SEVERAL schools across the north have opted to shut their doors early for the Christmas holidays amid fears about the impact of the highly-contagious Omicron Covid variant.
Schools are officially due to close for the Christmas break on Wednesday.
But some have taken the decision to allow children to be home-schooled for the last few days of term.
Irish-medium school Bunscoil Phobal Feirste told parents it was closing yesterday due to an increase in cases.
"We have seen a rise of positive cases in the school, leading to shortage of both teaching and non-teaching staff in recent days," the school said.
It said the rise had led to Christmas activities being cancelled.
"Listening to many of you in the morning at the school gates in recent days, we understand that families are becoming increasingly concerned at the prospect of a positive case within their household and the impact that this could have on plans to meet with extended family over the Christmas holidays."
The school told parents that it had "taken the decision to allow children to remain at home for the final days of term from Monday to Wednesday".
"Staff will provide some home learning activities... for those days should you wish."
The school said that it will remain open until Wednesday as planned for any children who cannot be home-schooled.
Some schools and colleges are planning for further disruption in the new year. It is understood that some classes at North West Regional College, which has campuses in Derry, Limavady and Strabane, will be taught remotely for at least the first week in January.
Earlier this month, the NASUWT union and Secondary Students’ Union of Northern Ireland both called for schools to close early.
However, Education minister Michelle McIlveen responded by saying there were no plans "for mass closure or use for a circuit breaker in schools at this point".
She told Stormont's Education Committee yesterday that everything was being done "to keep schools open and safe".
"You'll be aware that there is a high number of Covid cases in the community and in schools," she said.
"The advice from the Department of Health is that case rates in schools reflect the prevalence in the wider community.
"Transmission is occurring both in the community and in schools."
She said much is "not known" about the possible effect of the Omicron variant.
However, she said there are a "high number of cases" in schools, citing Public Health Agency statistics which found that, in the seven days up to December 12, 3,405 cases were reported among pupils and staff.
Ms McIlveen said the department's Covid guidance "has remained aligned with the public health advice that we have received".
"I reiterate that the department has not been advised at this point by the Department of Health to introduce any additional restrictions or mitigations," she said.
"I want to let school leaders lead, therefore my department's guidance has moved away as much as possible from telling schools what they must or cannot do."
