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

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.

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

Independent member and former headteacher Margaret Evitts asked Powys County Council’s Learning and Skills scrutiny meeting recently: "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 HWB, the Welsh Government 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."