Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Yes. It would be great to tie in food growing with other programmes, particularly the Sport Ireland programme. Sport Ireland has a programme called Marathonkids, which was rolled out, particularly in vulnerable areas. Marathonkids, over five or six weeks, shows children in fifth and sixth class in primary school how to run a marathon and they do 100 m or 200 m. There is also a food plan provided so children learn how to build up their energy resources thus enabling them to run distances. It would be great to tie the GROW at School programme in with what is already delivered in schools, and maybe through Sport Ireland and its programme.

I have a question for Ms Kathleen Moran on school libraries. She spoke very well and I know that she has been in touch with us.

I loved her sign-off on her email where she indicated what she is currently reading. I thought that was great. We will all get the time to do that as well. Audiobooks are also a great way of starting reading or listening when people are on the move.

Deputy Conway-Walsh spoke about the libraries in her area. Last week, we had the launch of My Open Library by Galway County Council, and Ballinasloe was the first place in Galway to have it. Under this new initiative, the library will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and people will have a card to access the library. Where the library is based in Ballinasloe is right beside our DEIS level 1 Scoil an Chroí Naofa and, hopefully, we will get a brand-new school there eventually when it goes through planning. It has been crucial to have those supports. I see how that library engages with the students and, in particular, the parents who come to collect the students. I sometimes think there are many initiatives that we could work on to bring parents in. Sometimes the challenge for schools is to encourage engagement from parents to volunteer, to be part of parents associations and to volunteer onto boards. We are seeing a stepping back at times in our schools. It is about how we support parents to get more involved and there may be ways that our libraries can help with that through the school libraries.

Ms Moran spoke in particular about the junior certificate school programme and how that needs to become more available. We have seen the increase in DEIS to one in four schools with the announcement last year. I would ask Ms Moran to comment on that as those schools could also have access to the digital supports through the library.