Covid-19 Practice in Primary Schools

Notwithstanding the multitude of past school closures caused by catastrophic events, such as typhoons, tornados or contagions, very little is known about the actions taken by leaders during a school rapid response to those circumstances, which is what the current study addressed. Two weeks after the school closure caused by the spread of COVID-19, a total of 2, 808 primary school leaders in the Republic of Ireland were surveyed about actions they had taken to ensure the continuity of pupils’ learning. The research was commissioned by a stakeholder group including the Department of Education, IPPN, PDST, INTO and others. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected regarding schools' rapid response, which included 1. Leaders’ perspective of pupils’ and teachers’ attitudes towards COVID-19 school closures; 2. Distance learning school strategy, capacity, curriculum, platforms, and resources; 3. Social engagement post-closure between teachers and pupils, teachers and parents, teachers and teachers; 4. Wellbeing provision and impact on pupils, teachers and school leaders; 5. Minority groups including SEN and EAL pupils; 6. Additional support requested by leaders. Implications of the study are discussed, and recommendations made as to what contingency plans can be put in place to ensure continuity of learning during temporary school closure