22 April 2021

All children in Northern Ireland are now back in school full time. Primary and pre-school pupils and those in years 12-14 made a phased return to school in March 2021 before the Easter break. Following the Easter break all secondary school children returned to school.

School Testing and Self-isolation

A programme of regular Coronavirus testing is in place for schools in Northern Ireland. All post-primary staff and older school students in years 12-14 will be included and lateral flow device (LFD) tests will be used. School staff and pupils will be tested twice weekly, three to four days apart. Expansion of testing to other staff in primary and pre-school settings will be rolled out in later phases.

You must register ALL test results, whether negative or positive, by using the following link – www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result

If anyone tests postive you should then book a PCR test here to confirm your results www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. If a child tests negative using a PCR test following a positive home test, they can then return to school.

For more information on self-isolation please visit the Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland) at https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/
 

Shielding

Pupils previously shielding or with a family member who was previously shielding due to being identified as ‘clinically extremely vulnerable’ can attend school. A small number of children will be advised by their clinical team not to attend an educational setting. Parents who have concerns about shielding are advised to speak to their GP or Hospital Consultant.

Advice for Working Parents

If your child is unable to attend school in line with public health advice to self-isolate, this may affect your ability to attend work due to the need to provide childcare. In these circumstances working parents have the following options:

• Talk to your manager – in many companies the Union has agreed how working parents will be supported during lockdown. This could mean changing the hours, days or times of day you work. It might mean using annual leave if you have leave available. Some companies are offering unpaid leave although the Union is clear that this is not a realistic option for many low paid families. We will continue to push both employers and the Government to financially support working parents during lockdown.
• Talk to your Usdaw Rep or full time official – the Union has been working hard to encourage employers to support parents and whilst many are doing this some of our members are not getting the support they need.

Whilst it is possible to be placed on furlough by your employer unfortunately employees do not have a right to be furloughed. It is up to employers to decide whether to place an employee on furlough or not. You might want to speak to your manager to find out whether this is an option in your workplace.

Childcare arrangements

Childcare can continue to be provided by a person registered in accordance with the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 or any childcare provided free of charge.

Informal childcare arrangements are also permitted to continue.

If you are struggling to juggle work and family life during lockdown the most important thing you can do it to talk to the Union. We know from that women continue to pick up the lion's share of caring responsibilities and that this has had a huge knock on effect on their work. Many of our members lost hours and pay through having to cut their hours or take unpaid leave. Low paid workers can ill afford to lose out on pay and Usdaw Reps and officers are working really hard to try and ensure that every member gets the support they need.