the week to keep settings closed on Monday 1 February. The decision today [Saturday 30] extends this arrangement for a further four days.
During extended closure, staff across education and care services will be in contact with the most vulnerable learners.
Distance learning will continue to be made available to school and College of FE learners, ESC says, even while sites are closed.
'Teachers, lecturers and other Education staff are working extremely hard to ensure that this lockdown does not mean the island's children do not have access to education, and this commitment will continue even after sites reopen to the children of critical workers.'
