Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is no question that the best place to learn is in class in school. We have all done our best in recent weeks and during the last year with the home school hub, Seesaw, Jigsaw, Joe Wicks videos and all the rest. There is no substitute, however, for in-school learning. We in Sinn Féin are glad that the phased return to school is under way. In no small way, that is due to the hard work in very challenging circumstances of the entire school community, including teachers, special needs assistants, SNAs, school caretakers, receptionists, bus escorts and indeed the students and parents. From the start of the year, Sinn Féin has advocated for a phased return to school, with children's special educational needs as the highest priority and that is what transpired in the end. That process still has some way to go, but we cannot just state that the job has been done when all children have returned to school. We must ensure that the reopening is safe and sustainable and allows us to keep schools open. It is no good if schools close again at some stage later in the year and, equally, it is no good if schools are not safe and people are put at risk. That aspect is as challenging, if not more challenging, than getting schools open in the first place.

I spoke to many teachers and school staff who have returned to school classrooms this week and in recent weeks. They are happy to be back, but they are rightly asking what changes are in place and what is different. The Covid-19 situation is very different now compared with before Christmas, when those teachers and school staff were last in schools. That is especially the case given the many new variants of the virus and the implications associated with those variants which have been found in the State. Anecdotally, staff are concerned that there does not seem to have been a great deal of change within their schools to take account of this new situation. Schools are calling out for guidance on ventilation, transport and serial testing for school staff. We must crack those issues urgently. We must also crack classroom sizes. It is incredible that we have not taken the chance during this pandemic situation to finally tackle this issue. If we are serious about tackling regression at primary and second levels and deal with this situation where children are losing out as a result, then we need smaller classes and additional teacher resources, including extra teachers for team teaching.

There is no doubt that the cohort which suffered most from these closures of schools was that made up of children with special educational needs. Those children have missed out greatly. From speaking to families, it is evident that this supplementary programme has serious issues. Families cannot find tutors to facilitate the scheme. The work needs to be done now. I note what the Minister said about the summer provision programme, but these kids have missed out enough. Frankly, the supplementary programme has been problematic. We must be proactive and begin planning now for a substantial summer provision programme. Caithfimid na hacmhainní a chur isteach chun déanamh cinnte de go bhfuil leor am agus go leor foireann ann, agus go bhfaigheann gach leanbh áit sa chlár seo a bhfuil á lorg.

We need a much-expanded programme for children's special educational needs. We must also go beyond just the DEIS schools which have traditionally availed of the DEIS summer schools. In tackling disadvantage, we should be asking all principals to submit the names of children who need an extra bit of help. We should start that process now so that we can identify the level of interest and associated capacity requirements. Disadvantage is most concentrated in DEIS band 1, but then it expands into DEIS band 2 and much beyond. To make a practical proposal for summer provision and the supplementary programme, I think there would be value in the creation of a centralised database of teachers and SNAs willing to provide tuition to families. Trying to find a tutor for a child now is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. It is impossible for many, and it drives people to distraction. That is something quite simple that could be worked on.

I have three questions for the Minister and I will allow her time to answer at the end. Pregnant teachers and school staff have contacted me because they are worried about only being permitted to work from home temporarily and that they will have to return to classrooms in the next few weeks. Will pregnant teachers and school staff be allowed to continue to work remotely while level 5 restrictions remain, at a minimum?

Turning to the issue of high-risk families, many will not be able to send their kids back to school next week or in the next several weeks because a member of the family has a medical vulnerability and the risks involved are too high. I raised this issue with the Minister on several occasions and these families feel forgotten. Will children with medically-vulnerable family members at home be facilitated with remote learning? That is especially important for sixth year students with medical vulnerabilities and-or in cases where someone in their families have medical vulnerabilities. Those students still deserve a choice in their leaving certificate examinations, and they should not be disadvantaged because they, or someone belonging to them, is vulnerable. Families will make different decisions regarding schools than they usually would in the context of an extremely serious pandemic. A common sense approach must be taken by the Minister and by Tusla regarding this matter.

Moving to the matter of the mock examinations, the Department has stated they should not go ahead but they are going ahead. That is the truth and that is what we are hearing. Some are being done on an optional basis, but those students choosing to not sit the exams are being told to remain at home. It has been suggested that these exams will influence the calculated grades. That is not right and not a good use of the precious teaching time left. Will the Minister make a definitive statement that these mock examinations should not be taking place? If she does, what will she do to enforce that stance? There is also much concern among music students because no real guidance has been provided in this area with only four weeks remaining.

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