Dept seeks to clarify school isolation guidelines following use of garden shed

Parents and staff at Clonbonny National School bear Athlone are NOT happy with the lack of support from Dept of Education in their efforts to get extra space at the school which plans to use this garden shed to isolate children with Covid-19 symptoms. Ciaran Mullooly Twitter

The Department of Education has moved to clarify guidelines around 'isolation areas' for students after it emerged a primary school plans to use a garden shed due to a lack of space.

As part of back to school preparations, schools are required to have a designated area for children who report symptoms of Covid-19 while at school.

Today, it emerged that Clonbonny National School in Athlone plans to use a garden shed as an isolation area for students who display symptoms of the virus.

Principal Joan Donnelly told RTÉ that she felt the school had no alternative due to a lack of internal space. Students in fifth and sixth class started back today, with very little social distancing in their classroom.

There are currently 37 students sharing the classroom. Ms Donnelly said she had asked the Department of Education about acquiring a prefab, as well as an additional special needs assistant (SNA) as there are children in different classrooms who require assistance. 

“If we didn’t have this shed, the only space we would have is a staff toilet,” Ms Donnelly said.

“It is not ideal,” she added. 

It does allow us to remove a child that does display symptoms and it does allow us to move them off the premises safely but it isn’t ideal.

 After initially looking at obtaining a prefab, Ms Donnelly said she was advised by the building section of the Department of Education that she wouldn’t have permission to bring it onsite. 

There would also be an issue with a fire cert. Knocking a wall in the school as the department had suggested would have made another room “redundant”, she added.

In a statement, the Department of Education said it is in contact with the school in relation to its accommodation issues. 

"The configuration of classes may need to be reviewed by the school given that it has five classroom teachers, one of whom is a teaching principal, for the 125 pupils." 

Ideally, isolation areas should be a separate room, "resource permitting", but it may be an area within a classroom so long as a distance of at least two metres from all other people in the room can be "strictly maintained". 

The department brought forward the payment of the annual minor works grant to primary schools to August, and an enhanced minor work grant to "implement necessary physical measures in their school quickly". 

This includes the reconfiguration of classroom space, repurposing rooms, altering desk layouts, or the short term rental of additional space. 

"Given that each school setting is different, individual schools are best placed to decide on the appropriate re-configuration measures for their school which are necessary to facilitate school re-opening."

Meanwhile, Norma Foley said it would be “preferable” that students remain in smaller groups when they return to school, and not attend assemblies. Students should remain in their smaller groups, a ‘bubble’, inside their school as far as is practicable, she said.