Schools to remain open on Monday for children of frontline workers, but teachers are left confused and concerned

Peter Weir said that keeping all schools open was the best way to spread out numbers across the sites.

Schools are to close from Monday and all pupils are to stay home, except for the children of those who provide essential services, such as doctors and police officers.

The minister said there would likely be a need to adjust the plan as the situation progresses.

“All schools should be catering for the key workers,” he told Radio Ulster.

“As things evolve is it likely that the configuration may well change? Yes, it could do.

“This is only for key workers, where they cannot find an alternative.

“For a lot of key workers they will have somebody at home, they will have the opportunity to maybe have a family member to look after them.”

Mr Weir said, in terms of safety, there’s “very little difference” between have zero and 20% of pupils in schools.

“Do I think on Monday things are going to be potentially messy, are they going to be problematical? Yes they probably are,” he said.

“We’ve got to do something, we’ve got to try and make the best effort we possibly can.

“This will be a moving situation and where we are on Monday, I suspect as we move ahead in days to come, we’ll see adjustments to that.”

At the first and deputy first minister’s daily press conference, they said that guidance was being sent to schools yesterday about how to cater for key workers’ children

“What we need to do is find facilities and ways to support our key workers, the people who work in the health service on a daily basis to try and provide us the support that we need at this time”, deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill said.

Arlene Foster said re-purposing schools to accommodate key workers’ children would allow the NHS to be fit for purpose.

“The Department of Education is sending out further guidance in relation to the issue today, and that will be with schools this afternoon,” Mrs Foster said.

Earlier, Michelle O’Neill had expressed concern that guidance to schools had caused confusion. She added: “Can schools be part of a solution for helping key workers get to work to provide the frontline public services?

“Then yes, but let’s work that out, let’s not confuse the picture anymore.

Teachers in Northern Ireland said they are “massively confused” and “very uneasy” at instructions to remain in school.

One teacher at a school in Lurgan, Co Armagh said staff felt it was a risk for them to remain in work.

“Generally we think it is a risk but we understand we all have to put our shoulder to the wheel,” he said.

“I would imagine a few won’t be in as they have elderly parents to look after.

“I’m going to see how my daughters are at the weekend and then decide what to do. There is nothing I can do in school that I can’t do at home.”

A teacher at a school in Armagh said staff feel like “cogs in a broken down machine, and added: “This is a stressful time but schools need clear guidance and structure.”

Last night, Education Minister Peter Weir issued further guidance to schools.

He said: “Next week, we are asking schools to remain open for staff to allow them to prepare for remote learning, to ensure provision for vulnerable children and key workers’ children up to the end of Year 10.

“I would ask you all to consider only sending your child to school if there are no other viable arrangements; schools should be open to vulnerable children or those who have a parent/carer who is a key worker in relation to dealing with the Covid-19 response. To be clear, both parents/carers do not have to be key workers.

“By Monday, we will have a reasonable indication of the take-up of this scheme by key workers.””

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