The below is a response from the Department of Education NI to a number of concerns raised by members in relation to re-start.

Are the dedicated lines at EA / DE now up and running? Members have experienced issues with phones not being answered. Will a dedicated line for parents who have covid-related issues be established?

• Yes - EA has set up a number of dedicated lines, all of which are operational.  Schools have been provided with the contact details. 
• Parent line - There are no plans to put a dedicated line for parents in place. If parents have a specific issue they should engage with the school in the first issue.  For general health advice, they can contact 111.
• FAQs and information for parents on Education Restart is also available on the DE website. 

Vetting of staff to new positions – still on fast track?

• The ‘fast-track’ service for volunteers consisted of a barred list check only – it is due to end this week. However, vetting checks are being processed quickly at present.  Access NI has advised that it is “currently processing applications for enhanced checks that arrived with us earlier today, so there is no delay in taking these forward and issuing certificates.”

• If such applications have to be referred to a police force (approximately 27%), PSNI is taking, on average 2/3 days to return them to us. Clearly some will take longer than this particularly where there might be relevant information. So, at present, it’s all very rapid (though September and October tend to be Access NI’s busiest months, so the position can change).”
• Recruitment work has been completed on a prioritised basis since the outset of covid. Priority is given to school-based posts and to front-line services supporting schools. There is currently a 24 to 72-hour turnaround for the initiation of pre-employment/vetting checks, ie a candidate receiving email correspondence to commence checks. The team monitors the progress of all checks. Candidates are given 10 days to respond. Reminders are issued at 10 days and at 15 days. Contact is made with the hiring manager if checks are not received within 15 days.
• There is currently a 24-hour turnaround for the initiation of Access NI vetting checks in respect of temporary engagements.
• Should there be any other feedback or concerns in relation to vetting checks please contact Helen Gallagher, resourcing manager at Helen.Gallagher@eani.org.uk

Staff members refusing to teach in classroom allocated to them, can disciplinary be invoked?

• The full circumstances relating to the individual case would need to be known. For example, if the refusal related to concerns around health and safety/risk assessment or an existing disability which was relevant to the location then further discussion and consideration would be required before progressing with disciplinary action.
• If it was purely a conduct matter with no rationale for the refusal, the principal should first seek to resolve the matter informally. If it is not possible to resolve informally then disciplinary action could be considered in circumstances where it relates to a refusal to undertake a reasonable request.

Pregnancy (third trimester) - if the staff member unable to work from home, are they expected to take early maternity leave?  Teachers in England are being put on medical suspension which ends on the date the baby is born, if earlier than scheduled maternity leave.

• Expectant mothers are not expected to take early maternity with the exception of pregnancy-related absence within four weeks before the expected week of childbirth, as per the maternity leave scheme.
• Maternity leave will start automatically if a teacher is absent from work for a pregnancy-related illness during the four weeks before the start of her EWC, regardless of when she has stated she actually wanted her maternity leave to start. For more information click here.

• It remains the position that principals/line managers should undertake a risk assessment with the individual to assess and control measures to reduce risk in addition to any existing risk assessments. For your information, I have included the latest position on pregnancy based on recent PHA advice.

o Up to 28 weeks of pregnancy - if a pregnant woman is under 28 weeks, a risk assessment should be undertaken and precautions such as PPE put in place to minimise risk in the work environment.

o Post 28 weeks of pregnancy - if a pregnant woman is over 28 weeks, a risk assessment should be undertaken and precautions such as PPE put in place to minimise risk in the work environment. If the pregnant woman has a heart or lung condition, it is advised that they should not have direct contact with service users/ children. They could undertake other duties, eg administrative work.

o Individual considerations when carrying out a risk assessment linked to pregnancy - the medical history and current health status of the individual worker needs to be considered. The principal/ manager may consider an occupational health referral for an individual if they still remain concerned. The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology guidance is designed primarily for health workers who would have a higher risk of contracting covid-19 than the general population. The chief medical officers of the four nations have noted that ONS identifies teaching as a lower risk profession. To view the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Guidance for COVID–19click here

Studies show cold water just as effective as long as soap is used.  Should guidance be changed to stop confusion?

• Current guidance on this matter is under review and will be updated.  Hands should be washed thoroughly and regularly in the school at existing facilities using soap and water. Tepid / lukewarm water is preferable for this purpose but cold water is equally suitable.

Lack of clarity if staff member reports symptoms and remains at home to wait for a test result; staff at school in limbo; the longer they stay on-site, the higher the chance of potentially spreading infection (if they also were infected but had yet to develop symptoms)  

• If the symptomatic the staff member (or pupil) should not be in the building and should seek a test.  The staff member (or pupil) should not return to the building until the test result is known. 
• If negative, they can return to school providing they feel well and have not had a temperature in the past 48 hours.  If positive, they must follow PHA advice and self-isolate for at least 10 days. 
• School management must take appropriate action based on guidance.

Guidance/clarity on parental responsibility with regard to those who choose not to engage with school’s safety measures, eg sending a child to school with a cold, stating their child should not be subject to safety measures the school is putting in place, can these parents be advised to keep their child at home to ensure the safety of staff and pupils?

• As with any dispute with parents on matters relating to school policy or delivery, efforts should be made to resolve these issues in an amicable way in the first instance.
• Ultimately, if the issue cannot be resolved through consultation, the Principal has a range of options that could be considered, as appropriate.
• The parents/carers leaflet (issued on 10 September) can also be referred to in matters relating to parents. 
• In certain circumstances, breaching public health regulations can be a matter for the police i.e. breaking quarantine following foreign travel.
• The DE is also currently working with PHA re non-compliance with contact tracing.

Principals are not medically trained and should not be placed in a position where decisions are to be made on medical issues which can be legally challenged, eg requesting a child is kept home if displaying cold/flu symptoms etc.

• The chief medical officer (CMO) has now written to all schools providing advice on the covid-19 symptoms and appropriate action should anyone in the household develops these symptoms. 
• Furthermore,  the CMO has provided advice on appropriate action should children have common cold symptoms. 
• This letter has been supplemented by a leaflet to parents / carers on what action should be taken in a range of scenarios relating to COVID-19 symptoms, exposure and testing. 

Shielding paused – teachers that had previously shielded but do not have any medical evidence from GP that they should remain at home, are requesting to work from home but this is not possible following RA etc, no work that could be undertaken. Their only option is to go on sick leave or consider reductions to contract.  Is this still the case?

• Teachers following clear medical advice linked to COVID-19 will continue to receive normal pay. The teacher should not suffer any detriment in following this particular covid-19 PHA advice.  
• The requirement for medical evidence to be supplied still applies and should be available in all situations where a teacher has been medically advised to continue self-isolating. We have seen a number of examples of this already.  The medical advice should clearly state the need to continue to self-isolate even despite the control measures planned in the school.  
• It would be hoped that some duties to support learners could be carried out from home in this case, eg perhaps to remotely support the substitute teacher if practical.
• Excluding circumstances where staff are medically advised to continue to self-isolate, the latest PHA advice recommends that clinically extremely vulnerable individuals who are unable to work from home can now return to the workplace subject to the completion of individual risk assessment and adequate mitigations in place.   Staff who previously received shielding pause letters from the NHS/GP should continue to follow Government advice, work from home when possible and take precautions taking particular care when outside the home and strictly maintaining social distancing.

Schools reporting PHA not readily contactable if case identified / symptoms identified at school or within a pupil’s family

• The Public Health Agency number provided for schools is not a helpline for general queries about public health issues or the New School Day guidance. This number is for the Duty Room and should only be used where there is a confirmed positive case of COVID-19 in the school community. Furthermore, emergency numbers such as 999 should only be used where there is a genuine medical emergency.
• The Public Health Agency has established a dedicated phone line to assist schools when there has been a positive (confirmed) test for coronavirus (covid-19) in an educational setting. This phone line is operational from today and will be available from 8am to 5pm, 7 days a week. The phone number is 02895 360484.
• The phone line will be staffed by specialist public health staff who will support you through the risk assessment process and provide guidance on next steps when a case of covid-19 is confirmed in the school.
• It is not a general helpline and your first port of call for general advice where there has been no confirmed case continues to be the New School Day guidance available on the DE website.
• In the first instance, should a positive case be identified in a school, the school management team should draw up a list of potentially exposed contacts.   The school management team should proactively contact parents to advise potentially exposed contacts to remain at home.  The PHA Contact Tracing Service / Health Protection will contact the school and with school management to clarify ‘close contacts’ using an agreed pro-forma and will provide advice on self-isolation / next steps.
• The first point of contact for advice and guidance is the school’s designated COVID-19 Link Officer.  As outlined previously an Education Authority dedicated telephone number is available for schools who require emergency advice and support where a positive COVID-19 case is identified in a school: 028 90 418056. 

Concern at late notification to schools on Friday 28 August for implementation 1 September regarding FSM food parcels to pupils unable to attend school if self-isolating etc

• On 21 August the Department wrote to inform principals of grant-aided schools and chairs of boards of governors of temporary Disapplication Notice No. 11 to remove the duty to provide school meals for the period 24 August – 31 August; and the intention to make a further temporary modification notice to require schools to make food provision from 1 September to a small number of pupils entitled to free school meals and unable to attend school due to covid-19.
• Temporary modification notice No.12 , to require the Education Authority (EA) and individual voluntary grammar and grant-maintained Integrated schools to make food provision for pupils entitled to free school meals (FSM) who are unable to attend school due to covid-19 restrictions and who wish such provision, was signed and sealed on the morning of 28 August to commence when Notice No 11 expired. The Department wrote again on the afternoon of 28 August to inform schools of this.
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• The Department engaged with EA school catering service, which provides school meals to the vast majority of schools, on the potential to provide food parcels and in conjunction with the food in schools coordinator, a shopping list of suitable ingredients for inclusion in food parcels and a leaflet of lunch ideas and recipes for parents were developed.
• This information was attached to the letter of 28 August. In controlled, maintained and special schools, the EA school meals catering service is positioned to make and deliver food parcels to the small number of FSM pupils affected. The EA school meals catering service and the Food in Schools Coordinator can provide advice to all schools on catering issues related to this provision.
• Confirmation of food package availability and funding for the provisions was only received on 24 of August 2020 and therefore this is the earliest that Principals could have been informed.