Ceredigion council has confirmed it aims to have younger pupils back in school full-time during the first week of March – as long as Covid rates allow.

The confirmation follows days of confusion and lack of clarity for parents, who were told only that children in the Foundation Phase – who the Welsh education minister said last week could return to school after the half-term break – would attend one day a week the first week back.

Earlier today, the council would only confirm that: “Schools will be open for the week commencing 22 February with pupils back on site in small groups and in a phased manner.”

But a council spokesperson has this afternoon added: “Our aim will be to welcome full Foundation Phase classes to schools during the week commencing 1 March.

“We will communicate the scale-up of these arrangements to parents on 23/24 February to take into account the coronavirus context in Ceredigion at that time."

In Powys, all learners aged three to seven will begin a "phased and flexible" return to their school/early years setting from Tuesday, 23 February, and they are aiming for all Foundation Phase learners to return by Friday, 26 February.

And in Pembrokeshire, the council said that from Tuesday, 23 February, schools will begin a phased return, and are “preparing for a full return of all Foundation Phase learners on 1 March”.

Ceredigion has the lowest rate of Covid cases in Wales, according to the latest Public Health Wales rolling seven-day figures available (up to 7 February), at 38.5 cases per 100,000 of population. Wrexham in North Wales has the worst levels in Wales, at 199.3.