Wales' schools reopen to more pupils from June 29th

3 June 2020, 12:44 | Updated: 3 June 2020, 13:06

Wales' Education Minister Kirsty Williams has given an update on when schools will start reopening to further pupils.

Under the new plan which aims to give pupils the chance to "Check in, catch up and prepare for September", pupils will begin returning from the 29th of June.

Pupils from all age groups in schools, including college students will be given the opportunity to return to school at some point.

Schools have stayed open through the pandemic for the children of key workers but this is the first confirmation that more pupils will now return.

Kirsty Williams says only around a third of students will be present at any one time, with further details on how these plans will work to be released next week. She says that entire year groups will not return together.

She says they will make allowances for families individual circumstances saying they would respect the personal decisions of parents who may choose not to send their children back.

She described it as an opportunity for pupils to spend "face to face time in a small dedicated group".

This year's summer term is being extended by a week to July 27th. As a result of this the autumn half term will be extended to two weeks.

The Minister also thanked all members of the "education family" including teachers and staff across Wales.