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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.

Update on return to school plans/October half-term

 
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A message from NAHT Cymru to members in Wales

I write to update you on return to school plans.

As you know, each local authority had to make its own choice of whether to reopen schools for the additional week at the end of the summer term, proposed by the Welsh Government.

Many local authorities have chosen not to do that, and some have put the blame in the hands of trade unions failing to come to a national agreement.

NAHT has been clear all along that we supported the pragmatic proposal by education minister Kirsty Williams to open for four weeks in a bid to bring as many children as possible back into school for the check-in programme because we felt we have a responsibility to this generation of learners.

We continue to challenge those who put the blame for schools not reopening for four weeks on our members.

When the fourth week was initially proposed, the Welsh Government proposed offering school staff an additional week off at October half term as a trade-off for extending the summer term.

Now that many LAs have chosen not to open, the future of that week off is unclear. During her lunchtime press briefing today, the minister reiterated the fact that the additional week off at half term was in lieu for working extra in the summer term, leading us to believe that those who did not work the extra week will not be entitled to the additional October holiday.

As of this afternoon, there is still no definitive answer on this issue, but education officials have assured me that this will be made clear in the coming days.

I also want to assure members that despite your focus being on the here and now, NAHT’s focus is on ensuring you have the information you need to start preparing for September.

NAHT has made representations to the Welsh Government this week that September expectations must be clear and the details need to be published as soon as possible.

It is unacceptable for schools to suffer the same delays in publishing information and guidance on September plans as we did on June reopening.

Any significant delay will result in school leaders running out the summer term without a roadmap for September, which will inevitably lead to them working through the summer break.

This cannot be allowed to happen to a profession that has been working continually since February half term, and NAHT is committed to doing all we can to make sure the Welsh Government listens to that plea and acts now.

One complication regarding September planning is the possibility of social distancing guidance being reviewed.

Northern Ireland has already reduced social distancing from 2m to 1m; England is currently reviewing this, and now so is Wales.

As a result, any guidance on social distancing in schools is on hold pending this review.

Schools cannot make individual plans because social distancing is an integral part of planning capacity and risk assessing settings.

I have urged the Welsh Government to work swiftly to decide on this issue to enable schools to move on to the planning phase, as any delay puts additional pressure on school leaders who are already working in incredibly difficult circumstances.

I will continue to update you as soon as I have any additional information, and as always, please continue to come back to me with your views, comments or questions.

 


 

Ysgrifennaf i'ch diweddaru ar gynlluniau ar gyfer dychwelyd i'r ysgol.   

Fel y gwyddoch, roedd yn rhaid i bob Awdurdod Lleol wneud ei ddewis ei hun p'un ai i ailagor ysgolion ar gyfer yr wythnos ychwanegol ar ddiwedd tymor yr haf, a awgrymwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru. 

Mae llawer o awdurdodau lleol wedi dewis peidio â gwneud hynny, ac mae rhai wedi rhoi’r bai yn nwylo undebau llafur yn methu â dod i gytundeb cenedlaethol.   

Mae NAHT wedi bod yn glir o’r dechrau ein bod wedi bod o blaid cynnig pragmataidd y Gweinidog Addysg, Kirsty Williams, i agor am bedair wythnos mewn ymgais i ddod â chymaint o blant â phosibl yn ôl i'r ysgol ar gyfer y rhaglen galw-heibio oherwydd ein bod yn teimlo bod gennym gyfrifoldeb i'r genhedlaeth hon o ddysgwyr. 

Rydym yn parhau i herio'r rhai sy'n rhoi'r bai am i ysgolion beidio ag ailagor am bedair wythnos ar ein haelodau. 

Pan awgrymwyd y bedwaredd wythnos i ddechrau, cynigiodd Llywodraeth Cymru wythnos ychwanegol o wyliau i staff ysgolion, fel rhan o hanner tymor mis Hydref, fel cyfaddawd ar gyfer ymestyn tymor yr haf.  

Nawr bod llawer o ALlau wedi dewis peidio ag agor, mae dyfodol yr wythnos honno o wyliau'n aneglur. Yn ystod ei sesiwn briffio i’r wasg amser cinio heddiw, cadarnhaodd y Gweinidog y ffaith fod yr wythnos ychwanegol adeg hanner tymor yr hydref i wneud iawn am weithio wythnos ychwanegol yn nhymor yr haf. Roedd hyn yn rhoi’r argraff na fyddai’r rheiny nad oedd wedi gweithio’r wythnos ychwanegol yn gymwys i gael y gwyliau ychwanegol ym mis Hydref   

Felly nid oes ateb pendant o hyd ar y mater hwn, ond rwyf wedi cael sicrwydd gan swyddogion addysg y gwneir hyn yn glir yn ystod y dyddiau nesaf. 

Rwyf hefyd eisiau sicrhau aelodau, er gwaethaf bod eich ffocws ar yr hyn sy’n digwydd nawr, mae NAHT yn canolbwyntio ar sicrhau bod gennych chi’r wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnoch i ddechrau paratoi ar gyfer mis Medi.   

Mae NAHT wedi cyflwyno sylwadau i Lywodraeth Cymru’r wythnos hon bod yn rhaid i ddisgwyliadau ar gyfer Medi fod yn glir, ac mae angen cyhoeddi'r manylion cyn gynted â phosibl.   

Mae'n annerbyniol i ysgolion ddioddef yr un oedi wrth gyhoeddi gwybodaeth ac arweiniad ar gynlluniau mis Medi ag y gwnaethom yn achos ailagor Mehefin.   

Bydd unrhyw oedi sylweddol yn arwain at arweinwyr ysgolion yn dod i ddiwedd tymor yr haf heb gynllun penodol ar gyfer mis Medi, sy’n golygu ei bod yn anochel y byddant yn gweithio drwy wyliau'r haf.   

Ni ellir caniatáu i hyn ddigwydd i broffesiwn sydd wedi bod yn gweithio'n barhaus ers hanner tymor mis Chwefror, ac mae NAHT wedi ymrwymo i wneud popeth o fewn ein gallu i sicrhau bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwrando ar ein gofynion ac yn gweithredu nawr. 

Un cymhlethdod ynghylch cynllunio ar gyfer mis Medi yw'r posibilrwydd o adolygu canllawiau pellhau cymdeithasol.   

Mae Gogledd Iwerddon eisoes wedi lleihau pellter cymdeithasol o 2m i 1m, mae Lloegr ar hyn o bryd yn adolygu hyn, ac erbyn hyn mae Cymru’r gwneud hyn hefyd.   

O’r herwydd, mae unrhyw ganllawiau ar bellhau cymdeithasol mewn ysgolion yn cael eu gohirio gan ddibynnu ar ganlyniad yr adolygiad hwn.   

Ni all ysgolion wneud cynlluniau unigol oherwydd bod pellhau cymdeithasol yn rhan annatod o gynllunio capasiti ac asesu risg lleoliadau. 

Rwyf wedi annog Llywodraeth Cymru i weithio’n gyflym i wneud penderfyniad ar y mater hwn i alluogi ysgolion i symud ymlaen i’r cyfnod cynllunio, gan fod unrhyw oedi yn rhoi pwysau ychwanegol ar arweinwyr ysgolion sydd eisoes yn gweithio mewn amgylchiadau anhygoel o anodd. 

Byddaf yn parhau i'ch darparu â’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf, ac fel bob amser daliwch ati i gysylltu â fi gyda'ch barn, sylwadau neu gwestiynau.

First published 24 June 2020
First published 24 June 2020

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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