School return guidelines awaiting sign-off by chief scientific advisors

Northern Ireland schools are still waiting on updated guidance from Stormont on the full-time return of pupils next month.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Aug 2020, 09:00 BST
LONDON - SEPTEMBER 4: Students sit in class at The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School on September 4, 2003 in London. Students across the United Kingdom are returning to school for the start of the 2003/4 academic year. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)LONDON - SEPTEMBER 4: Students sit in class at The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School on September 4, 2003 in London. Students across the United Kingdom are returning to school for the start of the 2003/4 academic year. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
LONDON - SEPTEMBER 4: Students sit in class at The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School on September 4, 2003 in London. Students across the United Kingdom are returning to school for the start of the 2003/4 academic year. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

The Education Minister Peter Weir wrote to all schools on Thursday, after the Stormont Executive agreed to reopen all schools for all pupils full-time from August 31 onwards.

But new detailed guidance has yet to be agreed by Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride and Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Ian Young.

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This comes after the teaching union official Justin McCamphill, from the NASUWT trade union, warned that he has “no confidence at all” in the minister’s proposals to ensure a safe return. He also warned that the union would be “prepared to take legal action against schools who do endanger our members”.

The trade union Unison, who represent over 8,000 workers in education, also said Mr Weir’s announcement on Thursday had caused “anxiety for parents, pupils and education staff.”

In a statement, a Unison spokesperson said: “There are now too many questions. We must have the answers now.”

Asked when the detailed new guidance would be made available to schools, a spokesperson for the education department said yesterday: “On August 6, the Executive agreed that the ‘new school day guidance’ should be updated to reflect a more ambitious approach to ‘education restart’ planning.

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“The minister wrote to all schools on Thursday, August 6, immediately after the Executive meeting, to provide an update on the proposed way forward.”

The spokeseperson added: “The department is conscious that schools need the revised detailed guidance as soon as possible to help plan for the return to school. Subject to the agreement of the chief medical officer and the chief scientific advisor, this will be published as soon as possible this week.”

Meanwhile, a study published in The Lancet Child And Adolescent Health journal found that the risk of children and staff transmitting the virus in educational settings was very low when contact tracing and “epidemic management” was in place. It looked at the spread of the virus in New South Wales, Australia.

Related topics:Peter WeirNorthern IrelandUNISONStormont Executive