Schools may reopen earlier in January
Hundreds of schools are believed to have remained shut yesterday after the weekend freeze, many of which already lost more than a week of classes last month and earlier in December.
Under the school year agreed with the Department of Education, classes at the country’s 4,000 primary and second level schools were not due to resume after Christmas holidays until January 10.
But a department spokesperson says it has no difficulty if school boards decide to bring students back earlier in the new year or to reduce their Easter holidays, to catch up on lost classes.
It is possible that some schools may have lost out on more than two full weeks by the end of this week, when the impacts of the most recent and last month’s freeze are added together. However, others have escaped any ill-effects and may not need to make up any time to ensure they meet the requirement that primary schools are open for 183 days a year and second level schools for 167 days.
Part of the difficulty has been the inability of school buses to reach rural areas to pick up passengers and, in some places, schools themselves have been inaccessible.
The Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), which represents Vocational Education Committees (VECs) that manage almost 250 second level schools, said classes preparing for the Junior and Leaving Certificate will not be disadvantaged.
“VECs will seek make up for any lost instruction time due to adverse weather conditions. The situation remains fluid as different areas are affected while others are not, and school leaders will continue to review matters locally on an ongoing basis and make decisions based on local circumstance,” said IVEA general secretary Michael Moriarty.
