SCHOOLS have reopened this morning, for the next three or four weeks - depending on where you live.

This phase of schools reopening has been dubbed ‘check in, catch up and prepare’.

In Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Gwynedd, pupils will go back for three weeks. But in Powys and Pembrokeshire, there will be four weeks of school.

The last week of the summer term, 20-24 July, was originally stated as open by Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education is now been called by Welsh Governement a ‘fourth voluntary week’.

Schools in Ceredigion and Gywnedd will not open for that week, but neighbouring counties will.

Conwy, Pembrokeshire and Powys councils have confirmed its schools will open for the four-week period

Ceredigion County Council said in a statement that "the council and all their schools are very disappointed that they are not in a position to open for the fourth week as originally stated. This is due to the fact that Welsh Government had not been able to secure an agreement with Trade Unions on the extension of the school term."

Gwynedd Council said it "does not intend to ask teaching and other school staff to volunteer for this additional fourth week and therefore schools will close for the summer holidays on July 17 as they would have done originally."

“We believe that providing this clarity for parents, pupils and schools at this stage is a sensible approach and allows families time to prepare for the three week period of the school term," a spokesperson told the local democracy reporting service.

“We will be writing to parents and pupils directly in the coming days to update them regarding the ‘check in, catch up and prepare’ phase of reopening schools.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “While we continue to recommend four weeks of check in, catch up and prepare, we acknowledge that ultimately this is a decision for local authorities, who are the employers of school staff.”

The issue surrounds talks with the unions.

While there were assurances that staff would “get back” the extra week by extending the autumn half term, unions claimed that this was not agreed with them.

Arfon MS and Plaid Cymru education spokesperson, Sian Gwenllian, described the “saga” as “very disappointing” while commending headteachers and school staff for their “systematic and careful planning” in preparation for the June 29 reopening.

“The Education Minister’s requirement was that schools open for four weeks meant creating complex staff schedules and rotas as well as ensuring that all security measures are in place,” she added.

“That has been progressing well with schools making the necessary arrangements – but at the very last moment, the plug has been pulled on the fourth week in many areas.

“The Education Minister passed the buck to the schools after failing to reach agreement with all parties – agreement which should surely have been in place before making any announcements around the fourth week.

“It creates complete confusion for everyone – especially for the children and young people who find themselves trapped in the middle of a row.”

Responding during a virtual session of Senedd Cymru on Wednesday, education minister Kirsty Williams said that Sian Gwenllian was right to acknowledge the hard work of headteachers but was clear that it was local authorities and not the Welsh Government who were the employers.