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COVID-19 Update: 16th June

Here is the latest COVID-19 update from Cardiff Council, covering: the latest on schools reopening on Monday, 29thJune;thanks to Cardiff's Independent Living Services,a96-year-old war veteran whose Nantgarw home was devastated during Storm Dennis gets a new start; and how to helpus put together the latest active travel network map for the city.

 

Latest information on schools reopening

The Minister for Education in Wales has set out expectations that all children and young people in Wales should have some opportunities to attend their school in the remaining weeks of the summer term from Monday 29th June.

The focus of these sessions in school will be to "check in, catch up and prepare for summer and September."

Since all schools closed for statutory education on 23 March, learning at home has been supported remotely by schools, and this will continue. I would like to thank all of you for your contribution during this difficult period. It is unlikely that schools will return to the way they were before lockdown for some considerable time. The planned arrangements for the final weeks of term are therefore intended to support the ongoing mix of school and home-based learning.

To help schools plan for pupils to return safely from 29 June, the Welsh Government has published guidance, ‘Keep Education Safe'. This provides practical and learning guidance on preparing schools for a phased return up to the end of the summer term.

In each school there will be a phased approach. Year groups will be split into small groups with staggered starts and breaks and it is expected that this will mean, at most, a third of pupils present at any one time, including the children of key workers who were previously looked after in our hub schools. Hub childcare will cease from 26 June.

From 29 June all schools will be able to provide some childcare for the children of keyworkers, but the extent of this will necessarily be limited by the need to provide spaces for the planned sessions for other learners as well. Further details on this are at the end of this letter.

Not all learners will return at once and, when they do return, the school day might start and end at different times for different learners. This may include different arrangements for siblings of different ages, attending the same school.

When your child returns to school, there will be a focus upon pupil wellbeing and on ensuring continuity between school-based and home learning. In secondary schools, there may be a greater focus, in some year groups, on supporting pupils' learning, in anticipation of the academic demands of the forthcoming school year.

Schools would like to see all of their pupils return for some session during this ‘check in' period. If parents/carers decide not to send their children to school during these weeks of the summer term, they will not be penalised. Because of the Welsh Government social distancing requirements our home to school transport will be significantly restricted. All parents are encouraged wherever possible to use their own transport to get children to school if they cannot walk or bike.

C
ardiff Council is working closely with schools to ensure that they can manage the safe return of pupils and staff, and limit the spread of the virus by operating in physically distanced environments. 

Measures will include:

  • New health & safety procedures to include space capacity assessments and risk assessments to establish volume, appropriate furniture lay-out, movement of pupils and management of external spaces
  • Hygiene and cleaning to establish a regime for hand washing, contact point cleaning and deep cleaning of school spaces
  • Workforce capacity assessments to ensure adequate staffing and staff preparation and support
  • Identifying equipment and additional resources such as PPE and its use, based on clear and informed advice
  • Additional support for the health and well-being of pupils and school staff
  • Widening of pavements and pathways at some school sites to facilitate safe social distancing at arrival and departure times
  • Introduction of temporary 20mph limits on roads around schools where possible and consideration of temporary road closures at drop-off and pick up times
     

It should be noted that schools will not be providing meals so children will be expected to arrive with a packed lunch. For children eligible for free school meals, the e-voucher and parent pay systems will continue to be in place.

Schools will communicate their plans for the restart from the 29th June to all parents.

The Council will shortly issue a series of Frequently Asked Questions which pupils, parents and carers may be asking.

For more information about The Welsh Government's guidance to schools please go to: https://gov.wales/education-coronavirus 

 

Independent living support for war veteran and flood victim

A 96-year-old war veteran whose home was devastated during Storm Dennis has been given a new lease of life, thanks to Cardiff's Independent Living Services.

Gordon Matthews was rescued from his home in Nantgarw on his 96
thbirthday in February when last winter's stormy and wet weather brought floods to South Wales and across the country.

The World War II Royal Air Force veteran featured on national news being taken to safety from his home in a boat surrounded by knee-high flooded water. His treasured war medals were the only things he managed to salvage from his home before leaving.

Now, Mr Matthews is safe and well living with his daughter Catherine in his childhood home in Tongwynlais, which has been possible thanks to the intervention of the Council's Independent Living Services.

The service takes afully integrated, person-centred approach to removing barriers to daily living and independence forelderly and vulnerable people in the city  based on the their own goals, strengths and identified outcomes. The service supports individuals to remain active and as independent as possible living at home by helping them access services, providing advice and equipment or carry out adaptations at their homes.

A number of adaptations to the Tongwynlais property were carried out by the Council including the installation of a stair lift, level access shower, rails to assist Mr Matthews' mobility around the house, chair raisers, a bed loop to help getting in and out of bed, additional heating and improved access to the home.

Leader of the Council, Cllr Huw Thomas, said: "Mr Matthews' story is a perfect example of the great work carried out by Independent Living Services to help people live as independently as possible for as long as possible. It demonstrates the impact the service has on people's lives.

"The work at Mr Matthews' daughter's home means he can live with family and not be alone, at this particularly difficult time.  We know he is beginning to recover from the distress he experienced earlier in the year and is settling in very well, enjoying daily exercise in thecommunity which is having a positive effect on his physical and mental wellbeing."

Mr Matthew's daughter Catherine said: "He no longer feels trapped in the bedroom.  I don't have to worry about him trying the stairs alone and potentially having an accident He is making great progress in his day-to-day living, even walking a little bit further every day to build up his strength."

For more information about the Council's Independent Living Services, visit  www.cardiff.gov.uk/independentliving 

 

Help us plan the Active Travel Network Map

Parents and children are being asked about the regular routes they take on foot or by scooter and bike to help us plan the Active Travel Network Map.

As part of our commitment to promoting and helping active school travel we need to understand which routes are taken and which new routes are needed.

Parents and children can fill in their route and download a certificate of completion: https://keepingcardiffmoving.co.uk/activetravelschools/take-action/events-and-competitions-copy/