Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)

In the normal course there is no requirement for schools to either notify my Department in advance of a decision to close or to subsequently report to my Department on each individual decision taken by a school to close, whether this arises from adverse weather, failure of heating or water systems, or as a result of a bereavement within the school community. Consequently my Department does not have aggregate or individual data on the number of days schools were closed, either in the recent period of adverse weather or through the earlier problems with flooding.

The position regarding school closures this month varied from school to school depending on local circumstances. As the Deputy will be aware, all primary and post-primary schools were closed for at least one day and most schools lost a number of days since the commencement of this school term. The exceptionally cold weather also resulted in some schools having to close for a longer period after the onset of a thaw due to the lack of heat or water as a result of frozen pipes, burst boilers, etc. Some schools also had to close before Christmas when they were affected by flooding and were affected again by the cold spell.

The main focus for schools now must be on ensuring that any impact of the school closures on teaching and learning is addressed in an appropriate and sensible manner. Since the amount of time lost varies from school to school the impact on teaching and learning is something that can only be assessed at individual school level by the school authorities. The critical issue is that boards of management consider what can reasonably be done to ensure that by the end of the school year courses and programmes have been completed.

In doing so boards will need to be advised by the school principal of his or her assessment, formed through discussion with the school staff, of the impact on teaching and learning caused by any disruption. In considering the position, I believe it is important that school authorities consult with parent representatives and that the school communicates to the parent body feedback on how it is planned to address any impact closure may have had on teaching and learning.

Primary schools, traditionally, have had more scope to make up days before the end of June than post–primary schools where the school year is constrained by the commencement of the certificate examinations in early June. The critical issue is not necessarily that all time lost is fully made up but that school specific measures are taken to ensure courses are completed and that at second level the position of examination classes is given priority.

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