Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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116. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when her Department will respond to Donegal ETB in relation to funding the ferry cost for Ukrainian students enrolled in a school (details supplied). [58314/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.

My Department and Bus Éireann will continue to provide School Transport Scheme services for children arriving to Ireland from Ukraine. Full information on the process is available on Gov.ie/Ukraine.

Children who for the first time require School Transport for the 2022/2023 school year will need to apply in line with this process. Due to the ongoing situation with accommodation, where there has been, and may continue to be, significant movement of families, all children need to reapply for a transport service for the 2022/2023 school year.

Applications for school transport for people residing in accommodation centres are submitted by REALT co-ordinators to School Transport Section of the Department of Education, which in turn liaise with Bus Éireann in order to provide school transport services as required.

Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) are hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards around Ireland and staffed by regionally based education support personnel. The primary role of the REALT is to build on existing regional education support structures and the initial focus will be on assisting families in securing school places. REALT will also support schools in the area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, to advise and support the Department of Education in developing new capacity where required, and to co-ordinate the provision of education services to schools and families across their defined area.

School Transport Section in the Department sanctioned transport for the pupils referred to by the Deputy. Bus Éireann have confirmed that transport has been arranged and that transport is available to be provided to the ferry port referred to by the Deputy.

Funding for ferry transport to the Islands is outside the remit of the School Transport Scheme and is a matter for the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.

Officials in my Department liaise regularly with the local REALT coordinator in relation to this and other matters.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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117. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will make translators and interpreters available to schools, who have received targeted training in advance to include translating challenging and sensitive conversations in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. [58315/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Information has been provided to schools on cultural and linguistic supports available to support communication with families arriving from Ukraine.

The Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), Post Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) and a range of support services have come together to develop a dedicated space on scoilnet.ie for schools and teachers to access a wide range of cultural and linguistic supports. This is a very useful central repository of supports and resources for teachers and schools which includes:

- A range of Diversity and Inclusion guidelines;

- Teaching and Learning Resources and

- Access to PDST supports.

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 forms accessible to all and for assisting with communication between schools and parents.

Information on free digital apps is available via the new dedicated scoilnet webpages and at www.pdst.ie/sites/default/files/What%20free%20digital%20tools%20are%20available.pdf

A short guidance video prepared by PDST on how to use the Microsoft Translator app is available at the following link www.youtube.com/watch?v=og5WbqV0RlM

Language mats in Ukrainian and Russian are now available for schools to access in digital format through the scoilnet webpage or the PPLI website languagesconnect.ie/language-mats/

They provide commonly used classroom language in Ukrainian and Russian.

Furthermore, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has published:

- Guidance on supporting all children who may be experiencing distress in relation to current events – Supporting Children and Young People in a time of war.

- Revised Guidance for primary and post-primary schools in relation to supporting the wellbeing of children/young people from Ukraine at this time. This includes support for students with special educational needs

- Guidance for Parents and Carers from Ukraine on Supporting the Wellbeing of their Children

- A model of Psychological First Aid (PFA) to help teachers support students. The document is called Look, Listen & Link.

- NEPS has delivered a series of wellbeing webinars via the Education Support Centres of Ireland, to further support schools. They will develop further advice and resources as needs emerge.

- NEPS psychologists are actively engaging with school principals to provide advice and support.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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118. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the National Educational Psychological Service will be expanded to include therapeutic including trauma support for schools on site to enable them to support displaced Ukrainian students and for existing students in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. [58316/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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NENEPS has led on the overall approach to supporting the wellbeing of children and young people from Ukraine enrolling in schools in Ireland, taking a psychosocial approach, in line with international research and best practice. A psychosocial approach means that children/young people and their families need to be given time to adapt and adjust to their new environment, new home, new school, and to be given access to practical supports, clear information and assistance to settle in and make friends. The Hobfoll Principles are key evidence-based principles known to help people regain a sense of normalcy and wellbeing in the aftermath of emergencies/traumatic events.

NEPS has developed a number of resources to support the wellbeing of children and young people from Ukraine including.

- Supporting the Wellbeing of Children from Ukraine in your School

- Supporting Children and Young People in a time of War

- Guidance for Parents and Carers from Ukraine on Supporting the Wellbeing of their Children

- The response to stress: a guide for post-primary staff

- Normalising thoughts, feelings and behaviours: a guide for post-primary staff

- Managing stress and anxiety: a guide for post-primary staff

- Look, Listen & Link - A model of Psychological First Aid (PFA) to help teachers support students

NEPS in collaboration with Education Support Centres Ireland (ESCI) delivered Primary and Post primary webinars on Welcoming Children to Our Schools.

NEPS works closely with the HSE and its agencies to ensure those who may require the provision of therapy or counselling are referred on to the appropriate clinical services for intervention and support.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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119. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department will establish a digital support fund in order that Ukrainian students can complete their exams as per the Ukrainian curriculum; and if these students will be provided with adequate broadband connection and appropriate digital devices such as laptops or iPads in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis. [58317/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The funding provision under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2027 has issued in full for the first tranche of ICT grant in December 2021.

As with funding under the previous strategy, the funding issued directly to schools as schools are best placed to identify the requirements of their own student cohort and to meet those requirements in the most appropriate way. It is a decision for the Board of Management of each school to determine how the ICT grant monies is spent, in line with the ICT circular that issued for the grant. Details of this ICT grant funding can be found at gov.ie - Grant Scheme for ICT Infrastructure – 2021/2022 School Year (www.gov.ie)

The first tranche totalling €50m, which has already issued is part of the total amount of investment of some €200m, under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2027. Subject to the available exchequer funding, the remaining amount of some €150m will issue over the lifetime of the Digital Strategy for Schools 2027, on an annual basis similar to the previous ICT funding under the Digital Strategy 2015 – 2020.

In the context of the current situation in Ukraine, and Ireland’s humanitarian response to the crisis in taking in refugees, this funding can also be used by schools to support the needs of Ukrainian children arriving in Ireland through access to digital technology infrastructure. This can include loaning devices to Ukrainian children enrolled in the school if needed, as well as providing appropriate software, app and tools to support their learning.

However subject to available exchequer funding, the next planned ICT Grant funding will issue to schools in due course for the 2022/23 school year.

The delivery of high-quality internet connectivity for all schools is a key objective of my Department. It is accepted that good connectivity is essential to ensure that schools are facilitated to progress the embedding of digital technologies in teaching and learning and for the implementation of new and revised curriculum.

My Department operates the Schools Broadband Programme at an annual cost of some €13m, providing connectivity to schools through a range of technologies at the best level of connectivity available based on local infrastructure. In relation to broadband for students, my Department does not have a role in the provision of residential broadband infrastructure. Provision for such services fall to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications and this is being addressed through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan Intervention Area. My officials have an ongoing engagement with that Department on issues relating to broadband services for schools.

Schools are encouraged where possible to support students who wish to continue to engage with the Ukrainian curriculum online while at the same time providing opportunities to integrate with the school community.