AQW 12647/17-22

Mr John Blair
Alliance Party
South Antrim

Tabled Date: 13/01/2021
Answered On Date: 19/01/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education (i) what advice on COVID-19 was given to young people attending schools; (ii) what, if any, advice has been provided regarding social distancing; and (iii) how any advice given was rationalised in the context of gatherings in classrooms or exam halls.

Answer:

The Department’s guidance to schools is contained in the document Coronavirus (Covid-19): Guidance for Schools and Educational Settings in Northern Ireland (8 December 2020). This document was prepared with the support of public health colleagues and is regularly reviewed and updated (Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance for School and Educational Settings in Northern Ireland | Department of Education (education-ni.gov.uk).

Guidance on social distancing is in Section 1 of the document.

The Department produced separate Public Health Guidance to Support Public Examinations (Public Examinations Guidance | Department of Education (education-ni.gov.uk)