Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 March 2018
60. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures and policies his Department has in place in respect of making up for lost school days incurred during Storm Emma; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14421/18]
View answerMy Department’s guidance for schools in relation to making up for time lost due to unforeseen closures is set out in Circular 0009/2017 Standardisation of the School Year in respect of Primary & Post-Primary Schools for the years 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20 which is available on my Department’s website www.education.gov.ie
As outlined in Circular 0009/2017 flexibility is given to schools to make up for time lost due to unforeseen circumstances including severe weather instances such as Storm Emma. Examples of how this might be achieved subject to consensus at local level include prioritising tuition over non-tuition activities, consideration of whether learning in the classroom should be prioritised over school tours, etc. and reducing where possible the length of mock/house examinations.
