Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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172. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the strategies he is putting in place for ensuring that educational disadvantage is not exacerbated during this time. [10184/20]

Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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My Department has put in place a number of measures to support children at risk of educational disadvantage at this time.

My Department has set up a Continuity of Learning Group and a series of guidance documents has been developed for schools. This guidance focuses on how schools can effectively support and engage with their students and address challenges in providing programmes of continued learning in the current context. The series of guidance notes includes advice on supporting pupils at risk of educational disadvantage and children with special needs. Guidance for parents to support their children’s learning has also issued. In a collaborative effort, the Department continues to work with management bodies and other partners to develop further support and advice which will be made available on an ongoing basis. The guidance documents are available here:

The need for at risk learners to have regular, ongoing schooling is particularly important. While all pupils need to be supported to maintain their engagement in learning, learners at risk of educational disadvantage need even more support at this time. The teachers of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage in both DEIS and non-DEIS schools have been particularly focussed on ensuring that they provide support to these students when schools have been closed. All schools and teachers, including teachers of students with special educational needs, have been asked to communicate regularly and engage with students to ensure that there is continuity in their learning. Schools have been asked to continue to plan lessons and, where possible, provide resources for students or online lessons where schools are equipped to do so. Schools have also been asked to be conscious of students who may not have access to online facilities or technology and to adapt approaches to ensure that these pupils’ ability to participate in learning is not compromised. Many schools have introduced a range of strategies and measures to ensure that the needs of these pupils are catered for, including pupils who have limited access to technology or whose parents are not in a position to support their learning.

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) emphasizes the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention for children and young people and is working with schools, families and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people. To date, the School Completion Programme (SCP) has ensured that school work, materials & resources, as well as games and activities have been delivered to those most directly impacted by the closure of schools, while continuing to maintain contact with target children, young people and families. TUSLA Education Support service has also arranged ongoing contact with students and families.

In addition to the above, my Department has taken a number of measures to date to support children and young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage during the period of school closures.

They include:

- Guidance and resources developed by the National Council for Special Education on supporting children with special educational needs

- Continuation of the School meals programme, funded through the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, to provide food parcels to children who are at risk of food poverty

- Continued funding of Home Tuition or, where this is not possible, flexibility to bank hours for use at a later time in the year

- Resources to support good mental health and wellbeing amongst students produced by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)

- €50m in ICT Grant funding has issued to all schools of which €10m is to assist schools to support continuity of learning for all students, including provision of devices to students to facilitate them engaging with remote learning

On Wednesday 6 May 2020, I announced the early payment of the €16million DEIS grant for the 2020/21 school year. The funding is being paid ahead of schedule to all schools in the DEIS programme to help support students who are most at risk of educational disadvantage during the Covid-19 school closures.

There are 890 schools with more than 180,000 students in the DEIS programme. The grants, normally paid in June and September, are worth €12m to the 692 primary schools and €4m to the 198 post-primary schools. Schools around the country are providing invaluable supports to young people in the most trying of circumstances. They will now be able to use this grant funding, if required, to support existing programmes to ensure continuity of learning, particularly for those most at risk.

In addition to the above I recently announced that a Summer Education Programme will take place for children with significant special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. Further engagement with the school sector will take place as proposals are finalised over the coming week.