Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 February 2024
257. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the number of primary and second level aged students that avail of home tuition in lieu of being offered a school place on a county-by-county basis. [7452/24]
View answerThe Home Tuition Grant Scheme is available to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school.
Home tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not currently available, for a variety of reasons. It is a short term measure, and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement. Aspects of the scheme differ, depending on the reason for the application.
The Department of Education operates three categories of home tuition:
1. Home tuition for children with special educational needs and on medical grounds. Further detail is available on gov - Home Tuition (www.gov.ie).
2. Maternity-related absences gov - Home Tuition (www.gov.ie).
3. Reasons other than special educational needs and medical grounds
a. Strand 1 offers a temporary educational measure for a child who is temporarily without a school place, or without the offer of a school place and who is a actively seeking a place in a school recognised by the department. No School Place (NSP) Home Tuition Scheme provides interim provision for children without a school place, without the offer of a school place and for whom a place is being actively sought. Provision of tuition under this scheme is for a maximum of 9 hours per week for a period of 12 weeks or until the end of the school year or until the child in question receives an offer of a school place, whichever occurs first.
b. Strand 2 of this scheme is for children in care, who are without a school place due to emergency placement or placement disruption. The CIC Home Tuition Grant Scheme provides tuition for a maximum of 6 weeks for Children in Care for a maximum of 9 hours per week who are without a school place due to emergency placement or placement disruption. The maximum number of weeks of Home Tuition funding available under this scheme in any school year is 6 weeks. If, following 6 weeks the child is still without a school place, an application for the Department’s NSP Home Tuition Grant Scheme may then be made.
Home tuition is not an alternative to a school placement and is provided in very limited and specific circumstances. By its nature, it is intended to be a short term intervention. There are a variety of reasons why a child may be without a school place such as children moving school mid-year, family relocating, expulsion, children receiving a place further away than they can travel to and the Home Tuition Scheme as a short-term solution until a transport solution is put in place.
Currently 76 pupils (10 Primary and 66 Post Primary) are availing of Home Tuition Strand 1 and Strand 2.
• Primary – 2 Limerick, 3 Galway, 1 Meath, 1 Kildare, 3 Dublin
• Post Primary – 5 Cork, 1 Donegal, 17 Dublin, 9 Galway, 2 Kerry, 10 Kildare, 4 Limerick, 1 Mayo, 1 Meath, 1 Offaly, 5 Roscommon, 5 Tipperary, 1 Waterford, 2 Westmeath, 2 Wicklow.
The Educational Welfare Service is part of Tusla Education Support Service and operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. The Educational Welfare Service can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school placement for their child. Solutions will continue to be advanced to ensure that home tuition, where required for reasons of not immediately having a school place, remains a short term intervention. Home tuition is not an alternative to a school placement. Application forms for the home tuition scheme for students who are temporarily without a school place, are without an offer of a school place and are actively seeking a school placement in a recognised school grant scheme are available from the local educational welfare officer (EWO) or the appointed social worker. The Educational Welfare Service can assist a family when applying for home tuition if the child/young person is without a school placement. Home tutors are engaged by the parents/guardian of the child who is to receive tuition and the tutor has no contractual relationship with the Department of Education.
