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

I welcome the opportunity to address Senators in the House. We are all aware of the challenges and difficulties faced by all sectors of society over recent months as we tackle the threat of Covid-19. Restrictions, although necessary, have not been easy and the burden has been particularly heavy on those who are most vulnerable. As Minister of State with responsibility for special education and inclusion, I am particularly focused on those young people with additional needs as well as those who support them.

At the start, it is important to acknowledge the challenges faced by these young people and their families at this time, as well as all the staff who support them. These students have been at the heart of our commitment to ensure in-person special education could continue in some form during the current restrictions for those who need it. This has been a clear priority for the Government.

We all know that distance learning does not work for all. This has also been proven by international evidence. Furthermore, we know that previous school closures have impacted many young people with special educational needs, causing regression and loss of key skills. Recent weeks have seen consistent engagement with our education partners, including teachers and special needs assistant, SNA, unions. Furthermore, intensive engagement continued following the initial pause which was requested by stakeholders. This built upon the significant collaboration which had taken place with stakeholders throughout this pandemic, including weekly meetings involving various educational stakeholders. Through discussions with primary and special educational stakeholders, it had been hoped that a shared objective to support children with special educational needs returning to in-school learning could have been reached.The Department listened closely to the issues raised by trade unions and school management bodies, which included requests for clear messaging around public health to be given directly to members by public health specialists, temporary arrangements during the current phase of reopening for high-risk staff and indeed those experiencing childcare difficulties. In response, the Department set out a proposal for how it would address these concerns. This included greater work flexibility and distance working for high-risk and pregnant teachers and special needs assistants. These temporary arrangements were only possible due to the significant reduction of children on-site under the proposed phased reopening.

A health education webinar that had significant attendance by front-line education staff was hosted by my Department at the request of unions and partners and was attended by the deputy chief medical officer, Dr. Ronan Glynn, and senior public health consultants, Dr. Abigail Collins and Dr. Kevin Kelleher. The purpose of this webinar was to provide clarity about prevailing public health advice and to answer questions from participants. It was reaffirmed that schools with risk mitigation measures in place provide a safe environment for staff and students. While the general advice, as we all know, is that people should stay at home, this does not apply to essential workers who provide an essential service for priority groups such as children with special needs. Teachers and SNAs are essential workers.

Our aim, as always, is to work collaboratively with our education partners. Their work is invaluable. Where there are concerns, we have always sought to provide assurances so that staff could have confidence to return to in-person learning. We provided guidance about how special schools can operate at 50% capacity to offer these schools a return to learning, knowing that the vast majority of these students cannot engage with remote learning. We provided guidance and flexibility for staff members who are at high risk from Covid-19 to ensure their safety. We put in place flexibility for schools to manage the situation and return to in-person learning over the coming days, and to organise and manage their staff in that context. This was part of an effort to prioritise in-school provision for just over 23,000 children with special educational needs.

This will hopefully be the first step in a wider return to school for all students. It was positive to be able to announce last Monday that agreement had been reached with all partners for students with special educational needs to return on a phased basis from this coming Thursday. The return of special schools on a 50% in-person basis is a first step in the wider return to school for students with special educational needs who have the greatest level of need. These is a commitment to begin in-person learning for students in primary school mainstream classes from 22 February. Discussions are ongoing with all partners about the next steps for students with additional needs at post-primary level and in mainstream primary schools.

As Minister of State, I meet regularly with parents and advocacy groups representing young people with additional needs. I know the importance of ensuring the continuation of education at this time, so I was delighted to announce that in addition to the phased full reopening of schools, a supplementary programme of in-person tuition or care for students with additional needs will be available in home settings. It can commence from 11 February and can be undertaken at any point up until the end of April. It is intended to facilitate five hours of home tuition or care per week for a four-week period. The purpose of the programme is to enhance the learning experience for these pupils and build on the learning taking place as part of the remote provision by the school. These hours supplement existing school provision provided remotely and therefore they will be delivered outside of the normal school day and-or at weekends, if necessary.

Parents will be able to bank the hours to be used at Easter if they are unable to utilise the hours during this period. As this will be a supplementary programme, participation by teachers and SNAs is voluntary. This is a unique programme which recognises the challenges faced by students with the greatest level of need and will help to support them as they make the transition back to the school setting. Eligibility is based on the expanded criteria of last year's in-home summer provision programme.In addition, the Department has been working closely with schools and providing guidance since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This guidance was first issued to schools in the spring of 2020 and was subsequently updated and agreed with stakeholders later last year to reflect the experience and feedback of staff and students. The guidance was reissued at the start of this year with the incorporation of these updates, which have now been brought together into one dedicated guidance document for schools and families supporting students with additional needs. Some of the themes in the special educational needs, SEN, guidance document are the role of schools and teachers in engaging with pupils with SEN, teachers and school leaders working to support pupils with SEN, keeping in touch with parents and guardians, keeping pupils with SEN safe in the distance learning environment and resources for teachers.

The guidance also provides information on the role of the class teacher, the special education teacher and SNAs. For special classes at primary level, the guidance makes clear that class teachers should phone parents three times per week and should have daily phone engagement with pupils. SNAs should have twice-daily engagement with parents to support them in developing and maintaining the child's schedule. For special classes at post-primary level, the guidance sets out that the SEN co-ordinators should be in daily contact with students in special classes so that programmes of work, individual timetables and structures are planned collaboratively with parents.

For students with SEN in mainstream classes, the guidance indicates that, at primary level, the special education teacher should be the nominated school liaison who engages with parents by phone twice per week. There are currently more than 13,550 special education teachers allocated to mainstream schools, supporting the additional learning needs of pupils. The teacher will also have prepared an at-home support plan. All of this is in addition to the support of the mainstream class teacher who provides for all pupils in his or her class. At post-primary level, the subject teacher will continue to have overall responsibility to differentiate tasks to match the learning needs of students with SEN. The output will be reviewed and regular feedback provided to parents at agreed times. SEN co-ordinators will also have regular communication and engagement with students on their caseload. SNAs will also engage with parents and students as a liaison between home and school as well as supporting delivery of the education of the students. Class teachers will also work with SEN co-ordinators and the pastoral care teams to support an integrated whole-school approach to students with SEN.

Detailed support and advice for schools regarding the delivery of distance learning is available through the Department's support services and agencies and this includes support and advice regarding those students with special educational needs. The Department also has a professional development service for teachers which provides extensive support and advice for teachers and schools on the provision of remote learning. Schools can also apply for the assistance of a professional development service teacher adviser for tailored school support in all subject areas at primary and post-primary levels. This includes support on the use of digital technologies to support remote learning. This leadership team is also available to support school leaders through direct school support, national programmes and localised networks.

The National Centre for Guidance in Education has developed a variety of resources including articles, recorded webinars and information notes about guidance counselling incorporating remote and online support. Guidance for parents is also available in a number of languages at gov.ieto support the continuity of learning during this period. Information and guidance on online safety is also available at www.webwise.ie. The Department of Education's portal, Scoilnet, of which Senators may have heard, contains some 21,000 curriculum-tagged resources which can be used by teachers, students and parents to support the continuity of learning in the remote environment. The Department's National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, has developed an updated series of resources and animated videos for parents and students during this period of school closures. These build on previous materials that proved popular with parents. The videos feature important updated well-being advice and guidance and include tips on how students can stay positive, active and connected and on how parents can support their children's daily routine.This is bearing in mind the fact that the ideal is in-person support, which is what we want to return to in due course for all children. Irish language and Irish Sign Language interpretation versions are also available and are posted on the Department's Twitter feed and on gov.ie.

There are also dedicated supports through the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. Schools that established their first autism spectrum disorder, ASD, special class in 2020-21 were assigned an NCSE link adviser during the four-day training course in September and October of 2020. These advisers remain assigned to these classes and are available to offer support and advice to the special class teacher. The NCSE is also providing support to parents and teachers through dedicated helplines. These telephone lines are operated daily and offer advice and contact with local special educational needs organisers, SENOs. The NCSE has developed a suite of short videos for teachers on how best to support children and young people with special educational needs when they are learning remotely. These videos include strategies and advice for engaging learners with distance learning as well as more general advice about protecting student well-being. The NCSE has a visiting teacher service, which provides direct support to children who are blind and visually impaired and deaf or hard of hearing, as well as their teachers. These teachers remain available to provide advice and support.

The Department's inspectorate has resolved to engage closely with schools catering for students with additional needs to ensure the supports are being provided effectively. The inspectorate confirms that all special schools have a plan in place for remote learning. Schools have distributed digital devices to parents. Daily contact with the parents and students forms part of its planning, mostly by telephone, email or on any dedicated school platform.

I understand the frustration and fears of parents and families with children with additional needs. They want their children to be in school with their teachers, SNAs and friends. They would be in their regular routine at school and be happier and healthier in a holistic way. I also understand the queries and concerns of our education staff. It is important to remember that we are all committed to the common goal of supporting young people with special educational needs in their education and development. Everybody on all sides of the education system is dedicated to their role and tireless in their duties. While all of society is facing challenges at present, this commitment and dedication should not be forgotten, for it is this that will ensure that solutions are found to support those who need it most. It is this single-minded focus that drives all of us.