There was a giddiness among students at Donahies Community College in Dublin on Thursday at the prospect of school being cancelled due to weather warnings – until the principal came on the intercom.
“I’ve just told them that we’re going to have classes as normal online,” principal Peter Keohane said. “We’re ready for anything like this. Every student has access to Teams, and every teacher will be expected to log on as part of the normal timetable. We’re experts at remote teaching now.”
It is a similar story across hundreds of second-level schools. The leap to remote teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic means many schools are much better equipped to shift to online learning or place assignments on shared digital platforms.
At Ardscoil Rís on Griffith Avenue in Dublin principal John McHugh said the school has opted to put homework and study assignments on its Google Classroom platform instead of live classes. “Our policy is that we try assess the tuition loss and figure out what the best solution is,” he says. “In this case students are missing out on four one-hour classes, so we’ve decided to assign work in advance. It is partly because we can’t guarantee there will be wifi or power for online classes in any case.”
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Similarly at Gorey Community School in Co Wexford principal Michael Finn says the school uses Microsoft Teams and is well positioned to switch to remote learning if needed. As it happens the school was due to close in any case on Friday for an in-service day for teachers so students have been assigned work in advance.
He says online learning options are a “wonderful opportunity” to minimise disruption to the school year and mean that schools do not have to make up days lost due to weather events by shortening midterm breaks or other holidays.
At most primary schools, however, there is a reprieve for pupils on Friday: most principals say they are giving students the day off without homework.
Rachel Harper, principal of St Patrick’s National School in Greystones, Co Wicklow, says there will be enough pressure on parents on Friday as it is. “We’re aware that many parents will be working remotely. They may have young children at home due to the closure of childcare facilities; children may be worried about the weather conditions.”
Schools, meanwhile, have been told that while weather warnings may end from anytime between 10am and 3pm on Friday in different parts of the country, they will remain closed for the day.
“After the red warning expires safety checks may be needed to assess whether any damage has occurred and to ensure the safety of school communities, and parents and the school community would need time to prepare to return to school,” a Department of Education advisory note sent to schools on Thursday states. “Because of these factors...the department recognises that it is not possible or practical for schools in red warning areas to open on Friday.”
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