I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 and 290 together.
On the 1 May 2020, the Taoiseach announced as part of the "Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business" that schools will commence opening on a phased basis at the beginning of the 2020/2021 academic year.
My Department is engaging and working with the education partners and relevant stakeholders on planning arrangements for the re-opening of schools in accordance with the timeframe outlined in the roadmap and all decisions on how schools are to safely re-open and operate will be consistent with public health advice.
As part of this engagement, each of the education partners were given the opportunity to outline the key issues that they would like to have considered in the context of re-opening schools. The issues raised by the education partners include those referred to by the Deputy in his question. These will now be worked through in detail as part of the development of the roadmap for re-opening schools.
My Department has taken a number of initiatives to support children and young people who are at risk of educational disadvantage during the period of school closures. This includes €10m in ICT grant funding to schools towards the purchase of technology and devices to support students at risk of educational disadvantage.
Guidance will issue to schools on the logistical and curricular arrangements to be put in place to facilitate the phased re-opening of schools. This guidance will provide a framework for individual schools to develop plans for the re-opening of school in accordance with their own circumstances and context and the needs of their staff and students.
