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NAHT Cymru

NAHT Cymru is the definitive voice of school leaders in Wales. We keep the best interests of children at the heart of everything we do.

Along with our colleagues in England and Northern Ireland, we are here to defend and extend the rights of our members, as well as provide advice, protection and support specific to school leaders throughout Wales

NAHT Cymru yw llais diffyniadol arweinwyr ysgolion yng Nghymru. Mae buddiannau gorau plant yng nghraidd popeth a wnawn.

Ynghyd â'n cydweithwyr yn Lloegr a Gogledd Iwerddon, rydym yn bodoli i warchod ac ymestyn hawliau ein haelodau, yn ogystal â darparu cyngor, diogelwch a chymorth sy'n benodol i arweinwyr ysgolion ledled Cymru.

NAHT condemns plans to scrap schools' Covid cover staff sickness funding

Plans to scrap financial support for schools to cover staff sickness absence have been condemned by school leadership union NAHT Cymru.

Some councils have told school leaders in Wales that from October 1 they can no longer claim from the Local Government Hardship Fund to pay for cover when staff are off sick due to Covid-19. The fund was set up by the Welsh government to cover a host of covid-related costs.

Laura Doel, director of school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, said: “Schools have been close to buckling under financial pressures of Covid and more than a decade of austerity; they can’t absorb the cost of staff cover from existing budgets. There seems to be confusion between the LAs and the Welsh Government over the situation and we are urgently seeking clarification.

“Before the start of this term we aired our concerns to the Welsh Government about the contradictory and confusing framework for schools on Covid mitigation measures. We warned that a ‘business as usual’ approach was wishful thinking, and this has been proved by the rising number of cases in schools. The Welsh government hoped for the best but without a workable plan for rapidly reinstating safety measures when needed. School leaders feel that it is this approach that has contributed to staff absence and the need for cover staff is a problem of the government’s own making.

“But to remove the funding would add insult to injury.

“If the Welsh Government wants to keep teachers able to teach in classrooms and keep a continuity of learning for our children, they must continue to fund covid-related staff absence.

“We urge the government to pause any plans to cut funding, and rethink any plan that will have a detrimental impact on the delivery of education.”

First published 22 September 2021

Please give us your views  on the current consultations

 

Welsh Government

Independent review of school teachers pay and conditions in Wales

OPENED 18 January 2018 - CLOSES 1 March 2018

NAHT Cymru draft response of independent review

Support for doctoral study
OPENED 8 December 2017 - CLOSES 2 March 2018

The Education (Amendments Relating to Teacher Assessment Information) (Wales) Regulations 2018
OPENED 14 November 2017 – CLOSES 30 January 2018

Recent consultations

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