Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is quite correct that the school meals programme is to be extended this year. It is a cross-departmental initiative with the Department of Social Protection. It is a programme of which I am a huge fan. I am hugely supportive of getting the maximum roll-out and take-up of it.

On teacher well-being, considerable resources have been put in place to acknowledge the burden that has been placed, as the Senator mentioned, on principals in the first instance. For that reason an additional day is being provided for teaching principals. There are other measures in place. Spectrum.Life has been employed to offer resources and support to teachers on the ground. We are also working towards a webinar that will facilitate school leaders. I should acknowledge that in excess of 17,000 members of school communities engaged in a previous health and well-being webinar. That is a facility that is available to the entire school community, not just one particular sector.

The Senator raised the impact of the reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio on school facilities. I am very conscious of that but there has been a huge push toward the reduction of the ratio because it can only advantage the pupils and indeed the staff as well. There is a very substantial build programme moving ahead this year in spite of Covid. There will be €740 million spent on additional accommodation. Substantial work was already done in schools by school communities in terms of accessing additional space within the school, which is terrific. The minor works grant facilitated quite an amount of that and another allocation of €55 million, split between primary and secondary schools, will be made towards the end of December.

I am conscious of the need for additional accommodation. We are working towards that. It is very positive that we will be looking at a reduced pupil-teacher ratio.

The Minister of State, Deputy Josepha Madigan, might like to take the question on the school inclusion model.