Mr. Páiric Clerkin:

We have not had guidance or clarity but these are issues we have raised with the Department and they are issues we are highly concerned about. Obviously the 30 September returns are relevant because staffing for the next school year is based on them. It is even more serious for a developing school or a new school because the staffing of that school for that particular year will be based on having the numbers on 30 September. We have asked for absolute flexibility in respect of this issue. There needs to be a pragmatic approach. It cannot be a blunt instrument whereby if a school is down by one, it loses a teacher. The school will still have children in the class who have to be taught. I expect that these issues will be clarified by the Department and that the Department will give the required flexibility, especially in respect of the new and developing schools that will need its support. It is likely that the numbers expected may not appear on 1 September and might not be there on 30 September.

The Deputy asked about the NEWB guidance on 20 days. Our approach is always to support children and their attendance at school. It is about problem solving and how we can support them to get back into the school. We do not look at it in terms of being struck off. That is an operational issue in respect of the roll book. The child’s place is available and we try to get them back into school as soon as possible. We work with the attendance officers and NEWB to try to give every support to the family and child to get the child into school as soon as possible.

We are going to have to work together on all these issues, especially with our vulnerable children, to ensure that the children remain engaged with schools and that we can get them back into school as soon as possible. Flexibility will be the key to ensure that we can operate schools properly and successfully in September.