COVID has impacted our school’s staffing and how we manage classes during staff absenteeism. Normally when a classroom teacher is absent, we would split the class into several other classes, to continue working independently. We can no longer mix classes due to COVID safety.
There are little to no substitute teachers available, and the new teacher panel system is nowhere near sufficient to cover absenteeism. Rather than closing a class, a support teacher teaches the class, which has a significant impact on our provision of support for children with special education needs. This combined with having just 3.6 support teachers for 15 classes, means a very stretched CWETNS special-ed department now finds itself under further pressure.
The best way you can help our school currently, is to keep children home if they are in any way sick. We must try to do as much as we can to minimise the chances of our staff becoming ill, as the effects are far reaching and impact our most vulnerable. I would like to thank the whole staff for their support during this challenging time, and particular thanks to our Special Education Teachers for their adaptability and patience.
