Tipperary schools gearing up for return of 5th Year students

Photo from Nenagh College

A local secondary school principal says it remains difficult to predict if all students will return to the classroom before the summer.

Damien Kennedy of Nenagh College says they’re ready to welcome back fifth year students next Monday, but it is another month before all other students are scheduled to return to secondary schools.

Public health officials have said they’re satisfied that infection prevention measures will keep schools safe during the phased reopening.

Damien Kennedy is hopeful that they will have full schools after Easter, but says it’s remains hard to predict.

“If we learned one thing from Covid its not to predict too far into the future.”

“We’ve officially been notified that 5th Years are coming back next week for two weeks. Then there’s a two week break when the school is closed.”

“So I presume that the national public health guidelines will guide whether we have the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and TY students before the summer. Provisionally at this point in time its envisaged that they will but as we’ve learned you can’t predict too far ahead. But we’re ready for them anyway.”