London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 11, 2025

Covid-19: Some schools 'not following pupils close contact advice'

Covid-19: Some schools 'not following pupils close contact advice'

Some schools have decided not to follow Covid-19 self-isolation guidance over concerns it could lead to increased transmission, a leading teachers' representative body has said.

The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said the issue is over close contact advice for pupils.

Some principals have asked parents to consider longer isolation periods.

The Public Health Agency (PHA) guidance is based on Department of Health (DoH) policy guidance.

If a pupil is flagged as a close contact, and has not tested positive for the virus in the previous 90 days, the PHA recommends they self-isolate until they have taken a PCR test.

If the test is negative, they can return to school and do not have to self-isolate for 10 days, but are advised to take another test on day eight of their 10-day exposure period.

However, the NAHT has said some principals would like pupils to have longer self-isolation periods.

"The reason for that is some of the guidance coming from the PHA seemed to allow the possibility of increased transmission when at the same time our school leaders are doing everything they can to prevent transmission within our schools," said Graham Gault, the president of the NAHT in Northern Ireland.

Graham Gault said school leaders are doing everything they can to prevent transmission

"Our principals have understandably made some decisions in order to err on the side of safety."

Mr Gault's comments comes two days after Education Minister Michelle McIlveen acknowledged that schools are under pressure just days into the new term due to the number of Covid-19 cases and contact-tracing.

She announced that £5.5m of extra funding was being made available to help schools and that a PHA helpline would open for longer hours from Monday.

In a statement on Sunday, she said she was aware of some of the issues and the problems they were causing schools.

She said her department would continue "to monitor funding requirements as the pandemic progresses in order to secure adequate funding to keep our schools open and protect our children and young people".

'I don't think they thought this through'


Some principals have told BBC News NI that they would not be following the PHA close-contact guidance at their school.

Dianne Dawson, who heads up Braniel Primary in east Belfast, informed parents in a video message last week the school would not be following PHA advice.

She said it would require pupils who are close contacts to self-isolate for 10 days.

"I believe this is the best way to keep most of our children in school most of the time," she said.

"The other way they will be in and out, and in and out, for up to 18 days if they test positive any time up until day 8 then another 10 days of self-isolation and a negative test"

Dianne Dawson spoke to parents via video message

"I don't personally feel they have thought this through for schools."

St Aloysius Primary School in Lisburn has also written to parents to inform them it would be deviating from the PHA guidance.

The letter said a child who is a close contact of a positive case in a household must self-isolate for 10 days.

It added the "vast majority" of Lisburn primary schools were taking this approach.

Around 250 pupils at Larne High School - a third of the school population - have been identified as close contacts of positive cases and now require a negative PCR test before they can return.

The school's principal, Stephen Reid, said the lack of a test centre in the town is slowing pupils return to the classroom.

"That's putting additional pressure onto families," he said.

"What that will mean is either families have to travel a significant distance, yesterday [Saturday] for example the only testing sites available were Belfast, Antrim or Ballymena for people in the Larne area.

"It's very difficult at this stage to see how this settles and how we manage it going forward," he said.

"The pupils who will return negative, and return to school in the next few days, within a fortnight could again be a close contact and have to go through the process again."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
×