Coronavirus: Stormont discusses Covid school absences at recall

New self-isolation guidance was issued on 26 August but schools have found it difficult it to manage

The Northern Ireland Assembly has been recalled for members (MLAs) to discuss rising pupil absences in schools due to Covid-19.

Sinn Féin proposed the move, after some principals criticised self-isolation advice and availability of tests.

Schools have had the logistical burden of contact tracing.

The education minister announced the Public Health Agency would begin contact tracing the close contacts of Covid-19 cases in schools on Friday.

The agency stepping in is expected to reduce the number of pupils who have to self-isolate.

Schools are expected to be urged to encourage pupils to take twice-weekly lateral flow device (LFD) tests instead of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which require appointments to be made..

However it may take some time for it to become operational and depends on agreement with principals' representatives and unions.

MLAs were not due to resume business in the assembly chamber until Monday.

Stormont ministers will get an update on the situation in schools at their executive meeting on Thursday.

It's been a rocky start to term time for many pupils, parents and school principals.

Now MLAs are starting their assembly term early, to reflect the public frustration expressed so far.

Fingers will be pointed at the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Education Minister Michelle McIlveen, but she and her officials reject accusations they didn't prepare enough.

With the Public Health Agency already poised to step in to manage contact tracing, that has in effect cooled some of the political heat.

The DUP's opponents will still attempt to land their own blows though, and questions for the minister still remain.

For example, how soon is the PHA going to get things operational and how will it work in practice?

Schools will want answers as soon as possible.

Officials from the departments of health and education have been working together throughout the week in a bid to manage the issue.

New self-isolation guidance for schools was issued on 26 August.

It changed previous guidance for close contacts to isolate for 10 days and aimed to reduce the time children spent out of school.

But it was mainly the responsibility of school principals and staff to trace asymptomatic close contacts.

'It has taken over my life'

St Cecilia's College principal Martine Mulhern said the track and trace burden on head teachers had to ease

Two school principals have expressed some relief the PHA is taking over the responsibility of contract tracing in schools, but they also have reservations about how it will work in practice.

"It has been really, really difficult," said Martine Mulhern, headteacher at St Cecilia's College in Londonderry.

"I spent all day Saturday tracking and tracing, all day Sunday tracking and tracing, all day Monday, all day Tuesday... it has taken over my life," she told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.

"They have to ease the burden on principals and it's great to hear the PHA will be taking over the track and trace."

However, Ms Mulhern said she wanted to see the detail of the new procedures, adding it was more important to keep schools safe from Covid than just "make life easier for everyone".

Diane Dawson, principal of Braniel Primary School in east Belfast, said she viewed the move with "cautious optimism".

"It will change things for school leaders and our school staff and our admin staff, in that we won't be working late in to the evenings and all through Saturday and Sunday," she said.

However, she questioned how the PHA would obtain access to all the information required to identify all close contacts of positive cases within schools.

"We have to prepare full class lists for tracking and tracing, details and addresses of every child and their family," she said.

"We have to then go back to attendance in the school [and] see which children were in school that day the child tested positive.

"PHA will still need that information and I'm looking forward to seeing what the detail is."

Ms Dawson, who has been critical of the guidance, expressed doubt the change would lead to any reduction in the number of children who are having to stay away from school.

Any child with Covid-19 symptoms is still expected to stay off school and get a PCR test.

If that is positive they must self-isolate for 10 days.

On Tuesday, teaching unions and some school principals criticised a suggestion by First Minister Paul Givan to use lateral flow testing to prevent many pupils needing to self-isolate.