IN a letter to principals, education minister Peter Weir said closing schools was a hugely difficult decision that would have wide-reaching repercussions for learners, families, staff and society. Simon Doyle looks in greater detail at what he said.
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CLOSURE
Even though schools will be closed to pupils, they will remain open for staff to access resources and make arrangements for remote learning, to facilitate vulnerable children and those of key workers, and carry out other duties that principals may require of them.
SALARIES
All employees will receive normal pay whether they remain in the workplace, work from home or are unable to carry on working due to circumstances beyond their control. Substitute teachers and non-teaching staff, including temporary and fixed term employees, will also receive their normal pay for the time that they have been engaged to work.
YOUTH SERVICES
Youth services will try to provide for the vulnerable, and those most in need of services, on a bespoke basis. The Education Authority will provide support through existing statutory and community partnerships. Voluntary youth providers will also cease. This includes "uniformed organisations, church-based organisations and others whose youth work is delivered by volunteers".
EXAMINATIONS
There will be no GCSEs, AS and A-levels this summer. Exam boards will develop a robust process for awarding grades. The plan is to use a combination of prior achievements, internal teacher-assessed tracking information, predicted grades and analysis and modelling of existing data trends.
CHILDREN'S WELFARE
The executive wants to ensure continuity for children who may be vulnerable or receive free school meals. The education and communities departments are working to put in place alternative arrangements as soon as possible. Education and health are devising arrangements so children have access to services necessary for their well-being. The EA is also developing contingency arrangements to maintain counselling.
REMOTE LEARNING
Schools are already making arrangements for online learning and lesson packs. Officials, including inspectors, will work closely with school leaders and others to identify what more can be done to support these efforts and ensure that best practice is widely disseminated and applied.
EXTENDED SCHOOLS
With schools being closed to pupils, many of these programmes are unlikely to take place in their current form. However, there may be scope for schools to deliver different types of support where possible, taking into account staffing levels and the needs of the pupils and families in their communities.
3RD SECTOR ORGANISATIONS
The department funds several `3rd sector' organisations who work closely with schools to progress and support children's learning. Many will be concerned about next year's budget (from April 2020 to March 2021). No budget decisions have yet been taken in respect of 2020/21. The department will be in contact as soon as possible regarding allocations.
PROVISION FOR KEY WORKERS
The aim of closing schools was to enhance the effectiveness of the response to the Covid-19 outbreak. However, there is a need to facilitate children who are vulnerable, or those young people up to the end of Year 10, whose parents are critical to the Covid-19 response and who would otherwise have no option but to stay at home to ensure safe supervision.
