Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge first of all the great work that our schools, students, school leaders and staff have done in welcoming Ukrainian children and young people into their communities over the past two months, and the wider society also. I have visited many schools across the length and breadth of the country and I have seen at first hand the professionalism, the care, the welcome and the efforts that have been made to provide a happy and inclusive atmosphere for Ukrainian families. The Department is working to support education provision for arriving children with immediate education needs.  Utilisation of each school’s existing capacity is the most flexible way possible to do that. There is generally good capacity across the country, albeit there are capacity pressures in some areas greater than in others.

Many resources for teaching, learning and inclusion of Ukrainian pupils have been published to date, including a central repository of information and continuing professional development resources for school leaders and teachers to support cultural and linguistic diversity, which is available at www.scoilnet.ie. The supports include those designed by the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, to help children suffering from trauma. NEPS psychologists are available on the ground to consult schools and provide support as needed. A helpline for school principals is also in place. Schools that have enrolled students from Ukraine can apply, and have successfully applied, for additional English as an additional language support and hundreds of schools are already receiving this support.

As the Deputy may be aware, we have set up regional education and language teams, known as REALT, to help to ensure good co-ordination and alignment of supports for Ukrainian children arriving in Ireland.  REALT services are hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards and are staffed by existing regionally-based education support personnel. The primary role of REALT is to build on existing regional education support structures. The initial focus is on assisting families in securing school places when they are ready to engage with the school system. REALT will also support schools in the area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, to advise and support my Department in developing new capacity where required, and to co-ordinate the provision of education services to schools and families across their defined area.

Overall, it is estimated that approximately 25,000 school places at primary level are available, along with some 20,000 places at secondary level. These teams will ensure that clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures.

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