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Analysis: End of school year tinged with sadness for P7s

For many young people, today will be the last day they ever set foot in their school, and leaves little time for farewells
For many young people, today will be the last day they ever set foot in their school, and leaves little time for farewells For many young people, today will be the last day they ever set foot in their school, and leaves little time for farewells

THERE is a tinge of sadness about the abrupt end to in-school learning.

For P7s and sixth formers there will be the regret of missed opportunities.

The long, emotional goodbye that typically starts after the Easter break has been condensed into two days.

For many young people, today will be the last day they ever set foot in their school, and leaves little time for farewells.

Learning will continue from Monday, but without welcome distractions from those inseparable friends that shared deskspace for seven years.

Living rooms and kitchen tables will be set up as makeshift classrooms.

There is no good outcome to schools closing and there are also unintended social consequences.

Apart from the benefits of learning in familiar surroundings, children will lose out on a lot more while in isolation.

Young people going to school every day enjoy social contact, friendships, extra-curricular activities, art, sport, music, school trips.

The final few months of P7 should be the most memorable for children and staff, with focus on the transition to `big school', class projects, end of year shows and leavers' masses.

All this has ground to a halt and that togetherness has been lost.

A solution is hard to apprehend right now and this is a real worry.