Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact that primary school classes up to second class are back to school, which is so important, as are leaving certificate students and, of course, students in special schools. However, there are still questions to be asked. Do schools have sufficient PPE? Do they have adequate staffing provision? Are sufficient supports available to children who are still home-schooling? Those are questions that I am still being asked.

I wish to highlight a case that came up in my virtual clinic this morning. I was asked why a 17-year-old with Down's syndrome cannot go to school for partial attendance with an SNA in order for the SNA to do work online with the child or help the child with work in an empty classroom that can be sanitised but, under the supplementary provision programme, another teacher can go into the child's home in the evening when the child is tired. The child's parent is looking for answers on that issue. I ask the Minister, Deputy Foley, or the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, to come back to me on that issue.

I welcome the comments of the Minister regarding class sizes because it is a significant issue. I know she mentioned DEIS schools. I will come back to her on that issue because it is a significant bugbear for me. I welcome that she is considering reducing class sizes because that is so important.

An issue that has been raised with me a good few times recently is that of the lack of emotional counsellors and therapists. This is a glaring gap in supports in schools. I appeal to the Minister to roll out such a service as soon as possible to assist schools to meet the needs of children who have suffered so much in this pandemic. It is so important, particularly for leaving certificate students. I ask the Minister to respond on that issue.

Another issue that needs to be considered is that of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, units. What is being done in that regard? I welcome the indication by the Minister that she is working on them, but more needs to be done. Demand is outstripping supply. Can more ASD units be put into more schools? In my area of Carlow, classes were recently sanctioned but no extension was allocated until recently, yet there are many schools that would love to accommodate an ASD unit but do not have the space to so do. This will be a significant issue for schools that do not have the space to build an ASD unit. I ask the Minister to consider that issue.

I need to raise the issue of DEIS schools because I have significant concerns in this regard. I know the Minister welcomed the millions of euro that are being put into DEIS schools, but I wish to ask her about disadvantaged schools. I know that announcements in this regard refer to funding for disadvantaged schools. I have brought this issue to the attention of the Minister on several occasions. There are no DEIS schools in Tullow or Carlow town, for example.

Although I welcome the funding going to DEIS schools, other disadvantaged schools out there are barely surviving for the want of funding and yet we are not getting the review we have been promised. The situation is unacceptable.

I will give the Minister an example from Carlow town, where a boys' school and a girls' school are side by side. Members of the same families go to the two schools. The boys' school has DEIS status but the girls' school cannot get that status, despite the fact that children from the same family are attending the two schools. There is not one primary school with DEIS status in Tullow town. It is unacceptable. For all the funding that she is announcing for disadvantaged schools, I ask the Minister to look at the disadvantaged schools that apply for DEIS status every year and keep being refused. It is unacceptable. I plead with the Minister to look again at DEIS schools and conduct a review as soon as possible because there are many disadvantaged schools out there that are not getting funding.

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