Northern Ireland

Zero plans for second shutdown of schools despite spike

THE return of children to full-time classroom learning has been relatively smooth, according to Education Minister Peter Weir. He tells Simon Doyle that despite a spike in cases affecting a growing number of schools, a wholesale shutdown is not being considered

Education minister Peter Weir pictured during a visit to Dungannon PS
Education minister Peter Weir pictured during a visit to Dungannon PS Education minister Peter Weir pictured during a visit to Dungannon PS

ALMOST one month after pupils and teachers returned to their schools after a lengthy lay-off, education is virtually back to something approaching routine.

It is not normal, nor will it be for some time, admits Peter Weir.

The attendance of young people and staff has been quite high - the rates consistently above 90 per cent are not far off what they would be in any typical year.

The restart has been far from trouble-free, however.

Teachers have been critical of changing and inconsistent guidance, proposed changes to exams and a delayed 11-plus series.

Mr Weir accepts that this school year, much like last year's, will be unconventional.

The spread of coronavirus is presenting an increasing challenge for principals amid fears a second wave will bring chaos.

Already, several schools have been affected and some have closed for a short period.

With each fresh case, Mr Weir is being urged to consider closing all schools again.

"It has been a consistent message from executive colleagues, the chief medical officer, chief scientific adviser, that is something that is very much the last thing you do. You shut down retail and industry before you shut down schools. That's both in terms of threat and the impact that closing schools has on the life futures of our young people," he said.

"I have been out and about to quite a few schools. We tried to give guidance with a certain level of flexibility but it's also the case that most schools thought through the issues before they even reached day one. Schools will have had to adapt. One of the bigger issues, which we had to work with schools on the health side of it, was trying to get the position right if there was any level of somebody testing positive.

"I think, to be fair, be it sometimes within schools, sometimes parents, sometimes children, maybe there was a little bit of initial trepidation in the first hour or two of what was going to happen. One thing that became very clear, children settled in very quickly. It is an unusual situation but I think for the most part schools have adapted very well. Now, that's not saying there's not going to be some bumps along the road, and there has been at times for individual schools.

"With the odd exception, parents have wanted to see their children back into school. There was always that degree of worry about what would be the level of uptake. Figures would suggest that parents are adopting a position which is very close to normal."

Under pressure GPs have said they are being stretched further by scores of schoolchildren demanding Covid-19 tests - even when they have no symptoms.

The only official estimate of the number of cases this term suggested 88 cases at 64 schools.

Mr Weir said some schools were understandably overly cautious and throwing the net wide when they reported a positive case.

With 1,100 different school settings and an estimated 25,000 classrooms, it is likely there will be new diagnoses every day.

"Even if we were at the lowest point in terms of the virus there will be somewhere in the country where this will be happening," Mr Weir said.

"We know that particularly with regards infections on young people that the impact is less. The concern has always been where the interaction is not necessarily between young people, but between young people are adults. Even in terms of where there are cases, it is more a question of a young person or indeed a member of staff who has picked up the virus elsewhere bringing it into the school rather than the school transmitting out."

The original plan for a staggered school restart included the idea of `blended learning' - a combination of working from home and classroom time.

Mr Weir agreed that this was now the fall back option.

"Ultimately, it will apply in a minority of cases. While a lot of good work has been done on blended learning, everyone will accept it is not as good as direct contact in the classroom," he said.

"Whatever the anxieties in the run up to this, the number of times I've been in schools where teachers are saying how great it is to be physically back the classroom with children.

"Things I suspect may have got on our nerves before, we are now welcoming - noise in the corridors, movement.This year and last year have not been normal, but we want to see the maximum amount of normality so children are not growing up with a level of anxiety or trauma."

Pupils are due to sit exams again next summer, barring any unforeseen circumstance, and work is continuing on streamlining GCSEs.

Mr Weir said he was keen to avoid a repeat of this year's A-level results chaos where thousands of pupils were `downgraded' after their teachers' predictions were standardised. The predicted scores were later honoured.

The minister was criticised for following the lead of England in making a u-turn on results, but insisted this was necessary to ensure no one was disadvantaged.

"There will be some work commissioned to have a review of what happened, not to apportion any blame but to see where problems arose," he said.

"There's no satisfactory substitute other than exams, because any other system has a level of flaws."

Up to 20 per cent of A-levels taken by pupils in the north are set by boards in England. Sticking with the standardised grades when England reverted to teacher predictions, which were considerably higher overall, would have meant some pupils having two different sets of results.

"I can understand why people felt aggrieved. Any shift in any direction and you cannot deliver something that is fair for everyone," the minister said.

"A-levels are very much in a wider competitive market - our young people need to be competing on a level playing field for future employment. With the best will in the world, you could be the greenest of nationalists or most red white and blue unionist, it does not make a difference, it is about trying to ensure that our children get a fair shake.

"We sometimes see Northern Ireland as the centre of the universe and we have got to realise that we are a small jurisdiction. When it comes to examinations the extent to which we are seen to be, broadly speaking, compatible, we are not in a position to do a solo run. England are in a position, because of their dominance of the market in terms of numbers, to ultimately almost do whatever they like and there are little consequences. Northern Ireland representing 2-3 per cent of the overall market, if we are seen that our exams are not trusted, the only people that would suffer are our students."