Staff at special schools in Northern Ireland, which are remaining open during the current Covid-19 lockdown, are living in fear after it emerged pupils who have a relative at home who have tested positive for the virus are still able to attend.
Stormont’s Education Committee was hearing evidence from teaching unions on the state of education during the Covid lockdown on Wednesday morning.
The committee was told that staff at one special school are “absolutely distressed” after learning of a case where the pupil is still attending.
Justin McCamphill of the NASUWT informed the committee that Public Health Agency guidance allows for a child whose parent has tested positive for Covid to attend school after ten days of no symptoms, even if another family member tests positive.
Secondary school principals in Northern Ireland have slammed the Education Minister for implying they provide a second class option for pupils.
Peter Weir apologised for a clumsy tweet in which he said cancelling the transfer test was a denial of opportunity for some pupils.
He said that he did not believe he had let children down over the test debacle but accepted that the disruption was disappointing for many families.
On Wednesday AQE announced the cancellation of its planned single transfer test scheduled for late February.
The minister was unable to rule out remote learning continuing until Easter, although he did say he did not want it to continue on a prolonged basis.
School principals have said they are tearing their hair out over Education Minister Peter Weir s confirmation that A-level students in Northern Ireland will take fewer exams next summer.
While insisting that exams will not be cancelled, Mr Weir told the Assembly recently that the number of A-level exam papers a pupil will have to take in each subject will be reduced.
The content of many GCSE courses, as well as the number of GCSE exams, has already been curtailed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But Graham Gault principal of Maghaberry Primary and president of the local branch of the National Association of Head Teachers, said Mr Weir has left his members with more questions than answers.