Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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480. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills why reading programmes such as Reading Recovery and Edmark are promoted by her Department in place of science of reading approaches; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16716/25]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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502. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will respond to reports that the Reading Recovery Programme promoted by her Department has a weaker basis in evidence than science of reading-based approaches; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16969/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 480 and 502 together.

Tackling educational disadvantage and supporting students to fulfil their full potential in life is a key priority for me as Minister for Education, and for the Government. The DEIS programme is a key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. It provides a targeted range of supports and is additional to the universal supports provided to all schools, such as the introduction of free school books and free hot school meals.

Primary schools in the DEIS programme also have access to a range of literacy and numeracy supports such as Reading Recovery, Maths Recovery, First Steps and Ready Set Go Maths.

In relation to literacy, school leaders and teachers draw on a number of approaches to meet the needs of children in their school context. These can and do include research and approaches which align with ‘Science of Reading’ to address learning outcomes from the Primary Language Curriculum. However, for a small number of children, more intensive, more personalised support in literacy learning is required. Reading Recovery is designed for this purpose.

Reading Recovery is for a specific cohort of children, aged between 5 years 9 months and 6 years 6 months, who after one year of classroom instruction are experiencing significant literacy learning challenges. Reading Recovery is a highly effective, research and evidence-based, short-term (approx. 12 to 20 weeks) early intervention. Last year, in Ireland, 2,857 children took part in the intervention. Of this, 1824 were ‘successfully discontinued’ or ‘made progress’ by the end of the intervention. 845 programmes were recorded as ongoing, with 154 ceased and 34 children recorded as having left the school.

In line with the research advocated by ‘Science of Reading’, Reading Recovery incorporates the five core components of research-informed effective reading instruction - phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. In addition, Reading Recovery practices respond to the individual child, drawing on research on motivation and engagement, reciprocity between reading and writing within a meaningful, integrated context.

Reading Recovery is closely aligned with key national frameworks, including the Primary Curriculum Framework, Primary Language Curriculum, the Guidelines for Preparation for Teaching and Learning, and the principles outlined in the SEN guidelines. It reflects an inclusive, child-centered approach and ensures that the specific needs of each learner are met through responsive, data-informed teaching.

Reading Recovery practices are grounded in a comprehensive understanding of how young children learn to read and write and are supported by an international evidence base, including independent evaluation studies and meta-analyses. In Ireland, the intervention has consistently demonstrated success in accelerating children’s literacy progress. These outcomes have been evidenced in the Irish context over the last 25 years, with data reflecting this consistency.

The recent OECD Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland (2024) recognises that the DEIS supports such as Reading Recovery have helped in particular the lowest performing students, both in the short- and long-term. However, as the review also points out, more recent evidence on the programme is questioning the long-term validity of the intervention. As with all Department programmes this matter is subject to review in the light of new information available.

The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) has developed guidance documents for primary and post-primary schools on Supporting Students with Literacy Difficulties/Dyslexia using the Continuum of Support model. These are designed to equip schools with knowledge of approaches and strategies required to support students who experience difficulties with literacy, using a response to intervention approach, in all school contexts.