Holiday may have to be extended

SCHOOLS:SOME SCHOOL children could enjoy a longer holiday than expected if hazardous roads stop schools reopening tomorrow.

The vast majority of schools are due to reopen after the Christmas holidays tomorrow but many rural schools do not yet know if they will be able to because of the dangerous driving conditions.

Some children have not attended school since December 18th as many rural schools did not open in the final week of term because of the icy roads.

The Department of Education said it was up to boards of management to decide whether local conditions warranted the closure of a school. “In making these decisions, schools should consider such issues as access and safety,” a spokesman said.

He said that where days were lost due to bad weather, boards should make all reasonable efforts to make them up later in the year.

Bus Éireann said it had no role in deciding on the opening of a school but its school bus drivers would liaise with local management in deciding if the roads were safe enough to operate.

Irish Primary Principals Network director Seán Cottrell said getting teachers to school was often more difficult than getting pupils to school as teachers typically lived farther from schools.