One in three parents “very concerned” over children’s return to school

More worrying statistics as schools in Ireland reopen.

A survey by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has found that one in three (32%) parents of children returning to school are "extremely" or "very" concerned about their child's safety. The survey also found that just over 6% of parents do not intend to send their child to either pre-school, primary school, or secondary school due to their concerns over Covid-19. The survey of 1,333 people also found that almost two in three (66.2%) respondents reported they would be "very or "somewhat likely" to avail of a Covid-19 vaccine for their school-going children if one were to become available. Among a number of other statistics found in the report, the CSO revealed that if schools have to close again, 16.9% of female respondents with a primary school student reported that they may have to give up work, compared to 3.9% of males. Two out of three respondents (67%) with a child going into their Leaving Certificate year (2021) reported that the school closures had a "major" or "moderate" negative impact on their child's learning. This news comes the day after it emerged that two-thirds of Irish school principals said they have teachers with underlying health issues.