Ms Ann Piggott:

I did read that this was going to be happening. I suppose it has not been applicable yet. It is to be between 24 and 48 hours. If one thinks about 48 hours, it will still take another day to tell people in schools so that is still quite a long time. I read that in England people were being tested within an hour. I know that that is not possible. We need it to be as fast as possible. The whole issue of teacher supply will be crucial then. If one student in one class in a secondary school becomes ill, the six teachers they have had all day might also be off work.

Some 1,080 teachers were promised. When shared between 723 second level schools, that is not a lot. It is an average of 1.5 teachers per school. That will not be enough. During the week, I heard about a school in which there are 32 pupils in every junior class. I presume there are more schools in the same position. That is not acceptable by any standard. There will also be a teacher and, perhaps, a special needs assistant, SNA, in the same classroom. These rooms are totally overcrowded. No social distancing whatsoever is taking place. Schools are greatly concerned about these matters.