CEREDIGION says it ‘will aim’ to reopen all schools in the county on Monday.

Pupils were initially meant to return to the class room this Friday, 7 January, but now, those lessons will be conducted online, with pupils returning to the classroom on Monday, 10 January.

In a statement issued to parents by Ceredigion County Council this afternoon, education chiefs said: “Ceredigion schools will aim to re-open for face to face learning for all pupils on Monday, 10 January 2022.

“Distance learning will be provided for the majority of learners on Friday 7 January 2022.

“Some groups of learners, including all learners in years 11 and 13, will attend school for face to face provision on Friday 7 January.

“The number of Covid-19 cases in Ceredigion continues to be exceptionally high at a rate of 1,587 per 100,000 of the population, with 1,154 of cases reported in the last seven days.

“The council is facing increasing staffing absences across all its services due to the Omicron variant. “Re-opening on 10 January 2022 will allow the implementation of contingency plans to enable continuation of care for the most vulnerable in our society.

“We are kindly asking staff to volunteer as contingency staff should the council need additional capacity, particularly in the care sector.

“At times, staff absences in schools may lead to re-establishing distance learning for a period of time. Schools continue to work in challenging conditions and we thank all for their co-operation.”