All smiles: on first school day

Twins Emma and Alex Duffy are the picture of happy excitement as they head off to 'big school' at St Michael's school in Cootehill, for the first time. The pair joined hundreds of other children across the county starting primary school this week. Parents and teachers groups as well as the Department of Education have been debating in recent weeks whether to allow schools with students affected by the swine flu outbreak to re-open. The Department of Education has declared that teachers are well-equipped to deal with any outbreak, which may arise, and that it's a case of "business as usual" for new school-goers. In the majority of Cavan schools no cases of swine flu have been reported. For more back to school pictures, see this week's Anglo-Celt.