A YEAR group at a Newport school have been asked to remain at home due to “significant staff shortages.”

On Tuesday, parents of Year 8 pupils at Llanwern High School were sent a letter telling them that their children would have to revert to independent learning on Wednesday.

Headteacher Tracey Jarvis said: “We have significant staff shortages at the school currently with a number of staff off school for an extended period of time having tested positive with Covid or absent because of Covid related issues.

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“This is in addition to the usual seasonal absence and a difficulty in recruiting agency staff to support with cover.

“As a result, we have had to engage a range of strategies in order to try and cover all classes, including reverting to independent study for sixth form and combining classes, but the situation continues to worsen and is increasingly challenging.

“The Chair of Governors and the Local Authority are aware that I am taking this decision and although it is with a heavy heart, the decision to revert to remote learning for Year 8 was because they are not directly involved in exam preparation in the same way as pupils in the older year groups are.”

And pupils have now been asked to continue to work from home on Thursday as well.

“Unfortunately staff absence levels remain high again tomorrow, and therefore, Year 8 will be required to continue distance learning for Thursday, November 11,” read a school statement.