A YEAR GROUP at a Newport school have been returned to home learning due to staff absences.

Year 8 at Llanwern High School will be learning from home tomorrow  - Wednesday, November 10 – with a reassessment for the remainder of the week to be done tomorrow.

In a letter to parents and carers, headteacher Tracey Jarvis said: “We have significant staff shortages at the school currently with a number of staff off school for an extended period of time having tested positive with Covid or absent because of Covid related issues. This is in addition to the usual seasonal absence and a difficulty in recruiting agency staff to help with cover.

“As a result, we have had to engage a range of strategies in order to try to cover all classes, including reverting to independent study for sixth form and combining classes, but the situation continues to worsen and is increasingly challenging.”

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On the Year 8 learning from home, she said: “Pupils in Year 8 will have access to morning and afternoon online sessions which will cover a range of subject areas and log on / access details will be shared subsequently.

“The Chair of Governors and the Local Authority are aware that I am taking this decision and although it is with a heavy heart, the decision to revert to remote learning for Year 8 was because they are not directly involved in exam preparation in the same way as pupils in the older year groups are.

“I will assess staffing levels again tomorrow in order to make a decision about arrangements for the rest of the week (Thursday 11th and Friday 12th November). And will update you accordingly.

“Thank you for your continued support in this challenging time.”