Laura Doel, Director of NAHT Cymru said: “When national restrictions were relaxed last summer and schools returned in September to little or no mitigations in place, we saw immediate and prolonged disruption. Staff and pupil absence really affected the delivery of education.

“While there is reason to be hopeful now that case rates are dropping nationally, we have urged the Welsh Government not to relax too many mitigations in schools too soon and proceed with cautious optimism.

“The Education Minister’s statement today reinforces the need for a slow and steady approach and we will work with government officials to ensure schools have clear guidance in place once mitigations begin to lift.

“If high levels of disruption continue in our schools and the relaxation of any mitigations compounds the problem, we will be the first to call on the government to move swiftly to rethink the approach. No-one wants to see mitigations in schools, but the priority must be to keep schools open as safely as possible for staff and learners.”