The majority of parents in Northern Ireland are happy to see their children return to school in September, or when the government deem it to be safe, a new survey has found.

Jayne Thompson, head of Northern Ireland Parentkind, shared the results of a UK wide survey which included responses from 1,795 parents in Northern Ireland.

Schools in Northern Ireland are open to vulnerable children at present and to those children of key workers, however like Scotland and Wales the Northern Ireland executive has resisted putting a date on return to school. In England, however, schools have been told by the government to prepare to begin to open to more pupils from June 1 and this has been met with fierce opposition by unions of both teachers and other workers within the school.

Speaking last week Education Minister Peter Weir said that certain “practical measures” needed to be addressed including securing enough PPE for all staff, and social distancing measures for school meals and also for school transport. Mr. Weir also said that it was “extremely likely” that there would be a phased return to school once the new term begins in September but said that all decisions made would be lead by the “scientific advice”.

Meanwhile in the recent Parentkind survey there was a clear indication given from parents that they do not want to rush their children back to school.

Over a quarter (27 per cent) of the 1,795 parents responding from Northern Ireland stated that they would be happy with a return to school in September. An additional 25 per cent of parents said they would be happy to send their children back when the government says it is safe to do so. Furthermore, 11 per cent said they would be happy to wait until staff and pupils have been vaccinated, even if this takes up to 18 months,” Jayne Thompson, Head of Northern Ireland Parentkind revealed.

The survey from Parentkind also asked parents to outline their three biggest concerns from a list of 17 options with missing out on seeing friends and missing our on learning from teachers the two biggest concerns of parents.

The top five concerns identified were: My child not seeing their friends or socialising (46 per cent). My child missing out on learning from teachers (45 per cent). My child’s mental health (36 per cent). One or more family members contracting Covid-19 (34 per cent). My ability to juggle working and supporting my child’s learning (34 per cent).

Drilling down into the figures it also became clear that for primary seven parents concerns over the transition experience was a major concern: “As we look at the data shared on the top concerns, these are across all year groups, but drilling down we are able to examine the concerns per school phases and years. For example, out of 308 parents of Y6 pupils, 48 per cent cited their child not being fully prepared for the transfer test as one of their top concerns, and 55 per cent of parents of Y7 children told us that their child not accessing the full transition experience was one of theirs,” Jayne explained.

The stress that parents have been experiencing and balancing a new normal that involves home schooling also came out clearly in the survey: “We were all plunged into this pandemic, with parents of school-aged children having the extra stress of being parachuted into the role of home educator, while many are balancing working from home too.

“Their fears and experiences vary depending upon the age group of their child(ren) and other factors.

“That is why at Parentkind we believe that it is of paramount importance, and never more so, for parents to have their voice heard and their concerns and needs clearly communicated to policy-makers and educational stakeholders. “