The Department of Education has published guidelines as to how primary schools should support children who cannot attend school because they have a health condition which places them at very high risk in relation to Covid-19.
Schools have been advised that such children should be marked present on attendance records and that schools will be responsible overall for ensuring that they receive "appropriate support".
The guidelines state that all other children - including those with anxiety around Covid-19 - are expected to return to school.
Parents or guardians will have to seek medical certification to indicate that their child is at very high risk and to inform the school of this.
Schools have been advised of a number of options.
"In some instances, pupils may be supported by teachers from their school or from another school who are assessed as being at very high risk to Covid-19 and who are available to work from home," the guidelines state.
Local education centres have been tasked with compiling lists of available teachers. Class teachers may also be used to work with children who are at home.
Schools should attempt to ensure that children with underlying health conditions maintain a meaningful connection with their class and school, and they should ensure "as far as possible" that their learning is in line with the curriculum, and with what their classmates are learning.
"The class teacher should facilitate frequent/weekly opportunities for the pupil learning from home to interact with his/her peers, through online video conferencing and/or collaborative learning activities such as project work, group work and pair work which can be carried out online".
The guidelines state that the school should arrange for pupils at home to have access to "relevant digital technology and other resources as appropriate".
Schools are reminded that availability of appropriate digital devices may be a challenge for some families, and that some homes may not have adequate connectivity.
"In such instances, other strategies such as using the postal service, phone calls, email or text as a means of communicating with pupils will need to be considered," the guidance says.
Some primary schools are reporting that anxiety around Covid-19 means small numbers of parents are unhappy to send their children back to school and are considering keeping them at home.
Acknowledging this, the guidelines state, that "all schools are expected to support such pupils in making a full return to school, and to provide supports to ensure their anxiety is managed in such a way as to enable them to re-engage productively in their learning".
The Department of Education is in the process of preparing similar guidelines for older children attending second level.
