Coronavirus: Hundreds of NI schools and nurseries open for key worker children as government pledges daycare in people’s own homes

Education minister Peter Weir has said tonight that, after schools were told to shut their doors to general pupils last week, “limited education supervision” was being provided to children of key workers who could not organise childcare.
Hundreds of schools and nurseries opened today in NIHundreds of schools and nurseries opened today in NI
Hundreds of schools and nurseries opened today in NI

The Department of Education estimated about 575 pre-school settings and schools were open today but the “number of pupils attending is very small”.

The minister added that “schools are only open as a last resort option for children of key workers who cannot make other arrangements”, and to allow teachers to implement remote learning.

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Meanwhile tonight, the Department of Health unveiled plans to help key workers get childcare in their own homes.

It said children of key workers can be “temporarily matched with one daycare worker from the setting that they currently attend”.

The scheme will prioritise babies and toddlers, with no more than six children cared for at any one time.

For more information, the government directs people to this site: www.familysupportni.gov.uk/Section/Childcare/138