Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• hub model for emergency childcare

  Thu 26 Mar 2020

  hub model for emergency childcare which will commence in 11 different locations on the 30^th of March 2020.

  Can parents and carers complete  the on-line application form for emergency childcare which is now live on the Council website.

   

  We  must stress that the safest place for your children is to be cared for is in their home and this would be appreciated. However, for those essential workers and vulnerable families who require urgent childcare, this is now available on a hub basis. The link is as follows https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Resident/EmergenciesSafetyandCrime/InformationforResidentsCoronavirus/SchoolClosuresandadviceforparents.aspx

  Initial applications are needed by midday on Friday.

   

   

   

  -   apply for a place for emergency childcare in the appropriate hub by Friday the 27^th by midday. The link ishttps://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Resident/EmergenciesSafetyandCrime/InformationforResidentsCoronavirus/SchoolClosuresandadviceforparents.aspx

   

• Home activity packs This page has been created to support parents during COVID-19 and the closure of schools. Each fortnight, we will be releasing new home activity packs with simple 15 minute activities you can do with your child to support their online safety at a time when they will spending more time online at home.

  Thu 26 Mar 2020
  https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/support-tools/home-activity-worksheets?utm_source=Thinkuknow&utm_campaign=03cb8440df-TUK_ONLINE_SAFETY_AT_HOME_24_03_20&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0b54505554-03cb8440df-55240977

• Using Minecraft: Education Edition from home – distance learning toolkit

  Thu 26 Mar 2020

  https://hwb.gov.wales/news/articles/d315fb1b-e76c-4b4b-9aaf-8852da9952cb

   

  The Minecraft:EE team have published over 100 lessons to support distance learning

  Learners in maintained schools in Wales can download and install Minecraft:EEfor free and can log in using their Hwb account details. 

  The Minecraft:EE team have published a remote learning kitthat includes over 100 lessons to keep learners engaged when learning from home. 

  In addition to completing individual projects, learners can access ‘Multiplayer’ mode, allowing them to collaborate with their friends on different projects.
  Details for setting up multiplayer games can be found here.

  Please continue to check the Hwb Distance Learning page for updates, ideas and links to support learning.

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  A video guide for downloading Minecraft:EE can be found here. 

  For more information on Minecraft:EE please visit the Hwb Support Centre

• Covid 19 Addysg / Covid 19 Education - How Schools will cope...

  Tue 24 Mar 2020 Statement from Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education

  Schools and childcare still open to children of critical workers.

  　

  Statement from Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education 　 I’d like to thank parents for listening to the advice and keeping most children at home. I’d be grateful if tomorrow morning you only use schools or childcare as a last resort. 　 The advice has not changed as a result of tonight’s decision to further restrict movement, which our First Minister, along with other UK leaders took with the sole aim of slowing the spread of coronavirus. 　 Children should be at home wherever possible, critical workers will still need to have safe care arrangements for their children.　 Our schools and childcare settings are providing a vital service to support critical workers and our most vulnerable children. 　 Those involved in the current arrangements looking after children should continue. Many thanks to our amazing teaching and childcare professionals for their commitment in this time of national need. 　 This situation will continue for the immediate term but we will be reviewing with healthcare professionals, local authorities and our teaching unions.     How schools will work during the coronavirus pandemic 　         Latest advice on Coronavirus from Welsh Government: https://gov.wales/coronavirus

   

   

• Lock down - revised in three weeks

  Mon 23 Mar 2020
  

• Emergency childcare guidance for RCT schools VERSION 2

  Mon 23 Mar 2020 On behalf of Gaynor Davies, Director of Education and Inclusion Services

  1. The latest scientific advice

   

  The most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear.  Everyone must, as far as possible, minimise social contact and make sure that anyone who is particularly vulnerable to the virus is able to adopt strict social distancing.

   

  2. How does social distancing affect your children?

   

  Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has advised schools that emergency childcare should only be open to a limited number of children. We must keep the number of children in educational, childcare and play settings to the smallest number possible.

   

  We also need to make sure children are not left with anyone who should be following strict social distancing guidance, such as anyone over 70 or anyone with the specified underlying health conditions.

   

  Keeping children safe in their home should limit the chance of the virus spreading and protect those vulnerable to more serious illness as a result of the virus. Parents/carers should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should ensure that children remain at least 2m apart where possible and that gatherings are avoided. Play areas across the County have now been closed and should not be attended. If your child is not in an emergency childcare setting please keep them safe at home during the day and in the evenings. This is essential to ensure the safety of your family, friends and neighbours and to limit and slow down the spread of the virus

   

  If your child receives free school meals, this will continue. In Rhondda Cynon Taf, all children eligible to free school meals will access this from their nearest primary school on a daily basis between 11am and 12pm. This has to be applied for on-line using the e-forms on the Council website.

   

  3. What is the latest advice on key or essential workers?

   

  A list of categories of critical workers has been published on the Welsh Government website. Places in schools and childcare will be highly limited and only particularly vulnerable children and the children of critical/essential workers whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response should be attending during this time.

   

  If you are classed as a critical or essential worker but are able to perform the critical parts of your job effectively when working from home, then you should do so.

   

  Even for critical or essential workers, provision will only be made in schools or other settings where there is no safe alternative for your family.

   

  　

  　

  4. I’m a key or essential worker but my partner isn’t. What should we do?  

   

  If one parent is a critical or essential worker but the other parent is not then the other parent should provide safe alternative arrangements at home when possible.

   

  5. What support is available in Rhondda Cynon Taf?

   

  The Council is doing everything it can to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Please refer to the Council website for further detail. These plans will now adapt and change as we respond to the latest guidance available from the Welsh Government and Public Health Wales.

   

  For the very latest advice, please check your local authority’s website at https://www.rctcbc.gov.uk/EN/Resident/EmergenciesSafetyandCrime/InformationforResidentsCoronavirus/CoronavirusCOVID19latestinformationandadvice.aspx

  and https://gov.wales/coronavirus-health-advice

   

   

   

   

   

   

• social distancing advice

  Mon 23 Mar 2020 On behalf of Gaynor Davies, Director of Education and Inclusion Services

  Coronavirus continues to spread in Wales. Public Health Wales yesterday announced that a further seven people have died in Wales over recent days as a result of the virus and the number of confirmed cases in Wales continues to grow by the day, with significant increases over the last two days in particular.

   

  The social distancing advice is there for a reason – people are falling ill and people with under-lying health issues are dying as a result of continued transmission of the virus. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that we all personally take the responsibility to minimise the contact we have with one another to slow the spread of the virus.

   

  Play areas across the County have all now been closed and should not be attended. 　If your children are not in the Emergency childcare settings please keep them safe at home, this extends to the evenings too. You have to do this for the safety of your family, friends and neighbours, to limit and slow down the spread of the virus.

   

• Coronavirus (COVID-19)

  Sun 22 Mar 2020

  https://gov.wales/coronavirus

   

  Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways. It’s caused by a virus called coronavirus.

  Find out what to do if someone in your household has symptoms of coronavirus.

  If you are concerned about your symptoms, check if you need medical help.

  Find out how you can reduce the risk of catching or spreading coronavirus.

• 5 things you need to know before sending your children to school or childcare

  Sun 22 Mar 2020

  Please see the link below for the latest guidance published today by Welsh Government:

   

  5 things you need to know before sending your children to school or childcare: What you need to know about access to schools and childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.’

   

  https://www.cscjes-cronfa.co.uk/news/articles/bd5575b7-9878-49df-baf6-a1d85b7dc74f

   

  

• Am I a critical worker in the Covid-19 response?

  Sun 22 Mar 2020