Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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818. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if schools can engage in outdoor learning outside of the school grounds under Covid-19 level 5 guidelines (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33744/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has published a suite of helpful guidance for the safe and sustainable reopening of schools. Each school is required to have a COVID-19 Response Plan for the safe operation through the prevention, early detection and control of COVID-19 in line with public health advice. This guidance is focused on the practical steps schools must take to minimise the risk of transmission of infection and includes key measures such as physical distancing.

As part of the school curriculum, schools can continue with outdoor learning once appropriate control measures are in place in line with school’s COVID-19 Response Plan . The guidance provides that In order to facilitate physical distancing in primary schools, pupils and their teachers may be sorted into ‘Class Bubbles’ and ‘Pods’. A ‘Class Bubble’ is a class grouping which stays apart from other classes as much as possible.

The objective is to limit contact and sharing of common facilities between people in different Class Bubbles (and Pods within those Class Bubbles) as much as possible, rather than to avoid all contact between Pods, as this will not always be possible.