Notwithstanding the multitude of past school closures caused by
catastrophic events, such as typhoons, tornados or contagions, very little
is known about the actions taken by leaders and the divergent teaching
and learning approaches applied during a school rapid response to those
circumstances, which is what the current study addressed. Two weeks
after the school closure caused by the spread of Covid-19, a total of 2,
808 primary school leaders in the Republic of Ireland were surveyed
about actions they had taken to ensure the continuity of pupils’ learning
(Burke & Dempsey, 2020). This presentation will report on the quantitative
and qualitative data relating to their immediate response to the sudden
school closures, and the diverse approach to teaching and learning that
had to be taken, specifically their (1) schools’ readiness to engage with
distance learning and divergent methods of engagement, (2) changes to
the curriculum, (3) communication platforms used in a crisis situation, and
(4) new approach to wellbeing provision for pupils, teachers and school
leaders. Implications of the study are discussed, and recommendations
made as to what contingency plans can be put in place to ensure
continuity of learning during a temporary school closure.