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Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 December 2021

Wednesday, 8 December 2021

Questions (76, 77, 78, 79, 80)

Thomas Gould

Question:

76. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education the average teaching hours received per eligible child under the Covid learning and supports scheme. [60698/21]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

77. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education the number of teaching hours and amount of funding already allocated and drawn down under the Covid learning and supports scheme. [60699/21]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

78. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education the way schools assessed students as eligible for the Covid learning and supports scheme. [60700/21]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

79. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education if all students in schools under the DEIS model qualified for the Covid learning and supports scheme. [60701/21]

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Thomas Gould

Question:

80. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education the number of students in County Cork deemed eligible for the Covid learning and supports scheme. [60702/21]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 to 80, inclusive, together.

The COVID Learning and Support Scheme (CLASS) has been put in place for the 2021/22 school year to help schools mitigate the adverse impacts of Covid-19 on pupil/student learning loss and wellbeing arising from the periods of school closures in 2020 and 2021.

Under the programme, a block of additional teaching hours has been provided to each recognised school, from which schools can provide additional teaching support for the pupils/students who have experienced difficulties in settling back into school and engaging with learning.

These extra teaching hours for the 2021/22 school year are additional to 13,600 special education teachers who support the additional learning needs of pupils in mainstream primary and post primary schools.

They are also additional to:

- A supplementary education programme which provided additional teaching hours for pupils/students with SEN during the period of school closures in 2021 in which over 14,000 pupils/students participated

- The roll-out of a significantly enhanced Summer Programme for summer 2020 and 2021.

- The early provision of Information Communication Technology (ICT) funding to schools, to support the provision of devices to students and families, where needed.

Under CLASS, provision is being made for up to €52 Million in extra teaching hours for schools.

This is in addition to the €40 Million already allocated for this year’s enhanced summer education programme. €10 Million has also been spent this year on the Supplementary Education scheme, which provided extra teaching support for pupils with complex special educational needs.

When combined with the additional provision now being made for CLASS, this will bring the total package of support for enhanced educational programmes this year to €102.6 Million.

The allocations under CLASS have been provided to each school on a graduated and proportionate basis, based on school size, using the 2020/21 school enrolments data, as published on the Primary and Post Primary Online Databases (PPOD). Enhanced allocations have been provided for special schools and schools which are in the disadvantaged (DEIS) scheme. The hours were available to schools from October of this year and can be used throughout the 2021/22 school year.

Full detail of the programme is set out in my Department’s Circular 045/2021 which is available at www.gov.ie/en/circular/aec0a-covid-learning-and-support-scheme/

Pupils in Cork who require additional teaching time in schools are eligible to receive support under the CLASS programme.

Pupils who attend DEIS schools are also eligible to receive support under the CLASS scheme.

Circular 0045/2021 notes that the allocation of CLASS hours is a whole school provision and that schools may target the support to whichever pupils most need it.

Guidance has been provided to help schools on how to identify pupil who need additional supports. The guidance also advises schools in relation to how the additional teaching hours should be best used and as to how schools should identify and prioritise pupils for support.

This guidance is available at:

Covid-19 Learning and Support Scheme (CLASS) Guidance for Primary and Special Schools: www.gov.ie/en/publication/0b4a7-covid-19-learning-and-support-scheme-class-guidance-for-primary-and-special-schools/

Covid-19 Learning and Support Scheme (CLASS) Guidance for Post Primary Schools: www.gov.ie/en/publication/31e9f-covid-19-learning-and-support-scheme-class-guidance-for-post-primary-schools/

The amount of teaching time provided per child under the CLASS scheme is a matter for each school. There is therefore not an average amount of teaching time provided under this programme, by schools, per pupil. Rather schools allocate the most support to the pupils who have the greatest level of need.

Because schools may draw down CLASS hours at any time over the 2021/22 school year, details of the total number of hours drawn down under this scheme, and total expenditure under this scheme, will therefore not be known until the school year has concluded.

Question No. 77 answered with Question No. 76.
Question No. 78 answered with Question No. 76.
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