James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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49. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline the provision of additional resources for primary and secondary schools that have taken on additional students as a consequence of large IPAS accommodation centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23917/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality, and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential. We recognise schools' engagement, collaboration, and support in accommodating children of international protection (IP) applicants.

All migrant children, including children of international protection (IP) applicants, children of migrant workers, unaccompanied minors and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTPs) can access primary and post-primary education in a manner similar to Irish nationals, until they have reached 18 years of age. Over 4,200 children in IPAS settings are currently attending schools in Ireland.

REALT

The primary role of REALT (Regional Education and Language Teams) is to assist in allocating children to school places and to support schools in meeting the needs of children as they arise.

BOTP and IP applicant families may enrol their children in schools in line with usual practice although the REALT are available to assist these families where difficulties arise.

English Language Provision

The allocation of specialist resources to schools takes account of the needs of pupils in the school including, where appropriate, English as an Additional Language (EAL) needs.

My Department has, as of 17 May 2024, allocated an additional 1,482 EAL (English as an Additional Language) posts to support primary and post-primary schools in respect of the 2023/24 school year; 1,043 in primary schools and 439 in post-primary schools.

Special Educational Needs

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is available to support schools that have children of IP applicants with additional or special educational needs.

My Department introduced a scheme in August 2022 to support Ukrainian children and children of IP applicants. Schools are allocated additional temporary Special Education Teaching hours and Special Needs Assistants where they enrol pupils from IPAS accommodation centres.

Schools where 10 or more such students are enrolled are eligible for additional Special Education Teacher (SET) resources. Schools are also eligible for additional SNA resources where 15 or more such students are enrolled, to a maximum of 25 teaching hours per week and a maximum of 3 SNAs on a temporary basis.

These allocations are reviewed on a term-by-term basis and resources provided are re-allocated if the pupils change school locations. To date, 240 special education teachers and 298 SNAs have been allocated to schools in relation to the additional Ukrainian and IP applicant enrolments.

Resources in schools

My Department published, at the beginning of this school year, guidance for Educational Provision for Children from Ukraine, International Protection Applicants and Children with Recognised Status. The guidance is available on gov.ie: www.gov.ie/en/publication/48639-information-for-schools-ukraine/#guidance-for-schools

A central repository of information and CPD resources for school leaders and teachers to support cultural and linguistic diversity is on the Scoilnet.ie website. These supports include EAL, intercultural and relevant curriculum supports developed by the teacher education supports services including Oide, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the ETB sector.

Resources have been published by the NCCA to support learners with English as an additional language (EAL) across early childhood, primary and post-primary settings;

NEPS has developed support materials and teacher professional learning courses for teachers supporting new arrivals. Training entitled Embracing Diversity and a webinar called Welcome to Our Schools are available through the education centre network.

School Transport

My Department, in consultation with Bus Éireann, has put in place a process to facilitate the provision of School Transport Scheme Services for children of IP applicants arriving to Ireland. Given the ongoing movement and arrival of families, it may, in some cases, take some time to arrange such services. However, every effort is being made to ensure school transport services are up and running as they are required.

DEIS

The DEIS identification model includes a component to reflect the level of educational disadvantage experienced by students who reside in International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) centres or Emergency Reception and Orientation Centres (EROC).

I recognise the need to target resources to those schools that need them most. To this end, my Department is undertaking a programme of work to explore the allocation of resources to all schools to address educational disadvantage. The OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies project has been invited to review the current approach, to provide an independent expert opinion on the current resource allocation model for the DEIS programme, and to inform a policy approach for an equitable distribution of supplementary resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage attending all schools. The OECD are scheduled to finalise their report at the end of June 2024.