Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Like many other parents of children going to school or hoping to go to school in September, I have been watching these proceedings for a number of months to try to get some clarity around how schools are opening. Even listening today, I am not 100% sure what the exact plan is or when all schools will be open. Will they open two, three, four or five days per week? What will be the shape of the school day for those children? Parents need to know as quickly as possible.

They should have known at this stage.

While I understand that things can change, I would like to know whether children are going to start on a two-day week, a three-day week or a full week. Will they have to wear masks or in some cases visors? As Mr. Ó Foghlú and every Deputy here is aware, schools are bursting at the seams because there are too many children in the classrooms. If we try to impose social distancing, the capacity will not be not there in the school buildings for children, teachers or SNAs. We know of cases of SNAs who are allocated to a number of children. Will they have to change PPE equipment on a continuous basis during those weeks?

I have not heard any major clarification of the way the schools are going to be run, although it may have been provided earlier. What is going to happen with classrooms that are already filled to capacity? I heard mention earlier of a framework that would enable the private sector to help out in delivering extra classrooms or whatever, but it is a very short timeframe if that is to happen between now and the start of September. In some cases there is no physical space left. They will not all be put into a yard, especially in light of the problems with the yards themselves. How many children will be allowed into the yard at a given time? How many teachers and SNAs will have to be there to ensure social distancing during yard time? Does that mean staggered times in the yard?

Those are my first few questions. I have others on the matter of children who need additional supports.