Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This has been an extremely difficult time for children of all ages. Many primary school students across the country are missing out on their final months at school, missing rites of passage such as the final sports day in primary school, where those students are finally the senior members of the school and leading the school teams. They are missing out on taking the last school tour together as a sixth class group, something to which they all look forward. They are also missing out on an official graduation ceremony with their school communities and families and are being deprived of the basics of saying goodbye to the classmates, beside whom they have sat for eight years, before they move on to their various secondary schools. It is truly a distressing time for those students. Is am an-chorrach é seo do pháistí schoile de gach aois.

Many children find themselves in the bizarre situation of looking forward to putting on their uniforms again and going back to school. They never imagined that would happen. Usually in May, students look forward to casting their uniforms aside for three months but are now looking forward to putting them on again. They also look forward to the days when they can have birthday parties and play dates with friends in real life, not through Zoom or WhatsApp, and that is if they have the broadband to use those applications.

The past few months will, no doubt, have lasting and traumatising impacts on many young people. It is important that they are supported and protected as we move forward from this crisis.

It has been an unbelievably stressful time for leaving certificate students. There has been much uncertainty and a lack of clarity in recent months which has caused unnecessary confusion and stress. While many students were relieved last week when the Minister announced the cancellation of the examinations, others were disappointed and worried that the calculated grade system would not result in a fair reflection of all the work they have done this year and in previous years. I am deeply concerned that the proposed school standardisation alignment process that will use a school's past exam results to alter the results of current leaving certificate students will adversely affect students in disadvantaged schools who would otherwise have done well. There is now a perceived risk of such a student receiving a lower grade due to his or her school's previous results. How will the Minister ensure that this system is fair and recognises one of the most positive aspects of leaving certificate examinations, that is, that any student can excel no matter what school he or she attends? I doubt that the Minister would suggest that a student's score should be altered based on geography or socioeconomic background. However, with this system, what will effectively happen will be an almost stereotyping and pigeon-holing of schools in order to adhere to the results of previous years.

Has a decision been made about how far the data set used in these alignments will go back? How will the Minister offer a rock solid guarantee that the grading process will be carried out in a fair manner that does not inadvertently lead to further disadvantage for these students?

Objectivity is another essential component of the calculated grade system. What steps have been taken to ensure that teachers and school principals are protected against being lobbied by parents and students as they work through this process?

It is also incredibly important that in this new exam process, students who do not fit into the standard mould of the leaving certificate are not forgotten about or excluded. How much consideration was given to home schoolers and students who have taught themselves subjects and, therefore, do not have teachers to give them a grade? In the case of repeat students who only have this year's in-class results to use as reference, will their previous leaving certificate results be taken into account? Was any consideration given to the leaving certificate applied exams going ahead? Given the way those students' courses and assessment are set up, they were only due to sit a small number of exams at the end of sixth year. Furthermore, how does the Minister intend to guarantee that all grading and appeal processes will be completed ahead of the UCAS and EUNiCAS August deadline for students applying to universities abroad?

In his announcement last week, he stated that the original date of 29 July for the leaving certificate exams was now considered to be an unsafe return time based on updated information. If 29 July is not suitable for students to return to school, how will it be safe enough for schools to open just one month later in September? In fact, some secondary schools opened as early as 18 August last year. What consideration has been given to how students will safely return to school as currently planned, with schools to operate as normal? How can schools plan for the 2020-21 academic year given such uncertainty? How can they do their timetables and plan their induction days, training days, recruitment processes and interviews? Schools were only at the stage when the lockdown happened where retirements and career breaks had been flagged with principals. Surely those interviews have not even been held. How is it now proposed that they will be held? How will we have enough staff in our schools when they return?

I have received correspondence from parents of children with special needs expressing their concern over the lack of information being shared regarding their children's return to school and the loss of the July provision. It must remain a priority to get these children back in school as quickly as possible. What consideration has been given to the families in question and is there a roadmap in place for children with special needs to return to school? In addition, it is vital that we do not forget the invaluable work of our special needs assistants, SNAs. What engagement has the Minister had with them and how has he continued to keep them informed of where and how they fit into the Department's ever-changing plans?

I would be grateful if he might raise a matter with the Minister for Health. Regarding the human papillomavirus, HPV, school vaccine programme, many first year students across the country received their first dose of that vaccine last September and were due to receive the second dose from February onwards. What are the plans for schools whose students did not receive their second vaccine dose before the lockdown and has there been any communication with principals, teachers or parents on this matter? As it stands, my understanding is that parents are not allowed to take their child to a GP to receive the vaccine if the child is in the school programme. What are the implications for students who missed their second dose?

The impacts of the changes made in our education system in the next few months will echo for years to come. It is vitally important for all students, parents, teachers, educators and entire school communities that they receive clear, comprehensive and detailed information about these changes as quickly, effectively and fully as possible.

See this speech in context