Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 April 2022
453. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education if there is a service or hotline operated by her Department for Ukrainian families or for those hosting Ukrainian families to assist with school places for children arriving into Ireland. [17485/22]
View answer454. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education if there is no service or hotline operated by her Department to assist with school places for children arriving into Ireland, if she will establish such a service to direct families to. [17486/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 453 and 454 together.
Families from Ukraine arriving in Ireland are provided with information on point of entry on children’s right to education and how to find a school place. Information is being kept up to date on www.gov.ie/Ukraine in English, Ukrainian and Russian. Children aged between 4 and 18 will be supported to access public primary or post-primary education.
Guidance has issued to schools on supporting students from Ukraine that enquire about enrolling. Where children of school-going age have arrived and require access to the school system, schools that have capacity locally will welcome those children in the usual way. The information provided to schools informed them on how to respond if they don’t have capacity in their school, so that we can make accessing a school as easy as possible for these families.
My Department has set up a helpline and email address for Principals of schools where there is additional demand for places, details of which have been communicated to schools.
My Department has also established Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) to support the needs of children from Ukraine arriving in Ireland. These teams will be hosted by the 16 regional Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and will be staffed by existing regionally-based education support personnel working closely together to ensure good coordination and alignment of supports for children from Ukraine.
The REALT will support existing services and co-ordinate the following work areas:
- Align current school capacity with the placement of Ukrainian families, as much as possible.
- Identify additional capacity within their geographic areas to prepare for situations where demand may exceed available school capacity, and work with the Department and other organisations as necessary with a view to making this additional capacity available.
- Assist schools and families with accessing information on school places for children from Ukraine who have moved into the area.
- Assist schools and families with accessing resources and supports for additional capacity, wellbeing, language and educational needs.
- Assist with work in the area of staff supply, including where required, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) tutors who would assist with the English language needs of Ukrainian children, young people and their parents/guardians.
- Liaison with other local co-ordinating structures that may be established to coordinate the delivery of public services for families from Ukraine, including Community Response Fora.
