Ms M?ir?n N? Ch?ileachair:

Early in this school year, the INTO met principals and teachers from the schools involved in the first phase of the demonstration project to discuss their experiences of it. Many of the schools attended. Many of them had only a short experience due to the onset of Covid, with some only having had access to therapists for six weeks or so before schools were closed. The experience was mixed. Some of the schools stated that they benefited from the CPD that was provided and the various programmes that were rolled out in the schools. The upskilling of teachers in the programmes was welcomed. Some of the schools indicated to us that they had continued the programmes during the Covid closure and had seen real benefits.

The schools were disappointed because, although they had believed that the therapists would engage in more therapy with individual children, this did not seem to be a feature of the demonstration project. There was a fear among teachers that, once they were upskilled to a certain level, they would more or less be left to carry on on their own. The nature of the project was of an advisory and CPD nature, but the therapies were not carried through.

We are aware that the programme restarted in November. We have not engaged with the schools, but those that have engaged with us have indicated that it is again difficult to source therapists, given the general shortage of therapists. The programme has proved challenging from that point of view. We hope to engage with them again in September to see what their experience between November and the end of the school year has been.