Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Táim buíoch as ucht an deis labhairt inniú ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo. Covid-19 has impacted all parts of society, but we must remember that some groups have been impacted more than others. Those in society who require additional supports or have particular needs have found the past year to be more difficult than others.

In opening this discussion, as Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I want to focus particularly on how Covid-19 has impacted the educational experience of those in society with additional needs. As Members of this House are aware, the closure of schools for extended periods on two separate occasions over the past two years due to Covid restrictions has meant this has been a very difficult period for our young people and students. These difficulties were often even more pronounced for students who have disabilities or special educational needs, who often found it harder to participate fully with remote education.

For such students, changes to their normal routines and the fact that they could not access the supports they would normally receive in a school environment meant that school closures often had an even greater impact on them and their parents and guardians. I have heard countless stories from young people and their families about how this impacted on their lives, with the fear of educational and behavioural regression being a constant feature of this period.

The loss of connection with education, school staff, and friends was a very real concern. Students with additional needs do best in school, as we know, receiving educational support in person. I wanted to make sure that the lessons learned during the first period of school closure could lead to a more targeted response during the second period of school closure, so Government confirmed that special education should be a priority as part of school reopening earlier this year. I worked to ensure that precedence was given to the reopening of schools for pupils who have the most complex special educational needs. Following intense engagement with education partners, public health officials and other relevant stakeholders, including parents and school management bodies, we were able to ensure that a phased return to in-school learning for children with special educational needs could commence from early February of this year.

The first cohort of pupils who returned to school were children who attended special schools. Special schools were prioritised for the first stage of reopening, initially on a 50% capacity shared basis from 11 February. Children in special classes in mainstream primary and post-primary schools formed part of the next group who were prioritised for return to school on 22 February. Special schools reopened at full capacity on 1 March. Pupils with special educational needs who attended mainstream classes returned to schools in accordance with the next stages of the phased reopening, between March and April.

Recognising that remote learning can be especially challenging for students with complex special educational needs in mainstream education, my Department also put in place a supplementary education programme, which commenced in February, and which was designed to support the education and-or care needs of pupils with complex needs during the period of extended school closures and phased reopening. Under the supplementary education programme, provision was made for pupils to receive five hours per week of in-person teaching or care support for four weeks. My Department provided for a flexible approach to the use of these hours to maximise the number of students participating. To this end, hours could be used by families at any time before 30 April 2021, including during the Easter holidays. The Department also facilitated arrangements where school buildings were used for this programme once schools had fully reopened.

The programme was structured in similar way to my Department’s home-based summer programme. Parents engaged either a teacher or a special needs assessment in a private arrangement. When the programme is complete, parents return a payment claim form to my Department. The closing date for receipt of completed payment claim forms was 14 May 2021. To date, the Department has received approximately 13,800 payment claim forms, which demonstrated significant take-up of the programme. The schools, their management bodies and teacher representative organisations made significant efforts to ensure that children with special educational needs could return to school at the earliest possible stage. In doing so, they were also required to address the concerns of school staff about how school premises could reopen safely and operate in accordance with public health guidance. I express my appreciation to everyone who was involved in working to ensure that the return to in-school learning could take place in difficult and challenging circumstances. I recognise and appreciate the good faith of all concerned. We all shared the same of goal of ensuring that pupils could safely return to schools.

Overall, a package of nearly €650 million has been provided to support the reopening of schools. This includes funding for PPE, additional teaching posts, sanitiser, enhanced cleaning, and also funding so that schools could employ replacement teachers, SNAs and administrative staff. In addition to prioritising pupils with special educational needs to return to school, my Department has also provided for a range of measures to support such pupils while out of school. This included measures to support the provision of teaching support during the school closure period, the supplementary education scheme and, as I mentioned, an enhanced summer education programme which will take place this year.

Guidance was provided for schools which advised schools and teachers on how to support continuity of learning for pupils with special educational needs during the school closures associated with Covid-19. This guidance outlined how special education teachers in mainstream schools and teachers in special schools and special classes should make every effort to maintain regular contact with all of their pupils and, where appropriate, make provision for one-to-one online supports. Schools were also provided with funding for digital support and in the two tranches of funding, totalling €100 million in 2020, have been advised to prioritise supporting the purchase of devices for students who may not have access to devices for remote learning.

The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, provided a range of supports for parents and schools with dedicated phone lines to support teachers and parents. The National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, also provided supports for schools and pupils during the school closure period and developed a range of resources for pupils and parents to support the well-being of children and young people in line with the Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice 2018-2023. NEPS psychologists also developed advice and guidance documents for parents and students available to support the return to school, including advice on transition, coping and relaxation strategies, and managing stress and anxiety.

To further take account of the fact that children with special educational needs have been significantly affected by school closures, I am delighted to have secured an expanded summer education programme this year. The Government recently announced a package of supports to allow primary and post-primary schools to offer a summer programme for students with complex educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. The total funding available to provide summer programmes this year is up to €40 million, a 100% increase on the allocation for summer programmes in 2020. The programme was developed following extensive engagement with education stakeholders, parent and disability advocacy groups. The programme has a few aims. It aims to support pupils to maintain their connection with education, to build their confidence and increase their motivation and promote well-being. For those who are at key transition stages, it aims to help to ensure they continue their education journey in September, either in school, in further or higher education or in training. The programmes on offer this summer include a new two to three week summer programme available to all schools and an expansion of the existing programmes in special schools and classes and in DEIS schools.

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