Mr. Kieran Christie:

I thank the committee for the invitation to attend. I want to make clear that the objective of the ASTI is the full reopening of schools as soon as possible. While enormous efforts have been made by teachers and students by way of remote engagement since the school closures in March and notwithstanding the digital divide and other issues that have frustrated the efforts of all concerned, it is clear that nothing can replace the vital interactions that take place in classrooms. However, the reopening must be done in a manner that is safe and enjoys the confidence of all concerned.

Our submission outlines the issues regarding the challenges for reopening schools and the procedures that will need to be put in place. These include ensuring the health, safety and well-being of students, teachers and other school personnel; adjusting the physical infrastructure to maintain social distancing; implementing the return to work safely protocol and ensuring compliance with it; attending to the needs of vulnerable members of the school community; dealing with the enormity of the initiative overload burden placed on schools in recent years and rebalancing the inspection process in schools so that these do not constitute a barrier to an efficient school reopening and the making up for lost time; and addressing the impact on students, teaching and learning and the challenges of potential staggered attendance that may still be necessary for a time.

In relation to a blended learning approach, a raft of issues will have to be addressed regarding remote teaching and digital literacy skills. We need to address, as a matter of urgent priority, the equity issues that were thrown into the limelight in a stark manner after the school closures in March. Students with special and additional educational needs have suffered enormously during this period. Their needs will have to be fully addressed.

A successful reopening of schools will be predicated on achieving the confidence of teachers, students and parents in the process. In England, attendance rates have been poor from among those who have been entitled to return to school, purely because parents are not convinced that it is safe to do so. The ASTI takes a wider view but, as a trade union, we must pay particular attention to the interests of our members. Teachers, like all workers, must return to Covid-19 secure workplaces. Nothing less will be acceptable.

The report to Government by the Minister for Education and Skills on 12 June caused considerable consternation amongst our members, to put it mildly. It stated: "A differentiated approach to physical distancing in schools versus requirements for other parts of society or business could be considered appropriate and reasonable when the particular nature of the school environment is considered". An inferior approach to physical distancing in schools from that which pertains in wider society or any deviation from the health advice available from NPHET or the Health Protection Surveillance Centre, HPSC, would be unacceptable. We have been heartened that the interim advice issued by the HPSC and acted upon by the Department of Education and Skills regarding the operation of summer programmes being provided in schools includes a social distancing regime for staff and students.

The ASTI has a significant number of members with underlying conditions or living with others who fall into similar categories. They worry if they will be Covid-19 secure working in a classroom with 30 students with no personal protective equipment and with weak social distancing or none. Members are sceptical that this would be safe. In England, clinically vulnerable individuals, including education staff, are advised not to work outside the home. Staff in this position should be similarly advised here.

The developing science relating to the virus seems to suggest that children under the age of ten probably pose no threat in terms of transmission of the disease. However, all students in second-level schools are over 12 years of age and several of the senior students will be over 18. The science on this issue appears inconclusive. We believe that a blended learning model of some sort will continue to be needed and that phasing of the return to school may be necessary. As our classrooms are among the most overcrowded in OECD countries, it seems to us that no matter how creative schools are in using their available rooms and facilities, many will not be able to accommodate everyone on a full-time basis. Several staff members and students may still have to work or study outside of the classroom because of their vulnerabilities. Enormous difficulties will have to be overcome in the management of practical classes such as woodwork, metalwork, art, physical education, music and home economics. Similarly, it will be challenging to manage the cleaning requirements that will be needed between classes.

These tasks will be extremely difficult but not insurmountable. The ASTI will play a constructive role. We will engage with the Department of Education and Skills and all other relevant stakeholders to ensure a safe reopening of schools to the greatest extent possible. Only an agreed set of protocols that enjoys the trust and confidence of all stakeholders will secure that objective.