Closing NI schools a ‘disaster’ for children – principal

Teachers should have been able to begin planning online lessons before Christmas, said Kevin Donaghy, of St Ronan’s Primary School in Newry.

Instead they have had to duplicate everything for physical teaching conditions.

Mr Donaghy said: “My staff are completely devastated. We were all gearing up for coming back.”

On Monday, Stormont ministers said there will be an “extended period of remote learning” for school pupils.

For weeks teaching unions have been calling for that to happen immediately.

Mr Donaghy added: “They have already done three months of remote teaching and they do not like it.

“They would rather the kids were in school, for us this is the best place and none of us want this.

“The children are the most important thing to them, they are young and vulnerable – it is a disaster.”

He said teaching heads have been left seeking clarity from the authorities.

“If contingency plans had been put in place before Christmas, if the minister had consulted and decided things with school leaders to see what we do, if he would talk with us rather than at us…

“For me the hardest bit, the ones suffering the most, are the children.

“They were looking forward to coming back to school this week.

“Remote does not replace face-to-face teaching at all.”

Justin McCamphill, NASUWT teaching union national official for Northern Ireland, said closing schools to face-to-face education should always be a measure of last resort.

His union has been calling for remote learning for some time.

“We believe the minister missed an opportunity by not giving schools the last week before Christmas to prepare,” he said.

“Teachers and principals would have had certainty in what to expect after Christmas.”

First Minister Arlene Foster has said the period of online learning for schoolchildren in Northern Ireland is to be extended amid soaring coronavirus cases.

The most recent plan was for primary pupils to be taught remotely for the week from January 4-8, while for secondary school Years 8 to 11, it is due to last for the entire month.

Graham Gault, principal at Maghaberry Primary, said: “It’s easy to blame Peter Weir for the totally avoidable disaster unfolding around transfer, GCSEs and A-levels.

“And yes, he has refused to listen to the profession for months.

“But let’s not forget the entire education department beneath him and the political party around him.”

Education Minister Mr Weir previously told the Assembly that he was acting in accordance with scientific and medical advice presented by Stormont’s health experts.

He said the situation had deteriorated rapidly since his statement before Christmas when he said schools would reopen as planned on January 4.