Covid-19 – Stakeholder Engagement 

15 July 2020


Coronavirus has had a significant impact on all countries around the world and Wales. As well as the health risks;
jobs are at risk; public finances are at risk; our vulnerable communities are at risk.

Providing for the recovery from the public health emergency represents the biggest challenge we have faced
as a Devolved Government. This vital work will impact all areas of Welsh peoples’ lives and will be profoundly
important for public services, for the economy and society.

There can be no doubt that we face huge, unprecedented, challenges. As we plot a course to recovery and reconstruction, our approach will be based on the same values – a commitment to social, economic and
environmental justice – and will embed our obligations to those who follow us alongside those that are living
through Covid19, under the Well-Being of Future Generations Act.

Our values remain the same, but we will need to be fearless and radical in applying to our established policies
the lens of the new post-Covid realities. Many of the things that have worked in the past will no longer be fit for purpose. We will need to show flexibility and imagination in appraising our current approaches and in developing
new ones. That is why as well as drawing on thinking from within the Government, we are also determined to
look outside for challenge to our established ways of thinking and for fresh inspiration.

We are issuing an invitation to people in Wales to send us their thoughts on how we should support future
post-Covid recovery and reconstruction in Wales. We have a dedicated email address – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
– and would like to hear your thoughts on how we can shape our future Wales. We would like to hear from the
people in Wales about what really matters, about where we should focus our efforts on recovery. We are asking
people to aim to do that by the end of July. That will be far from the end of this crucial national conversation,
but we want to help focus people’s efforts in contributing to our understanding and thinking in these early stages.

Thank you.

 

Pupils – and investment - welcomed 

9 July 2020

UCAC education union has responded to today’s announcement by the Minister for Education about the reopening of schools in September.

Dilwyn Roberts-Young, UCAC General Secretary said “Headteachers and teachers have worked tirelessly to ensure that arrangements for re-opening schools have created a safe environment for pupils. This builds on the work that took place throughout the period of school closures.

“With the statement from the Education Minister we can now look forward to welcoming pupils back to our schools in September and we await the publication of the guidelines for reopening. However, with the guidance being published so late in the day, there will need to be some patience in relation to preparation for the reopening during the first few weeks of the autumn term.

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UCAC's position on the week of 20-24 July 

23 June 2020

Local Authorities made a series of announcements from Friday 19 June onwards regarding their arrangements for the 'extra' week of term before the summer holidays, namely 20-24 July.

In light of those statements, and the fact that some of them referred to 'the unions', we wish to make UCAC's position clear.

  • UCAC has at no point opposed or campaigned against the opening of schools during the week of 20-24 July; neither has it campaigned in favour
  • UCAC has outlined a series of practical issues that would need to be considered and resolved if schools were to open during the extra week, or if the school year were to be varied in any way
  • The reality is that it is Local Authorities and the Welsh Government who have failed to reach agreement on this issue, not the unions and the Welsh Government

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Serious concerns about the proposed re-opening of schools 

09 June 2020

UCAC has expressed our serious concerns about the proposed re-opening of schools and has emphasised the concerns of our members to the Education Minister in the strongest way terms.

Today we met with the Welsh Government for the first time since the statement and have clearly set out our concerns and dissatisfaction in correspondence which is available here:

LETTER

In addition to the formal letter we have shared a comprehensive list of questions with a request for urgent answers. That document is available here:

QUESTIONS

We welcome any comments that may feed into the discussion with the Welsh Government and with local authorities in order to ensure the health and wellbeing of staff and pupils at our schools.

I trust you are safe and well, remember that UCAC is here for all your inquiries.
 

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