Dismay after cleaning told to stay out of schools

Dismay after cleaning told to stay out of schools

21 October 2020

A LOCAL principal has criticised a decision not to have cleaning staff in schools over the two-week closure.

All schools in the province closed their doors last Friday for a fortnight owing to the sharp rise in coronavirus cases.

Mr Mark Morgan, principal of St Colman’s High and Sixth Form College in Ballynahinch, said the announcement, without any reference to what he described as “blended learning”, had put principals on the back foot.

“This is not what children need at this time,” he said. “Fortunately, the teaching staff in St Colman’s will continue working online with our students, but the holiday statement does not augur well considering the time lost to learning to date.”

On Friday the Education Authority (EA) informed schools that school cleaning staff need not report for work and will be paid as normal.

“Given that this virus is spread through airborne transmission, surely to goodness this window of opportunity should be used to intensively sanitise all schools rather than again designating as a paid holiday,” said Mr Morgan.

He continued: “Our school has been without hot water since the beginning of term in August. Despite constant promises from the EA and their contractors we are still no closer to getting this issue resolved.

“Considering the number of our parents who will be losing their jobs during this crisis it is unconscionable that those being paid a regular salary are failing to deliver a service.”

On Friday Education Minister Peter Weir visited The High School in Ballynahinch where he opened a new ICT suite and met with staff and pupils.

Mr Weir visited classrooms and spoke with the pupils, asking about how they were operating in bubbles.

The board of governors and the principal, Mr Paul Marks, also had a chance for a meeting about the new mid-term arrangements and how this would affect the pupils.

Mr Marks said afterwards: “Today was a chance for the Minister of Education to see how schools are operating under Covid and the arrangements we have put in place to allow safe teaching and learning for our pupils.

“I am really pleased to have Minister Weir here as I got to show off just what a wonderful school we have and how great our children are. I am really proud of what we have achieved here and hope for even greater things to come.”

A number of other local principals have commented on the extended Halloween break.

Mr Joe McCann, principal of St Patrick’s Grammar School in Downpatrick, said the timing of the closure would appear to be appropriate, given the rising number of Covid-19 cases throughout Northern Ireland.

‘We have been extremely busy to ensure that the school is a safe place for staff and pupils. We have tried to keep the school fully operational and have been working closely with the Public Health Agency (PHA) to deal with the cases that have presented,” he remarked.

“We would like to thank our parents for their patience and understanding in responding so promptly to communication from the school and PHA during these challenging times. 

“I want to pay tribute to our students, particularly those taught in bubbles, who have coped admirably with the ‘new normal’. For our Key Stage 3 pupils, the break is welcome.”

Mr McCann continued: “However, while the timing is right from a public health perspective, the Minister’s announcement last Friday regarding exam arrangements, specifically concerning GCSE Maths and GCSE English, has heightened anxiety among pupils, parents and staff as they work to prepare for an exam in January. 

“I also want to pay tribute to my staff for their continued effort through what has been the most challenging time in their careers. Their work in creating a safe learning environment has been tremendous.”

Mrs Maud Perry, principal of Down High School, described the current situation as “concerning” and hoped that the transmission of the virus will reduce as a result of this extended half-term.

“My main hope is that everyone in the school community remains safe,” she said. “It is important that all people in the district do their utmost to comply with regulations and act in a socially responsible way.

“This has been an especially difficult start to the school year and I want to commend my colleagues for the very professional and dedicated way in which they have coped with a wholly different school experience.

“There are many uncertainties at present, not least the situation in relation to public examinations. I hope the awarding bodies provide clear and helpful guidance to teachers, pupils and parents as a matter of urgency. The lack of clarity to date has heightened anxiety for young people, parents and teachers.”

Mrs Perry added: “Schools have worked extremely hard to welcome pupils back to structured face-to-face learning experiences and pupils were thoroughly enjoying their school experience, albeit it very different.

“I really hope that we can return to what we do best after this ‘circuit breaker’. Children do need to be in school for so many social, emotional and educational reasons and I hope that we can return energised on November 2.”

Mr Peter Dobbin, principal of Assumption Grammar School in Ballynahinch, also welcomed the extended Halloween break and said students deserved a “much-needed rest from the pressures of school life”.

He continued: “The mental impact of Covid-19 on our young people cannot be underestimated at this time and we need to look after them.

“Now is the time for students to breathe again and to look after themselves before returning to school on November 2. We would encourage all our young people to adhere to public health guidelines during this period.”

Mr Ciaran Maguire, principal of De La Salle High School in Downpatrick, said the school had adhered to official guidance to mitigate risk and keep everyone safe.

“While our pupils welcome and deserve the extended break for Halloween, it can’t be said for us as a school and for other schools in the community, who were preparing to continue teaching remotely,” he said. 

Mr Maguire said that from next week, students would be encouraged to log on to continue their studies, “irrespective of the Minister’s advice”.

He continued: “We have allocated a large number of IT devices to enable our children to engage and we continue to source these devices to ensure no one misses out.”

Mr Maguire said that if schools could not reopen, Mr Weir should allow them to teach remotely.

“While there is nothing like face to face teaching, it’s the best option as opposed to a further extension to the break,” he continued. “Schools are under immense pressure to deliver content and prepare not only for GCSE/GCE exams, but to educate children as a whole in a very tight window.

“I would welcome DE/CCEA to look at this urgently, the current changes are not near enough.  Children are anxious and worried.  A bold decision needs to be made in respect to how schools prepared for exams. 

“It seems no one is listening to those people on the ground, in the classroom working with children, delivering two year programmes and trying to deal with Covid.”

Mr Maguire added: “We have a considerable number of pupils sitting GCSE science papers on their return.  They are not being prepared the way I want them to be prepared, how others previous to them were prepared. They are not getting a fair chance at this exam paper but yet we 

are told to continue as if everything is normal. It’s not good enough.”

Mr Stephen Taylor, principal of Blackwater Integrated College in Downpatrick, expressed his concern about the loss of learning for students.

However, he believed the welfare of all students and the wider community was the priority and the decision to close schools on the basis of medical advice was correct. 

“In Blackwater Integrated College during the past eight weeks much work has been done to ensure staff and students are set up for remote learning through Google Classroom for an eventuality such as this,” he said. 

‘‘We have made sure all students have access to Google Classroom from home should this period of closure extend beyond the two weeks by lending out iPads to many students and working closely with students to ensure they have access to high quality online learning.”

He added: ’’Blackwater has been fortunate as a school that no member of the school community has tested positive since restart and I commend everyone associated with the college for their hard work in ensuring a safe environment for all.’’

Mr Seamus Hanna, principal of St Colmcille’s High School in Crossgar, said he recognised Covid-19 had greatly impacted on the entire school community. 

“We are determined to help all our pupils bridge the educational gap they have suffered since closing in March, whilst also supporting their emotional and social needs,” he said.

“We understand the frustration of families with schools closing but this decision is an attempt to keep all members of our school safe and avoid longer closures. 

“Our Year 12 pupils are due to sit exams in the November series however, we have had no update from the Minister of Education on contingency plans. I am genuinely concerned as to what will happen if we do not return in November or if a pupil, or whole class, have to self-isolate.

“I am also frustrated at the Minister’s response regarding the summer exams. The expectation to sit full GCSE courses in a number of subjects, including Maths, having missed face to face teaching for four months, places further pressure on pupils.

“Our pupils are important to all of us as individuals, we know their hopes and aspirations and aim to help them achieve these. They are not simply another number or statistic.  

Mr Hanna continued: “As principal, I feel we are fighting not only the virus, but the decisions from the Minister of Education who, rather than supporting, is pushing against us. The gates of St Colmcille’s may be closed for a while. However, we will continue to support all our pupils through online resources.

“We have ensured all pupils have access to Google Classroom and online Maths programmes whilst providing tutorial videos to help our parents understand how pupils access these.”

He added: “St Colmcille’s High School will continue to support all our pupils, parents and staff during and after this closure, working together to prioritise our pupils.”

Shimna Integrated College principal, Mr Kevin Lambe, said the school would be treating the two-week closure as a holiday.

“We know our staff and students, especially Years 12 and 14 who have been back since August 24, are more than ready for a real rest,” he said.

“Our support staff and premises staff have been back for even longer and teachers were working away preparing for this very strange year. The two weeks are holiday and schools will not be delivering remote learning.

“However, staff have shared with students ideas for good things to do during the circuit breaker and have provided guidance to help our examination year students to take the initiative and make good use of their time. Primarily we want out students to stay safe.