Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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360. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider designating February 2021 as an official school holiday month and extend the academic year by a further month as a response to the current closure of schools due to Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5062/21]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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362. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the option to extend the school year has been considered as an alternative to the challenging efforts to deliver remote learning over an extended period of temporary closures; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5134/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 360 and 362 together.

My Department has provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to facilitate the continuity of learning for all pupils or students in a Covid-19 context. These are available atwww.gov.ie/backtoschool.

This involves all teachers including Special Education Teachers, providing remote teaching and learning to all pupils in their class or on their caseload. There are no plans to extend the school year at the present time.

My Department’s ongoing engagement with public health and the education partners is focussing on the safe return of all pupils and students to school at the earliest opportunity, especially for children with special educational needs and supporting the provision of remote learning at this time.