Written answers

Tuesday, 5 April 2022

Department of Education and Skills

School Funding

Photo of Martin BrowneMartin Browne (Tipperary, Sinn Fein)
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511. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if additional resources will be made available by her Department for schools that are facing a significant demand for translation services; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there is uncertainty in this regard among some schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18405/22]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department will be supporting schools by providing education resources for schools in Ukrainian which they can then provide to parents. It is not expected that schools will need to translate resources themselves.

Included among the wide array of resources is information in relation to free digital tools, including apps that can assist with text and voice translation. These resources are particularly useful in terms of making school website material, forms and documents accessible to all and for assisting with communication between schools and parents. Further information is available on the website of the Professional Development Service for Teachers: www.pdst.ie/sites/default/files/What%20free%20digital%20tools%20are%20available.pdf.

My Department has also established Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) to support the needs of children from Ukraine arriving in Ireland. These teams will be hosted by the 16 regional Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and will be staffed by existing regionally-based education support personnel working closely together to ensure good coordination and alignment of supports for children from Ukraine.

The REALT will support existing services and co-ordinate the following work areas:

- Align current school capacity with the placement of Ukrainian families, as much as possible.

- Identify additional capacity within their geographic areas to prepare for situations where demand may exceed available school capacity, and work with the Department and other organisations as necessary with a view to making this additional capacity available.

- Assist schools and families with accessing information on school places for children from Ukraine and young people who have moved into the area.

- Assist schools and families with accessing resources and supports for additional capacity, wellbeing, language and educational needs.

- Assist with work in the area of staff supply, including where required, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutors who would assist with the English language needs of Ukrainian children, young people and their parents / guardians.

- Liaison with other local co-ordinating structures that may be established to coordinate the delivery of public services for families from Ukraine, including Community Response Fora.Information for parents in Ukrainian and Russian on accessing school places is available on gov.ie/Ukraine.

My Department has also set up a helpline and email address for Principals of schools, details of which have been communicated directly to schools.

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