TEACHERS have been given their own online lessons to help them teach Powys youngsters in cyberspace.

Since returning from the Easter break in April, Powys youngsters have been taught online.

And teachers in Powys have been prepared for their new virtual classrooms by taking their own online courses run by the Open University.

While preparations in England are being made for a return of some classes next week, it is highly likely that children in Powys and the rest of Wales will not be going back to school until September, meaning that teachers will have plenty of time to put their training into action.

Members of the Learning and Skills scrutiny committee at their meeting on Tuesday, May 26, asked whether teachers were properly prepared to deal with their new digital classroom.

Independent member Margaret Evitts and former headteacher, said: “This is an amazing transformation, are all staff trained adequately?

“Do staff need further training?”

Interim chief education officer Lynette Lovell said: “It requires a transformation in the way we teach, it’s different to teaching a class of 30.

“In the first two weeks of the continuity of learning plan we gave all our teaching staff to access free online training for teaching from the Open University.

“There is lot of working together and helping each other out.”

Ms Lovell added that there had been some problems along the way, as not all teachers were set up on the Welsh Government's online teaching portal, and some are less technically adept than others.

Ms Lovell said: “People are at different levels that’s for sure.

“But we have put that package in place to ensure that they have the time they need to understand these new ways of working.”

To prepare for an extended period of online learning, PCC has already adapted the Welsh Government continuity of learning plan and produced its own document for schools, called Powys Distance Learning Plan.

This gives schools guidance and helps share good practice between them.