NEU Members FAQs on NI School Restart Programme _ (003)

The Basics of a “New School Day” Minister of Education, Peter Weir MLA, has stated that Primary 7 for transition purposes and Years 12 and 14 in post-primary to facilitate preparation fo

NEU Advice on NI School Restart Programme

‘New School Day’

NEU accepts that the ‘School Restart’, along with adequate childcare, is a vital

mechanism to enable the wider economy to restart

The interest of the Government is to get as many teachers and pupils in school to restart learning, and to enable a wider return to work, and an ease-out of furlough NEU have taken a responsible stance on behalf of our members throughout the Covid-

19 emergency

This paper builds on the Guidance and FAQ issued by DENI, and incorporates the questions and concerns asked by NEU members at our NEU Zoom meeting on 23 June The DE Guidance published on 19 June was developed for education settings to support

a safe, phased reopening of schools in line with the Northern Ireland Executive’s

“Coronavirus Executive Approach to Decision-Making” which was published on 12 May

2020

https://www.executiveoffice-

ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/execoffice/execuitveour-approach-to-decision-making.pdf

For NEU, the starting point is that the Guidance states:

Nothing in this guidance affects the legal obligations of education settings with regard to health and safety and public health Education settings must continue to adhere to all such duties when implementing this guidance Under the Coronavirus Act 2020, they must have regard

to the advice relating to coronavirus from the Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland

(page 4)

Covid-19 Risk Assessment

Question: The Guidance said that a risk assessment template for use across schools

would be issued to schools, not available yet as far as I am aware

Answer - There was an original Covid-19 Risk Assessment issued by EA in April but

that has not been updated to take account of wider reopening of schools in line with the DE Guidance of 19 June

The Guidance was updated on 26 June to be read alongside the latest Public Health Agency (PHA) /Government guidance, to support Principals/line managers and staff when planning their return to the workplace

be feasible to work from home

In respect of Risk Assessment, the NEU view is as follows:

everyone returning to work must do so to a workplace that has been risk-assessed for Covid-19

Every employer should be required to carry out a risk assessment, developed in consultation with unions and staff

This must:

• identify what risks exist and set out steps to mitigate them, including through social distancing;

• be agreed with the staff trade unions;

• be signed off by a trade union health and safety reps, or by a Health and Safety Executive (HSENI) inspector; and

• be completed and communicated to workers before they are expected to return

to work – so employers should start work on their assessments now

Failure to complete risk assessments or put appropriate safety measures in place should

be highlighted and reported to DENI and HSENI

Question from one of our voluntary grammar teacher members - what can we do

about risk assessments which are not fit for purpose?

Answer – members should raise concerns within the school first If not satisfied,

contact NEU

Question from one of our SEN members - will there be separate guidance for pupils

with special educational needs?

Answer – yes, while the broad principles will be similar across all settings, it is

recognised that Youth, Early Years and Special Education Needs sectors will require separate guidance

The guidance for specials schools is:

guidance-special-schools

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-re-opening-school-Question from a voluntary grammar school rep - Can we ask to see the RA and when

can we see it?

Answer - yes, staff should and must see the risk assessment If schools withhold the

Risk Assessment, please contact NEU

Question from one of our primary members - I am quite concerned about our risk

assessment (completed by a consultant) It seems to protect non-teaching staff incredibly well Teachers- not so much Would you be willing to have a look at the assessment/policy and give me some advice?

Answer - yes, this has now been received

Clarification of the DE Guidance 19 June and the DE ‘FAQ’

Alongside the DE Guidance of 19 June, DENI have now also published a FAQ:

DE Guidance Section 2 The Basics of a “New School Day”

Minister of Education, Peter Weir MLA, has stated that Primary 7 (for transition purposes) and Years 12 and 14 in post-primary (to facilitate preparation for key exams) should return to school on 24 August 2020,

Question: What consideration has been given to those small schools which have

composite classes and where class teaching and blended learning is to occur at the same time?

Primary school children return to full time education with social distancing, where practical, while implementing a ‘protective bubble’ strategy In some schools classroom size may make this more challenging and we expect education settings to use all available space within the school to best facilitate a normal return to school (page 5) Where full classes cannot be accommodated – minimum 40% face to face teaching contact time (remainder by remote learning) (page 7)

Start of term is 24 August 2020 for Primary 7, Year 12 and Year 14 and all vulnerable children

Staggered arrival and pick up times to limit interactions

New Attendance Patterns:

Primary Schools: - Protective bubble strategy - Maximise full use of school building - Where full classes cannot be accommodated – minimum 40% face to face teaching contact time (remainder by remote learning) Post – Primary Schools: - Where possible protective bubble strategy (for younger years) - Where full classes cannot be accommodated – minimum 50% face to face teaching contact time (remainder by remote learning) Social distancing and increased hygiene measures will be introduced throughout the school

Where pupils cannot be in school for all or part of the time, a ‘blended learning’ approach will be implemented

Settings should develop School Re-Opening Plans that incorporate the principles and expectations set out in this guidance and that meet the needs of local communities

Thereafter, risk assessments should be developed and implemented on

a setting-by-setting basis (page 11)

In developing these plans, there should be close engagement and partnership working wherever appropriate between: -

o Managing Authorities, Boards of Governors (BoGs) (including in their role as an employer);

o school leadership teams, teaching and non-teaching staff, support staff and trades unions;

o parents and carers; and

o children and young people

In accordance with relevant legislation and guidance, trades unions should be consulted on and involved in the development of risk assessment templates for use across schools to be provided by the EA Local plans should be clearly communicated to the school community This is vitally important given the expectation that educational provision may look different in settings across Northern Ireland (see section 14 communications) (page 11)

Rearranging teaching spaces to minimise the risk of transmission and infection by

• spacing seating as widely as possible within a teaching space; and

• giving consideration to maximising space for individual pupils by removing non-essential furniture from teaching spaces

Considering flexible use of existing non-teaching space (where it is appropriate to do so) examples may be repurposing resource areas, halls, or sports halls

Question: When will children and young people return to school?

The start of term will be 24 August 2020 for Primary 7, Year 12 and Year 14 pupils and for vulnerable children across all year groups

Schools will be opening from the week commencing 17 August 2020 for preparation purposes

All other pupils will return at normal start dates, which may vary depending on school

• Primary 7 is a vital transitional year as children prepare to leave primary school and enter post-primary education This is a major change in their educational journey

• Year 12 and Year 14 are key examination years Other jurisdictions (e.g England, Scotland, and Wales) are all bringing similar cohorts back earlier in August for similar reasons

Question: I have heard mixed interpretations about the P7 group returning to school

on the 24th August Some schools seem to think this is the current P7 group (stating Y8) and the intention is to prepare them for transition to secondary and yet other schools are seeing it as the current P6 year group who will be going into P7 in Sept

Can you clarify exactly what is meant by the P7 group starting on 24th August please?

Minister of Education, Peter Weir MLA, has stated that Primary 7 (for transition purposes) and Years 12 and 14 in post-primary (to facilitate preparation for key exams) should return to school on 24 August 2020,

if safe to do so (page 4)

The Department has also stated that they are cognisant of staff contractual arrangements and the Minister has asked that the conditions of service are honoured with alternative arrangements for time off being made later in the year

TNC have agreed that:

• A teacher will not be directed to work on more than 195 days or 1265 hours in the academic year as a direct consequence of the change to the restart date

• Teachers, Principals and Vice-Principals who have pre-booked holidays or have other commitments that were arranged prior to 18 June 2020 shall be allowed to honour those commitments without detriment

• Teachers, Principals and Vice-Principals who have pre-booked holidays arranged prior to the announcement of quarantine arrangements and who may be required

to isolate after travelling abroad, will be required to work from home during any isolation period

Question from one of our primary teacher members - In our area there is a real

pressure for all P7 to be in full time from 24th August yet remainder of school operating other 40% model I have 30 in my class, my class is 58m

Answer – the Guidance and advice form DENI is clear that they envisage that there

will be a minimum 40% face-to-face teaching time within primary schools and a minimum 50% face-to-face teaching time within post-primary schools with the balance provided through blended learning

As regards the size of the classroom – this should be factored into the Risk Assessment

to ensure that all social distancing measures are achieved

Question from a voluntary grammar rep - Can you clarify whether Principals will have

the autonomy to decide whether we start on the 17th or later

Answer - yes, the Principal has that discretion

Question: Will 31 August 2020 remain a public holiday for schools?

The Department expects 31 August 2020 to remain a public holiday for schools, however ultimately this is a local planning decision for schools

Question: Why are only certain groups returning to school on 24 August 2020?

Primary 7 is an important transitional year as children prepare to leave primary school and enter post-primary education This is a major change in their educational journey Year 12 and Year 14 are key examination years Other jurisdictions (e.g England, Scotland, and Wales) are all bringing similar cohorts back earlier in August for similar reasons

Question form primary member in maintained school - our principal has said all year

12, 14 will be back full time in September how can this be achieved?

Answer - This seems over-ambitious We would need to see the school’s RA and

classroom ‘maps’ (whereby desking and lay-out arrangement are normally laid out in

a triangular matrix

NEU would recommend a 0.7 radius to achieve actual 1m distancing, rather than 0.5 which disregards to space occupied by the pupil’s body-mass and assumes perfect behaviour and zero pupil movement

Question from primary school teacher member – The Principal is proposing that we

take in all the children every day Half in the morning and half in the afternoon This would not give us the respite of a day in between to plan and manage any remote learning Would this be advised?

Answer - This appears over-ambitious within the constraints of the 195 days / 1265

hours directed time budget, and likely to exhaust both teachers and the ‘1265’ allocation long before June 2021

Question: What will the attendance patterns be when children return to school?

The strategic objective is to achieve maximum face-to-face teaching time for all pupils

at the earliest opportunity

Whilst the aim is to get as many pupils back to classroom teaching as quickly as possible

in September 2020 with some schools able to accommodate all pupils, there will be circumstances where, due to small classrooms and other limitations, it may not be possible for all schools to move towards this at the same rate

The Department has asked that there will be a minimum 40% face-to-face teaching time within primary schools and a minimum 50% face-to-face teaching time within post-primary schools with the balance provided through blended learning

Question: What is the scientific evidence basis of the DE guidance on school reopening?

The Department has worked closely with the Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, and the Public Health Agency in developing guidance for the return to school Information on the scientific evidence in relation to Covid-19 can be found here

Question: What is blended learning?

Some schools will need to take a blended approach to learning, whereby schools will combine classroom-based teaching and learning methods within school with a range of remote learning, to deliver the Northern Ireland curriculum

There are many ways to blend face-to-face classroom time and out –of-class learning There is no prescribed, one size fits all approach

Question: Will every school operate in the same way from the start of term?

On some aspects the Department expects consistency in schools and the guidelines set out these types of issues including start dates, minimum face-to-face teaching times and cleaning practices

However, the Department has not prescribed a ‘one size fits all approach’ – this is not possible and would not be practical

School leaders are asked to consider the strategic guidance and put this into practice

in their own schools to the best of their ability

Every school is different, every classroom is different Therefore, there will be variances

in how schools approach the return to school

Some schools will be able to safely bring back all pupils immediately, whilst others will need to follow the guidance on minimum class time and implement blended learning

Question: Why is guidance that has been issued not more prescriptive?

It is neither practical, nor indeed would it be helpful, to be overly prescriptive about the arrangements that every school must follow – every school setting has different physical characteristics and flexibility will be key to facilitate planning by schools that best meet local circumstances

Question: Why does the Northern Ireland Schools Re-opening Guidance not refer to other issues (curriculum, well-being, transport etc.)?

The Northern Ireland Schools Re-opening Guidance will be supplemented by a suite of further documentation, including guidance on issues such as curriculum, supporting and improving well-being and operational delivery of transport, catering, risk assessments and HR management

Question from a post- primary school teacher member – Is there any updated

guidance on the delivery of practical subjects? Cleapss guidance issued a few months back was quite onerous and suggested a max of 1 pupil per workbench in TD

From Lindsey Bell - I am a drama teacher in the secondary setting My CCEA advisor

has said they are working on what is to happen GCSE Delivery; however, I would love some guidance specifically as to what can happen in my classroom in terms of practical acting activities for September

Answer – DE have issued guidance (DE Circular 2020/06) that provides advice and

support to schools as they consider how to tailor and adapt delivery of the curriculum

to support recovery when pupils return for the new academic year:

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/education/circular%20curriculum%20planning%20202021.pdf

NEU are meeting with the CCEA at CEO level on Wednesday 1st July We may be able

to update further after that

Question from post-primary PE teacher - Any advice on PE lessons?

Answer - No subject specific advice has issued on PE (nor many other subjects) NEU

may need to consult the Association for Physical Education to develop member guidance

Questions from a post-primary NEU rep - Has the NEU surveyed members as to

general well-being and mental health as they cope with online learning and pressures

of working from home when normal working hours have become blurred?

I have had to go into work to tidy my science lab because he felt it was untidy stating

a deep clean was not possible He knows we have no technician the lady who is the technician spends half her time in the office and does not come near Chemistry We have 6 full time science staff Our technician took redundancy and was not replaced

We had a past A level student in for a few hours some days for practical GCSE prep in March but that was it I went in and tidied the lab and left a basin of test tubes to soak

as I had no brush small enough to clean them It was also pointed out to him that we had no functioning dish washer this has been ordered but not arrived I received an email from one of the secretaries today to say I was to return before Friday to clean the sink as a message he had asked to be sent What do you advise?

It had been suggested in our school that we had a two day then 3-day timetable depending on social distancing guidance Every day would see a new set of 10 students

No allowance made for cleaning We would also do blended learning and prep Every second Friday we do collaborate learning online and put resources online A bit of a mine field

Answer - The idea of surveying members in respect of well-being during lockdown is

a good one We will refer to NEU’s policy and comms department who undertake member surveying

DE Guidance Section 5 Social Distancing

Increased Separation – the default position is that adults should stay 2m apart in line with PHA guidelines, but children and young people should aim to maintain 1m where a protective bubble strategy is in place

Decreased Interaction – where social distancing cannot be applied, children should be kept in a small group (‘Protective Bubble’) to decrease interaction up to and including year 10

While travel in corridors is viewed as low risk, schools should encourage

a ‘one way’ system to maintain distancing

Parents and carers should be discouraged from congregating at school gates perhaps with staggered start and end times (page 14)

Question: What social distancing will be required in schools?

The decision of the Executive was that schools should use a planning assumption of 2m social distancing for adults/ adults and the pupils they are working with and 1m between pupils and, where possible, further mitigate that by use of protective bubbles The Executive has decided that this applies to all year groups within a school setting including pupils in Years 11-14

Question from Post Primary KS3 teacher - The guidance doc stated that senior pupils

(Year 8-10) and teachers will not be in bubbles Does that help with teachers wondering

if they should be in the bubbles? Perhaps it is a different situation at Primary level

Question from a voluntary grammar teacher member – noted that 1m distance for

secondary schools for pupils Y8 to Y10 and 2m distancing from Y11 onwards

Question form one of our voluntary grammar school principals - What age is a student

an adult What about 11-19 schools with students are 18+ Social distancing?

The answers to these questions were clarified in a letter from the Permanent Secretary, Derek Baker, in a letter to schools dated 25 June 2020 which states:

“The decision of the Executive is that adults should remain 2m apart in line with PHA guidelines but that should be reduced to 1m for pupils

In doing so, the Executive appreciate that this may be difficult in certain settings and in certain age groups

Therefore, where social distancing cannot reasonably be applied, schools can consider organising pupils into small groups (‘protective bubbles’) with consistent membership

Where protective bubbles are used adult social distancing should be maintained at 2m, in particular between adult staff/adult staff and the pupils they are working with

This does not mean a return to normal (pre Coronavirus) classrooms layouts where minimal distance is available between children, but accepts that distances of 1m nay be achievable and are acceptable in the context where 1m is Public Health guidance and not a legal requirement Turning to an issue raised by Post Primary schools, I want to clarify that

if the school implements protective bubbles for Years 8 – 11 this will result in

Fewer pupils circulating and as such social distancing is therefore, permitted at 1m for all pupils including Years 11 – 14

This reflects the decision taken by the Executive on 18 June 2020 that schools should use a planning assumption of 2m social distancing for adults/adults and the pupils they are working with, and 1m between pupils and, where possible, further mitigate that by use of protective bubbles

The Executive decided that this applies to al year groups within a school setting including those young people and adults in Years 11-14.”

However, NEU are concerned that the Government methodology used to calculate 1m social distancing is incorrect and significantly over-estimates the number of children that can be accommodated in classrooms

We will be in touch with members shortly to issue our own guidance on methodology

to assess how many children can safely be accommodated in classrooms

Watch this space!

Question form one of our Integrated College school NEU reps - it was suggested that

it is safe to engage with pupils within the 1m if these engagements did not last beyond 15mins

I understand that in an emergency I would almost certainly be prepared to do this but that is not what is being suggested If teachers can spend 14 minutes in proximity with

a pupil, then what is all the social distancing fuss about?

Answer – the DENI and Public Health guidance is clear that social distancing of 1m

alongside all appropriate mitigations should be adhered to

There is no safe time-period for contact (15 minutes or otherwise)

Question form a primary school member - I am concerned as I know my school has

just used the 1m between pupils and not taken into account the pupil size

Answer - NEU would recommend a 0.7 radius to achieve actual 1m distancing, rather

than 0.5 which disregards to space occupied by the pupil’s body-mass and assumes perfect behaviour and zero pupil movement

Question form a primary school member - If key worker children are in school in

addition to the planned 1/2 classes (or whatever) where do they go/who supervises? This increases numbers of pupils in school and the number is unplanned?

Answer - The arrangements for key-worker children in August has not yet been

considered

NEU will continue to engage with DENI on this matter and will raise this at the DE Stakeholder Audio Briefing of 2nd July

Question from primary school KS2 teacher member - I have a class of 34 next year -

what do I do if I am told to have 17 in the room at one time?

Answer - Get a classroom map/drawing (school should hold these), measure the room

(minus fixed furniture, shelves, storage etc) and plot the number of children based on

circles of 0.7m (not 0.5) radius That should give a decent estimate of children who should be in class

If you are asked to overcrowd, politely refuse, and contact NEU

Question from voluntary grammar teacher member - what about moving from class

to class and using colleague’s equipment?

Answer - Teachers moving from class to class is somewhat safer, overall, than children

moving You will, however, need to curtail your class a bit early to facilitate walking to your next class

Check whether equipment used in the previous class has been wiped/cleaned Check

on interim cleaning arrangements generally

And wash hands between each

The DE Guidance at page 38 also states that:

Where possible, workstations should be allocated consistently to the same staff and children rather than having spaces that are shared Make sure that each workstation is wiped down and disinfected before the next person uses it

However, NEU know that the government has been advised that teachers should avoid contact with colleagues teaching different classes, or who work in different schools, to prevent the spread of Covid-19, it has emerged today

The guidance, which focuses on the risk of infection in close-contact professions, was prepared by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) on 11 June but only published on 27 June

It says that to avoid transmitting the coronavirus, "contact should be avoided between teachers and pupils from different classes and especially different schools"

Question from voluntary grammar HOD member - is there any guidance for practical

subjects in terms of sharing equipment - I have been asked to prepare my own subject

specific risk assessment

Answer - Shared equipment should be meticulously cleaned after each usage

Again, the DE Guidance at page 38 also states that:

Where possible, workstations should be allocated consistently to the same staff and children rather than having spaces that are shared Make sure that each workstation is wiped down and disinfected before the next person uses it

Question: What is a protective bubble?

Where the current social distancing guidance cannot reasonably be applied (for example with young children), schools should consider an additional risk mitigation approach organising children into small groups (‘protective bubbles’) with consistent membership appropriate to the size of the setting

In Denmark (the model being copied) the maximum size of a bubble is six This is not specified by DE, so NEU advice is the consider six (6) as the maximum size of a protective bubble

Keeping children and young people in ‘protective bubbles’ is a means of decreasing interactions between groups until further easing of measures is possible based on the public health situation

Where ‘protective bubble’ measures are used, social distancing between the adult staff working with such groups should also be maintained as much as possible

Question from secondary school rep - In a Post-primary setting surely it is impossible

to maintain protective bubbles when a subject specialist has to deliver their subject to examination classes - how are people planning to manage this?

Answer – this must be addressed in the Risk Assessment which will need to address

the location and method of teaching by subject – including practical subjects

Question: What is the maximum size of a protective bubble?

The Department has not been prescriptive on the maximum size of a protective bubble The size of bubbles will be dependent on the available classroom space and number of pupils

The NEU view is that the whole ‘School Restart’ project in the UK and her has been framed as following Denmark

A protective bubble in Denmark has a maximum of 6 pupils, with an overall classroom teacher-pupil ratio set at 1 teacher to 10 pupils

Northern Ireland appears to be propagandising on the basis of Demark, but not following its stricter guidelines

Question form primary school leader - Where there is a teaching principal in a primary

school, if she is in a bubble, how does she manage the school / discipline etc? Also, she shares the bubble with another member of staff, the part time teacher relief teacher

Question form one of our supply teacher members - Hi could you clarify whether class

teacher can be in one bubble on Monday & Tuesday and then a different bubble on Thursday & Friday,

Question form primary school teacher - Can a teacher break out of the bubble to teach

another bubble, or is the teacher a part of the bubble?

Answer - The DE Guidance and Derek Baker’s clarification of 25 June is that where

social distancing cannot reasonably be applied, schools can consider organising pupils into small groups (‘protective bubbles’) with consistent membership – that includes the school staff engaged as part of that bubble – otherwise it is no longer protective

Question: Can protective bubbles be used for all age groups?

Protective bubbles are likely to be practical in primary schools and in post primary up

to, and including, Year 10

Bubbles are unlikely to be practical for Year 11 to Year 14 given the fact that pupils will

be in mixed classes based on subject choice The use of bubbles in post-primary settings for Year 8 – Year 10 would significantly reduce the “corridor traffic” in schools, with teachers moving classrooms rather than pupils

Question form one of our nursery teaching members - How do open plan nursery

settings operate? They can have up to 72 children moving freely at any time And how

do people who job share or work in two different classes operate under the new guidance?

Answer - open plan settings should be the subject of a separate Risk Assessment

There is also specific guidance for early year settings:

guidance-new-school-day-pre-school-education-supplementary

https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/northern-ireland-re-opening-school-Question form one of our post primary teachers - I teach in a post-primary school We

have been told KS3 pupils will be taught in bubbles-they will stay in a room and staff will move to them every period What are your thoughts? Does this not pose issues around bursting the bubble, cleanliness of teacher workstations etc

Answer - the Permanent Secretary, Derek Baker provided clarification to school on 25

June If the school implements protective bubbles for Years 8 – 11 this will result in Fewer pupils circulating and as such social distancing is therefore, permitted at 1m for all pupils including Years 11 – 14