Belfast principal says Executive has "treated schools shamefully" during pandemic

by Q Radio News

The principal of a Belfast primary school has told parents the Stormont Executive has treated schools "shamefully" during the coronavirus pandemic. 

Joanne Currie from Cairnshill Primary made the comments in a lengthy, strongly worded letter,

She told pupil's parents, schools were told by the Department of Education on 5th January, that students were to be taught remotely until the half-term break in mid-February. 

Ms Currie said it was the third change to school arrangements in less than three weeks. 

"Today we see ourselves in the middle of another lockdown and enforced school closure with little or no advanced warning for us to prepare for it.

"We received practically no guidance from the Department on the run up to the January 2021 school closures and so have had to learn from our own past experience to ensure that this lockdown will be the best we can make it.

"On 18th March 2020 I stood in tears in the playground as I took the decision to close our school.

"Two hours after that, the Executive took the decision to close schools – too little too late.

"Our school opened to children on 24th August 2020 and we had our first positive Covid case on 25th August – guidance on what to do if schools have a positive case was issued on 27th August.

"On 5th January 2021 I took the painful decision not to open our Nursery Unit after reviewing the risk assessment.

"An hour later the Executive announced that Nurseries would not open – again a decision that was taken too late. School was reopened to children of Key Workers and vulnerable children on 6th January and guidance was issued by DENI on how this should work on 8th January.

"These are just some examples of how school leaders have been treated with little or no time to prepare for any change."

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The principal has also criticised the government over its handling of transfer tests in Northern Ireland. 

She described the approach as a "debacle" and said there should have been a clear plan in place. 

"For the Minister to come out and state on 18th December 2020 that he would like P7 children to sit the AQE tests in Primary Schools is not only badly timed i.e. when the majority of schools had already finished for Christmas and only three weeks before the first test, but ill-informed and irresponsible.

"It is actions like these that show a blatant disregard for schools and children.

"It also shows no consideration for the repercussions that will follow with regards to the panic amongst parents and children which will ultimately fall upon school leaders to mop up – yet again.

"How our P7 children have been treated has been disgraceful. Our children deserve better!

"Hearing news via Twitter, local media and social media is simply not good enough."

AQE has scheduled one single transfer test to take place on 27th February, however, there have been calls for it to be scrapped this year due to the pandemic. 

Ms Currie praised NHS workers as "heroes" and said all key workers were doing an outstanding job, however, she encouraged parents to write to local councillors and MLAs to remind them that children should be at the heart of all decisions about schools. 

"The Executive and Department of Education have treated schools shamefully.

"Those in charge have left the guidance deliberately vague and open to interpretation for Principals to work out for their own school.

"Parents have been left confused and frustrated at the lack of clarity and the lateness of decisions by the Department as it continually pits schools against each other. More importantly, children have been forgotten about."