Public health advice must guide return to school, unions warn

Ashton O'Keeffe and Caoimhe Walsh, Leaving Cert students at Bishopstown Community School, Cork, who are among the 320,000 children and young people returning to classrooms on Monday. Picture: Dan Linehan

Decisions on the return of further classes to in-person learning must be led by up-to-date public health advice rather than arbitrary dates, the primary school teachers’ union has warned.

More than 320,000 students — from junior infants to second class at primary level, and Leaving Certificate students — will return to classrooms on Monday as the next phase of reopening schools gets under way. Full attendance will also resume in special schools which have been operating at 50% capacity since the beginning of February.