Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Temporary accommodation in schools may be rented or purchased and funded by the Department or by the school authority itself, with or without Department sanction. For that reason it is not possible to provide the Deputy with a complete picture in respect of all temporary accommodation at schools as requested.

As the Deputy will appreciate, within the context of a rapidly increasing school population combined with arriving Ukrainian children, my Department's priority is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place. In this regard, it is sometimes necessary to make use of temporary accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools.

The timing and duration of the accommodation need is also considered in determining the optimum accommodation solution – a short-term accommodation requirement does not require a long-term accommodation solution. For example, a school may require a temporary building in circumstances where a major school construction project is planned. Such temporary accommodation is removed when the major project concerned is completed. The length of time it is necessary to make use of temporary rented accommodation will vary from project to project.

There are over 1,300 school building projects within the current pipeline across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction - most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period 2021 to 2025. The progression and completion of these projects is and will make further inroads on the replacement of rented sites and buildings with knock-on savings on the rental budget. Good progress continues to be made with the rollout of projects, and the current status of projects being delivered is listed in tabular format, on a county by county basis, on the Department’s website at www.gov.ie and is updated regularly.

Many schools based in rented buildings and on rented sites are already part of the pipeline of projects under the school building programme and their longer-term accommodation will be addressed as part of these projects. Maximising the opportunities to achieve value for money involves matching, as best as possible, the accommodation requirement with the appropriate accommodation solution. This is relevant for all accommodation projects progressed by the Department.

The changing landscape in relation to enrolments including that of arriving Ukrainian children means that accommodation requirements can vary locally and regionally and between short, medium and long-term and this is a relevant factor considered by the Department in determining the type of accommodation solution to be put in place.

The attached table lists the number of primary and post primary schools with rental accommodation on site and the year the rental commenced.

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.

Where a board of management makes a decision to refuse admission, a parent/guardian can appeal that decision under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, and an independent appeals committee will be appointed to consider the appeal.

A section 29 appeal must be made no later than 63 calendar days from the date of the school’s decision to refuse admission.

Full details on the section 29 appeals process for refused enrolment are available on the Gov.ie website at the links below:

• www.gov.ie/en/publication/8248c-appeals-in-relation-to-refusal-to-admit-a-student-due-to-a-school-being-oversubscribed/
• www.gov.ie/en/publication/31c4f-appeals-in-relation-to-refusal-to-admit-a-student-for-a-reason-other-than-the-school-being-oversubscribed/

It is important to note if a student has been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, and a parent/guardian wishes to appeal the decision they must firstly make a written request to the school seeking a review of the board of management’s decision, within 21 calendar days from the date of refusal. If they have been refused admission for a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, they may, but are not required to, request a review by the board of management.

This Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a student, except in circumstances where an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 has been allowed and the appeals committee directs that the school admit the child concerned.

The Educational Welfare Services within Tusla Education Support Services (TESS) is the legal body which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school placement for their child.

Contact details for TESS are available at the following link www.tusla.ie/tess/get-in-touch/ or by email at tessinfo@tusla.ie.

The Department published Circulars 0024/2023 and 0031/2023 ongov.ie- Home Tuition (www.gov.ie) detailing the Home Tuition provisions for children without a school place.

If a parent is unsuccessful with a section 29 appeal they may be able to qualify for home tuition.

The Home Tuition Grant Scheme is available to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school.

Home tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not currently available and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has the responsibility to support a family when applying or home tuition if the child/young person is without a school placement.

Home tutors are engaged by the parents/guardian of the child who is to receive tuition and the tutor has no contractual relationship with the Department of Education.

It is a condition of the scheme that parents/legal guardians recruit a tutor who is qualified in the sector in which tuition is being provided, and is registered with the Teaching Council for the duration of the approved tuition. Where all efforts have failed to secure the services of a teacher qualified to teach in the sector concerned, the Department may consider the engagement of a person who is registered with the Teaching Council and has a primary degree (minimum Level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications) in a relevant area, e.g. Psychology.

As set out in Circular 0024/2023*, it is the responsibility of the parent/legal guardian to source a tutor at the earliest possible opportunity to allow for applications for registration/vetting to be made by the tutor to the Teaching Council, if necessary. This Department does not keep lists of tutors available to carry out home tuition, however to help parents source a home tutor for this scheme in their local area, the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) has created a Home Tuition Noticeboard for Parents to help them source a suitable candidates. This noticeboard is available on www.educationposts.ie. It may also be helpful to contact local schools in the first instance, or alternatively, the Department is aware that many parents use education provider websites to advertise for tutors or indeed place advertisements in local newspapers or on shop/community notice boards.

Application forms for the home tuition scheme for students who are temporarily without a school place, are without an offer of a school place and are actively seeking a school placement in a recognised school grant scheme are available from the local Educational Welfare Officer (EWO) or the appointed social worker. Educational Welfare Officers are available to assist parents with the application for home tuition, if needed.

If a parent/guardian is unsuccessful sourcing a tutor for home tuition they should contact Tusla Education Support Service (TESS).

Contact details for the EWO in each region can be obtained from Educational Welfare Service, Child and Family Agency, Floors 2-5, Brunel Building, Heuston South Quarter, Dublin 8, phone 01-7718633 or via their website at www.tusla.ie/get-in-touch/education-and-welfare/#EWO

Home schooling is administered by the Alternative Education Assessment and Registration Service (AEARS).