Pupils delighted to return to face-to-face learning

THE RETURN of local pupils to  face-to-face learning ramped up this week with primary schools now full once more.

Pupils in P1-P3 had already returned on March 8, but on Monday the P4-P7 age group were back in class, as well as Year 12-14 students in secondary schools.

According to the NI Executive’s schedule for the easing of coronavirus restrictions, Years 8-11 will be the last group to return on April 12.

Many schools held ‘welcome back’ events this week, including outdoor assemblies and hot chocolate mornings for students returning to classes.

Dean Maguirc College principal, James Warnock, said students were delighted to be back among their classmates.

“The smiles on the faces of the students spoke volumes as Years 12, 13 and 14 returned to school for the first time since before Christmas,” Mr Warnock said.

“All pupils on arrival went to their respective form classes and spent the first hour interacting with their form tutor and peers. This engagement was enhanced with the provision of hot chocolate and cookies for all.

“To have movement about the school once again is very refreshing as well as seeing normal classes taking place.

“Of course, we must all continue to adhere strictly to the Covid-19 guidelines and I am pleased that some of our teaching and non-teaching staff have returned having received their first vaccine.”

Omagh High School principal, Christos Gaitatzis, said pupils at the school were happy to be back.

“Things have gone very well so far,” Mr Gaitatzis said. “We had online assemblies in classrooms welcoming them back to school, and we spoke a bit about anxieties and strategies they can follow to help with that.

“We look forward to having them back again, so they can return to some sort of normality in their lives,” he added.

Pupils have been provided with lateral flow testing kits by schools in the area, although the directive from the Department of Education is that these are voluntary.

Mr Gaitatzis added, “The testing will be a good safeguard for both staff and pupils. It’s ultimately a voluntary process, but thankfully most have been receptive to this.”

The principal  also said that, as frontline workers, school staff should have already been vaccinated by now.

He stated, “I think there should be an offer of vaccines to school staff. If we consider teachers and other staff as frontline workers, the teachers should have already been offered the vaccine.

“Some of our staff have been working and looking after the children of key workers since last March and still not received a vaccine offer. Some have received it already due to their age and circumstances but others have not and are still vulnerable.”