Ms Nuala Ward:

I thank the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science for the invitation to appear today to discuss the provision of education and associated supports for displaced Ukrainian students. As members of the committee are aware, the Ombudsman for Children’s Office, OCO, is an independent statutory body. It was established in 2004 under the Ombudsman for Children Act with two core statutory functions. One is to promote the rights and welfare of children up to 18 years of age, and the other is to examine and investigate complaints made by or for children about the administrative actions of public bodies, schools and voluntary hospitals that have, or may have, adversely affected a child.

The Ombudsman for Children’s Office notes figures published by the Department of Education on 6 June which indicate almost 7,000 Ukrainian children have been enrolled into the Irish education system. We welcome the action by the State in providing supports for children and families under the temporary protection directive. We also welcome work by school communities, NGOs and community organisations in supporting the inclusion and integration of children who have fled Ukraine into our communities and education system. We especially welcome efforts to support unaccompanied minors who have arrived into Ireland from Ukraine without a parent or guardian, which we understand totalled 146 children at the start of June.

We want to talk briefly about curriculum provision. We note exemptions from studying the Irish language are being issued in line with existing Department of Education guidance in Circulars 0052/2019 and 0053/2019, which we understand are currently under review. This means that children arriving from Ukraine under the age of 12, who do not have significant learning difficulties as detailed in the circulars, may not qualify for exemptions. We suggest that children may benefit from a more flexible approach to Irish language exemptions, and we have recently engaged with the Department in this regard. We have been assured that any changes to this circular would include consideration of the best interest of the child and we hope that will be reflected in practice. As we know, children under the age of 12, for example, may benefit from additional time in their school day to adapt to studying English as an additional language, or for work in supporting their movement to a different national curriculum.

On language provision, we welcome the commitments relating to language supports for Ukrainian children in Irish schools, including through the establishment of regional education and language teams, REALT. We note from the meeting of this committee on 1 June that 724 primary schools and 194 post-primary schools now have English as an additional language, EA, teaching resources, with additional EA support hours allocated based on numbers of Ukrainian children enrolled. These supports are key to ensuring children who do not have fluency in English can fully enjoy their right to education and they need to be adequately resourced and funded.

We also welcome the publication of information by the Department in Ukrainian. Going forward, it is important there is not a reliance on children to support communication between schools and their parents or guardians. We would urge that all efforts are made to help parents and guardians to integrate into school communities, and to help them make informed decisions. Interpretation and translation services, therefore, should also be provided to schools.

We also welcome the announcement of the summer inclusion programme. Culturally responsive education supports are important tools in ensuring integration and inclusion. The use of intercultural workers in schools – as in Northern Ireland through the intercultural education service – is an example of good practice in promoting integration of children into schools. Due consideration should be given by the Department of Education, school boards, REALT and schools to providing culturally responsive supports to children as they transition into the Irish school system.

In relation to psychological supports, I reiterate the OCO’s existing position as a strong proponent of the inclusion of therapeutic mental health support and services within all schools. Under Article 39 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child "State Parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of a child victim of...armed conflicts". Thousands of children are entering the Irish education system who may have experienced significant trauma, and extensive consideration needs to be given to facilitating psychological recovery. Children with family in Ukraine and Russia may also be experiencing significant distress relating to the ongoing conflict. We welcome work by NEPS to support schools, including developing guidance. However, the complex needs of these children are unlikely to be met by existing staff and resources. Guidance should be supported by therapeutic mental health support and services within schools.

In relation to other issues, we believe there are some matters that require further consideration. On special educational needs, we welcome comments in this committee by the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Josepha Madigan, regarding students entering schools with special educational needs, SEN. This includes the involvement of the NCSE in REALT, and work by the Department of Education with the HSE to ensure a joined-up approach.

It is important that language and educational attainment are assessed separately, and schools have adequate resources to support children in both regards in order that children who have special educational needs can be identified and supported. The provision of special educational needs school places cannot keep up with current demand. We are concerned that, with significant numbers of children from Ukraine entering Irish schools, there will be an increasing gap between available provision and provision needed.

Finally on school transport, it is important to note that Ukrainian children may, in some cases, be housed in accommodation from which it is difficult to access the nearest school or local community. This potentially creates a barrier to accessing education. We would like to understand the status of the grant scheme proposed by the Department of Education to cover school transport costs for children in these circumstances.

I thank the committee for the invitation to meet today and I am happy to take any questions.