Written answers

Tuesday, 30 November 2021

Department of Education and Skills

Covid-19 Pandemic

Photo of Réada CroninRéada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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363. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the suite of measures she is relying on to keep primary-schools safe given the absence of HEPA filters, masks, appropriate contact, test, trace and isolation and the fact most children in the age group that has not yet been vaccinated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59039/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Education has always been guided by public health advice in relation to appropriate Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures in place in schools. These measures protect students, their parents and school staff and are very effective.

Public Health continue to advise that the two most important actions to prevent the introduction and spread of Covid-19 (and other respiratory viruses), is by ensuring no-one with new onset symptoms attend school, and that all recommended infection prevention and control measures are in place in line with school Covid response plans.

Each school was provided with an updated COVID-19 Response Plan in advance of the return to school. Significant additional resources of €639m were put into schools in the last academic year to keep schools safe.

Further funding of €57.6 million has been paid by way of Covid-19 capitation to schools in September for the implementation of infection prevention and control measures for this term. This funding will cater for school costs related to hand hygiene measures, PPE requirements, enhanced cleaning supports and supervision.

At primary level, additional management resources for principal release days were provided for Principals and Deputy Principals. Teacher Supply panels were also expanded to cover the majority of primary schools nationwide, and a recent review saw a further additional 200 teaching posts added resulting in approximately 680 teaching posts on these panels available to provide substitute cover in schools

At post primary level over 1000 teaching posts were provided to support social distancing within classrooms, to provide for enhanced supervision arrangements in order to manage and prevent congregation of large groups of students and ensure the careful movement in a socially distant manner to classes for specialist subjects where it is neither practical nor possible to remain in the classroom.

Managing ventilation is also an important part of the measures to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. The updated guidance for schools is also fully in line with the most recent guidance on non-healthcare building ventilation during COVID-19, published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre last Thursday. CO2 monitors were also provided to schools to assist with managing ventilation locally.

All of these measures are remaining in place for this school year. The infection prevention and control measures in place in schools have worked very effectively to prevent and control Covid-19 in schools. The Department will continue to work closely with public health officials and the education stakeholders in respect of the safe operation of schools during Covid-19. Where a school is experiencing issues with ventilation, they should contact the Department.

The Department of Health and the HSE, working in collaboration with the Department of Education also recently announced a programme in which antigen tests will be made available to children in primary schools when a case of Covid-19 arises.

Parents and Guardians of a primary school child, who is a confirmed case of COVID-19 following a PCR test, are asked to inform their school’s principal. The school principal will then inform the parents of other children in the pod of a confirmed case. Where there are two cases in a class in more than one pod in a seven day period, antigen tests will be offered to every child in the class. No personal details of the child will be shared. These parents will be provided with the option to receive free antigen tests for their child, which they will be able to order for delivery to their home.

NPHET has recommended and the Government has approved a measure introducing the wearing of face masks by children aged nine years and older in a number of settings, including for children in 3rd class and above in primary schools. HSPC interim Guidance on the use of face coverings in childcare and educational setting can be found at this link www.gov.ie/en/publication/1f9ba-interim-guidance-on-the-use-of-face-coverings-in-childcare-and-educational-settings/.

The Department has provided guidance for schools, including information on those categories of children who are exempt on medical grounds from wearing face masks. The measure is being introduced on a temporary basis and is subject to review in mid-February 2022.

Photo of Réada CroninRéada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein)
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364. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a clean-air strategy in place for primary schools given growing international evidence over the past 20 months that Covid-19 is airborne and the fact this cohort remains unprotected through vaccination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59040/21]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department’s ventilation guidance for schools is very clear and practical on the steps to be taken by all schools to manage ventilation levels.

Managing ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe. Updated guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools was provided at the end of May following the work of an expert group that carefully considered the role of ventilation in managing COVID-19. A copy of the guidance is published on the Gov.ie website. The updated guidance for schools is also fully in line with the most recent guidance on non-healthcare building ventilation during COVID-19, published by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre last Thursday November 18th.

The Expert Group note in its own report notes “very good advice is contained in the Department of Education s Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools”

The over-arching approach for schools should be to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (e.g. during break-times or lunch-times and also at the end of each school day) and partially open when classrooms are in use. It is worth noting that windows do not need to be open as wide in windy/colder weather in order to achieve the same level of airflow into the classroom. This will assist in managing comfort levels in classrooms during periods of colder weather.

Deployment of the above measures can be supplemented and enhanced by the use of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors. These monitors can provide a useful general indication that areas/ rooms may not be adequately ventilated and can enable occupants to become familiar with the impact of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on levels of good ventilation within a room.

The guidance outlines that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors can play a part in providing a useful general indication that areas/rooms may not be adequately ventilated. They can enable occupants to become familiar with the impacts of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on levels of good ventilation. The provision of portable CO2 monitors provides schools with the flexibility to focus their use to those rooms where most beneficial to inform strategies for optimising ventilation in the school.

In excess of 35,400 monitors were delivered to schools nationwide at a cost of circa €4 million.

The Department considers the above practical steps and stepwise approach are sufficient to ensure good ventilation practices in school while at the same time ensuring an appropriate balance between ventilation and comfort.

A dedicated team has been established in the Department to support schools that may have concerns about ventilation. Officers are also available to contact schools where required, walking through the steps the schools should take to deploy good ventilation practices etc. Where it is not possible for a school to access the expertise of an engineer or architect, and where necessary, a technical assessment to assist the school can be facilitated through the Department.

Schools that identify inadequate ventilation in a room can utilise their minor work grant (for minor improvements) or apply for emergency works grant assistance to address ventilation enhancements on a permanent basis.

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