'The work has been put in to start safely'

“The biggest casualty is furniture,” Principal of St Brendan's Primary School Niall Crofton quipped as he prepared to welcome back junior infants yesterday (Thursday), a day before the official opening for all students today (Friday).

PHOTO: St Brendan's Primary School principal Niall Crofton.

“We now have a hall full of furniture. Our biggest class is 25 and the smallest is 20, and they will be 1 metre apart (aside from the younger children) and two metres away from the teacher.”

“We haven't had to knock a wall we just about had enough space, we have had to take out things like the school library and furniture. So if anyone knows of storage facilities we'd love to hear from them,” he laughed, saying that everyone is excited now about coming back. "We're happy enough the work has been put in to start safely"

There are changes that will take getting used to for parents, staff, and pupils, but he stressed that all the measures taken are to ensure a “safe learning environment for all” in line with the department roadmap and they have adapted what they have to do that.

This means staggered starting times and breaks for the children, and no parents will be allowed in the yard (to wait for children to finish). Instead, a waiting area outside the premises has been created for them to do so with social distancing.

Mr Crofton is thankful for a government grant which allowed him to purchase signage from a local supplier Martin McCarthy from Frawley's shop, and Adrian Shiels from Pro Spray Foam Insulation supplied their sanitising equipment.

“We're treating the class as a bubble, their learning support teacher and Special Needs Assistant will be based in the room now, rather than a separate one. That's it, no one will be going to another room now, there will no going with messages to 5th class,” he comments, adding all of the measures are designed to stop mixing and gathering of the 190 students and 30 staff.

“You're trying to think of every angle. We will also got three new supply posts based in Birr who will cover sickness and course days in surrounding schools from Kinnitty to Roscrea to Lorrha,” he explains, however, these teachers will for 90% of the time be working elsewhere.

Luckily, for the Birr principal the school has been open for the last three weeks for literacy summer camps and other camps and this has allowed him to see how the measures work in practice.

“We've been able to roadtest them for the last three weeks. I've been there for that time, I took the month of July as my holidays, and one day I just sat at the CCTV to observe what was happening. That's when I saw the parents all standing around chatting and I knew I had to change that. We're lucky to be able to see what works and what doesn't. Every school is different though,” he points out in terms of their buildings, facilities, and resources and each is doing the best they can.

While one school in Athlone was in the national spotlight this week after being forced to use a garden shed as an isolation area, Niall says a first aid area has been converted close to his office with toys etc if any child shows symptoms.

He acknowledges some things may have to change as the routines bed in, but they are endeavouring to make it a “safe starting point” for everyone as they attempt to keep the fun element of school too for the youngsters.

“It's what you do and what you enjoy. Once it's safe and I can go home safe I'm happy. I recognise the privilege of doing a job that I love and I recognise how fortunate we are given how other areas have suffered,” he says, thanking the Board of Management and the local community for their support in the run-up to reopening. He also pays tribute to those who helped with the food pack collection over the last few months for those in need – more than 100 were given out each week in the last six weeks alone.