Written answers

Thursday, 15 September 2022

Department of Education and Skills

School Facilities

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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222. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide the details of the mechanism through which children from Ukraine and other minor residents of international protection can access education in the Dublin mid-west area; and the way that schools in the area can access the relevant coordinator. [45198/22]

Photo of Eoin Ó BroinEoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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223. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department is providing EAL teachers to schools in which Ukrainian and international protection students are in attendance; and if not; if this will be considered given the language barriers presented in some cases. [45199/22]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 222 and 223 together.

In Ireland, all migrant children, including children of international protection applicants, children of migrant workers and unaccompanied minors, can access primary and post-primary education in a manner similar to Irish nationals, until they have reached the age of 18 years.

It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. My Department is responsible for ensuring that sufficient school places are available. Where parents have a difficulty enrolling a child in a school, Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) can provide advice and support.

TESS works with the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) to ensure that children seeking international protection are enrolled in and attending school as soon as possible following their arrival. TESS supports families residing in IPAS pre-reception accommodation centres to secure school places for their children. TESS also works in conjunction with the Regional Education and Language teams (REALT), which have been set up as a specific response to support Ukrainian students given the volume of students requiring school places.

REALT was established by my Department to streamline the alignment of education focused supports for Ukrainian families arriving in Ireland. The primary role of the REALT is to assist children in finding school places and to support schools to meet the needs of these children as they emerge. The REALT will also advise and support the Department in developing new capacity where required, and to co-ordinate the provision of education services to children and families across their defined area. These teams act as a liaison, ensuring clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures in relation to Ukrainian arrivals. REALT Co-ordinators have been appointed in 16 regions funded by the Department and employed by the ETB.

Each ETB has assigned a person to the role of REALT co-ordinator. A designated phone line and e-mail address has been established for each REALT. All Principals have contact details for their local REALT co-ordinator, and contact details are also available on Gov.ie. at www.gov.ie/en/publication/48639-information-for-schools-ukraine/#regional-education-and-language-teams-realt

The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years. Further temporary Language Support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils that require language (EAL) support.

The staffing arrangements for primary and post primary schools for the 2022/23 school year are set out in Circular 0025/2022 (primary) and Circulars 0022/2022, 0023/2022 and 0024/2022 (post primary), and are available on the Department website. Furthermore, there are appeals process available to all schools, should they feel that their staffing allocation is not reflective of their needs.

In response to the sudden unprecedented scale of children fleeing Ukraine and arriving in our schools with a need for immediate English language supports my Department put in place a process to assist schools that needed immediate additional EAL allocations.

The level of supports provided to schools is dependent on the number of Ukrainian children and other children with English language needs enrolled in each school.

Details of supports can be found at his link

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