The image is courtesy of Niall O'Loughlin https://www.instagram.com/niall.oloughlin.artist
Following the easing of restrictions most of our classes are provided in-person, in the school building. The school continues to also run online classes for students who prefer to study from home. In order to ensure the safety of our staff and students we have taken measures to minimize the risk of infection in the school environment however most of them are now voluntary. For details please see below. If you sign up on any course, online or offline, you will be taught in a small, level matched group of students by an experienced and friendly teacher.
In order to ensure the safety of our staff and students during the Covid-19 pandemic we have taken a range of measures to facilitate safe, yet effective classroom tuition in our school in 76 Talbot Street. Please note the school also provides online classes.
We ask all our students and staff to wash their hands and sanitize them regularly, to use a tissue or the crook of their elbow when sneezing or coughing and to keep a safe distance of 2 metres from other people whenever possible.
All the staff will be wearing masks at all times. Students are asked to wear masks both in common areas (please put your mask on before entering the building and do not take it off until you leave the building) and the classrooms. Depending on future counry-wide restrictions students might be allowed to take their masks off when sitting down in classrooms as long as they maintain a safe distance of 2m. However as of now, regardless of social distancing, students should put on their face coverings while in the school building.
The schedule of morning classes has changed slightly in order to stagger the start, break and finish times of the different classes and to minimise the number of people in the common areas. Some classes will be starting at 9:15 am and finishing at 12.30 pm whereas others will be starting at 9.30 and finishing at 12.45. We ask the students to arrive at the school as close to their class start time as possible and to leave the building once their class has finished unless they are planning to study in the school library
The layout of all the classrooms has been changed to allow social distancing between the students and the teachers. Each classroom is equipped with a hand sanitizer. The rooms are aired before and after the class and at break times. All surfaces such as desks and handles are regularly sanitized throughout the day.
Students are allowed to prepare hot drinks in the kitchenette upstairs and at the tea/coffee station downstairs but only one person is allowed in either of these areas at one time. Both students and staff are asked to sanitize their hands before preparing their drink. All cups and spoons are disinfected after each use. Only one person is allowed to queue for the kitchen in the hallway area upstairs. Students who have classes downstairs should use the tea and coffee station on that floor and not the kitchenette upstairs.
As we only have two toilets (male and female), students and staff will be asked to use the toilet during class time rather than wait until break time. Only one person is allowed to queue for the toilet in the hallway upstairs.
Only one student is allowed to study in the library at any given time. One more student is allowed to enter the library at the same time but only to take books or other materials and not to stay in the library. If more students wish to stay in the school to study they will be able to study in their own classroom. There is a box for returned books so that they can be disinfected.
In order to avoid the same books being used by different students, the textbooks are now rented out to students for the duration of the course. Students will have to pay a refundable deposit of 40 EUR when taking the book home on their first day. The deposit will be fully refunded when the book is returned to the school in the same condition as they received it in.
We are kindly asking students to make requests for letters, invoices, receipts or exam registration by email. Students are to collect requested documents at the reception the following day or at the end of the class if the request was placed in the morning before the class. Also payment should be made by bank transfer or card whenever possible. Protective screens have been installed in the reception to protect our staff and students however student should still wear face coverings in the reception area.
Attendance is checked at the beginning of the class and after break. The attendance record and students’ contact details will be kept in case HSE requests it for contact tracing. All visitors are asked to sign in and out and leave their contact details. Their details will be kept on file for one month for contact tracing.
All students arriving from the countries which are not on the 'green list' have to quarantine for two weeks before starting classroom tuition. The school will facilitate online tuition during the mandatory self-isolation period. We also ask all students and staff who show any of the symptoms of Covid-19 or who have been a close contact with a confirmed or suspected case to stay at home and follow HSE guidelines.
You might be interested in English courses offered by our language school. Please find detailed descriptions of other courses: