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Michelle McIlveen addressed speculation that a “circuit break” closure prior to the festive break is being considered.
Education Minister Michelle McIlveen has said there are “no plans” to close schools early for Christmas in a bid to ease Covid-related pressures

Ms McIlveen was addressing speculation that a “circuit break” mass closure of schools prior to the scheduled festive break was being considered during Assembly question time on Monday.
Her comments come as 1,200 school staff and over 11,500 pupils have tested positive for Covid-19 in the last month, official figures show.

NASUWT National Official for Northern Ireland Justin McCamphill has said the case numbers are adding pressure in schools with spiralling staff absences.

The union has previously called for a circuit-breaker in the run up to Christmas holidays, so a break from essay writing.

On Friday, the Department of Education insisted there “are no current plans to shut schools early”.

Alliance MLA Paula Bradshaw today urged Ms McIlveen to respond to rumours about such a move.

Ms McIlveen replied: “This was mooted in August before schools started back that there would be a circuit breaker at Halloween and that didn’t happen. I know that there have been a number of press queries and statements in relation to that. There are no plans for mass closure or use for circuit breaker in schools at this point.
“The Executive’s decision on Covid responses in school has been and will continue to be guided by the medical and scientific evidence.
“I am aware of the harm that has been caused to children and young people by school closures. It’s in all of our interests that we continue to provide access to classroom-based teaching for all pupils.

“I think really as a society, while we are very conscious of watching out for the health service, I think we need to be very mindful that we watch out for our schools.”

Ms McIlveen said it was important to ensure that behaviour outside classrooms – such as in playgrounds and other settings – mirrored the steps to prevent transmission within schools.

She added: “The Executive was very clear in relation to the fact that we have to make sure that our young people maximise the number of days that they are in school.

“I think the long-term impacts on them in regards to not only their education but also their mental and emotional wellbeing is incredibly important and we need to be mindful of that.”

Ms McIlveen was also asked about absence rates within schools and said attendance levels were not as high as she would like, but she stressed that Covid-19 was not the only factor.

Ms McIlveen said attendance for September and October in primary schools was 93.2% – down from 95.1% last year. For post primary schools, attendance for the same period was 91% – compared with 93.1% last year.
The minister said absence rates for non-Covid reasons remained significantly higher than absences linked to the virus.

“What we can conclude from that data is that while Covid is a factor, it’s not by any means the only factor at play,” she said.