Helen McEntee
Meath East · Fine Gael · Ireland
“There are no new missions, so there is only so much we can partake in. In regard to UN requests over the past ten years, in September 2019, we had 14 Defence Forces personnel deployed to a UN mission in Mali as part of a joint operation with the German armed forces.”
“I thank the Deputy for his continued engagement on this matter. It is appreciated and I reaffirm our shared commitment to truth and justice, not least for Private Rooney, but in particular for his family.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I know he is committed to this issue; I am too. I have in recent months spent some time travelling to different barracks and Army bases and meeting with personnel. What I see all over the country is their professionalism, dedication and commitment.”
“I disagree that people are being pushed into the courts. The situation is exactly the opposite. I have said in the Chamber many times since I started taking these questions that the State Claims Agency is there and wants to mediate and work directly with people in order that cases do not go directly to the courts.”
“We are all committed to strengthening recruitment to and supporting retention in the Permanent Defence Force. The military authorities have advised that the strength of the Permanent Defence Force stood at 7,823 personnel on 31 May, the most recent date for which we have a figure available.”
“It is the case that no mission is the same, so it is also a matter for the Defence Forces to assess and scope out the mission and then to decide whether it is a mission we can partake in. A question keeps being asked about what it is we would not be able to be a part of if we were to keep the triple lock.”
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“That was part of the HAA card and it is very much in line with what would have been received by other survivors, be it those in the Magdalen laundries, the mother and baby homes or other redress schemes. The HAA card was very specific because of the known medical needs. That is why this particular provision has been put in place. In terms of the educational supports, I reassure Members that there was no bar or level. It is everything from level 1 to level 10 and is whatever somebody wants to engage in. I want to be very clear that it does not have to be a master’s or postgraduate qualification, or anything like that. It is any level of education that people want to engage in. It is not just the grant from €500 to €2,000 that they can apply for, but also the removal of the fees and all of the other applications.”
“With regard to the HAA card, people will receive a medical card and, beyond that, there are further supports, many of which are included in the HAA card, such as chiropody and podiatry, physiotherapy, counselling services, home support, home nursing services and complementary therapies. All of these will be included in this package, as they are included in the HAA. The biggest difference in the HAA was specifically related to getting priority appointments where people had references from a consultant hepatologist, given the specific requirements and needs of the individuals who received that card and other payments. There is a significant amount in what is being provided here.”
“We know very well that a further investigation will be taking place soon, specifically looking at schools, and we know from the O’Toole report last year exactly what that entails. This is not to try to exclude anybody but it is very specific to those who have already been identified. Of course, insofar as is possible, I want to make sure that people can access these supports as quickly as possible while not rushing something for the sake of it. I am not here to say that we have to get it done so people can have access to it. We want to make sure that it is right.”
“I thank the Senators for their contributions. What we are dealing with here is very specific to individuals who have been identified as residents and who have been part of the previous schemes culminating from the Ryan report. I appreciate there are various different abuses that have happened in different institutions in different elements of the State. What I have to deal with specifically today are those who have, as far back as the early 2000s, been part of that redress scheme. Caranua was then established to provide further support. To speak to the point made by Senator Boyhan and others, what we are doing here is winding down that institution so these supports can be provided. Those are the parameters I have to work with in this Bill. That is not to say what will happen in the future.”
“It is about making sure that the existing supports remain and the resources are available to survivors. If we need to make changes, for example, to the role of the advocate or anything else, we are always open to doing that. We will review the supports and make sure that they are in place and working for those who need them most. I do not object to the amendment itself, what I am saying is that it is already in the legislation. I believe that is covered. We are putting it on a statutory footing. The most important point is that people can access the service and do so as quickly as possible.”
“We are putting it into the legislation to make sure that is the case. That is absolutely the right thing to do. We need to make sure we have the qualified professionals who have expertise and experience in dealing with trauma to deal with these types of situations. That training is ongoing. We need to improve it and make sure we have those supports as much as possible. Any change to the advocacy system would have to be through the Minister for children. It has not been suggested to me that the role is going to change, disappear or be removed. The role is there. As Senator Boyhan says, the first annual report is with the Minister now and I have no doubt she will publish it. I have no reason to believe she will not but, again, I will engage with her on that.”
“My intention with this Bill is to pass it so that survivors can benefit from what is in it. I appreciate that there is a difference of opinion on how far it goes. My absolute intention is to make sure they get access, not that people are refused or that anybody has to go to court. That is the last thing anybody wants, nor should it ever happen. I appreciate that sometimes it does but it should never happen. We should be putting in place these supports. Amendment No. 6 refers to professional support. We will not put a figure on this. The Senator is right that we cannot put a figure on truth. We should not be putting a figure on a lot of things. This is saying that every survivor will be statutorily entitled to this support. If the HSE decides it wants to reduce funding, there is a statutory right here so we must provide it.”
“Over the last 18 months in particular, it has enhanced its expertise, staff and outreach when it comes to supporting and providing advocacy for victims of sexual abuse and victims of abuse in institutions, schools and other areas. It is about how we would make sure that any advocate's role supports and works in collaboration with what is already there. I am absolutely committed to working with my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality in that regard and relaying our discussion to her in terms of the advocate. I acknowledge the work the Minister has done and also the work Sage is doing. I am sure there is more we can do and am happy to support them in that regard.”
“It is already in the Bill that we provide these supports. If I could speak to Senator Boyhan's point, I know the amendment was ruled out of order. As the Senator said, the special advocate is appointed through the Department of children so any changes to the structure or the statute itself would have to be made through that Department. However, we do not work in a vacuum. We work collectively together. I will commit to engaging with my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Foley, on the points the Senator raised to see whether there is more we need to do in terms of the special advocate and resources, and to see how that fits with the work of Sage Advocacy.”
“I know from my previous role as Minister for Justice, particularly in the roll-out of the zero tolerance strategy around domestic and sexual violence, one of the key elements of that strategy is training, upskilling and making sure we have as many therapists and professionals as possible who are up to skill and have the prerequisites when it comes to delivering these services and supports. There is more work that we need to do to make sure we have as many of those professionals as possible. That is a whole-of-government strategy which is being progressed by the HSE and the Department of Health. It is on that basis that I cannot accept the amendment. The supports are there and what we are doing in the Bill is putting them on a statutory footing. It is not that we are not accepting what is in it.”
“By putting it specifically in the Bill, it means there is a statutory right. If for whatever reason the HSE says it does not have the money or the funding is reducing, this Bill clearly states that funding must be provided because there is a statutory right to any victim of abuse set out in the institutions that are mentioned, that they would receive that counselling and support. In terms of expertise and knowledge, the HSE is required to ensure that any person working for it has expertise and experience and is qualified working with various types of trauma.”
“I should have started by acknowledging those in the Public Gallery. I thank them for being here. To speak to amendment No. 6, what is being asked here is that there would be professional support provided for victims and survivors. Counselling supports are currently provided through a scheme that was established back in 2000 following the Taoiseach's apology in 1999. It is provided through the national counselling service through the HSE. From the very outset, this has been made available to all adults in Ireland who experienced childhood physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect in any setting. That includes industrial but also community or familial settings. Those who have experienced abuse are prioritised through that system. Senators might ask why we are putting it in this Bill if it is here already.”
“Amendment No. 2 is a technical amendment, the purpose of which is to amend section 3 to reflect the recent change of the official title of the Minister from the “Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform” to the “Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation”. Unfortunately, when this Bill was in the Dáil, the title had not officially changed. It has since happened. This amendment, therefore, is just to correct that in the Bill itself.”
“It is so important for planning and making sure that places are open come September that those designations happen earlier and that schools approve and agree earlier. That will happen next year. For children entering school this September, where their classes are not in situ yet and those need to be modular, arrangements are being made with the schools to make sure that children are being brought in and are part of the school community, with transitioning mechanisms in place. Alternatively, in some instances where children are only four years of age, they may spend another year in a preschool. Where they want to be in school, those transitionary arrangements are being put in place.”
“It is important to outline that as of the end of April, 399 new classes and one class that has been given a legal direction to open, comprising a total of 400 new special classes, are being opened, coupled with places that have become available due to natural movement, meaning 3,900 new spaces are available. What I expect as Minister and what is happening now is that all of those places are being designated. Those young children and people who are known to the National Council for Special Education are being provided with places. The situation is not where we want it to be. This time next year, I hope we will be in a position to say that every child will know exactly where he or she is going. A huge number of children have been allocated places. They know where they are going. That process is continuing throughout the summer.”
“I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I join him in acknowledging the unbelievable contribution that both secretaries and caretakers play in our school community and thank them for the work they do. Obviously in recent years, progress was made through the WRC and engagement with the secretaries to change the rate of pay and the way in which they were paid. Work is under way to follow through on that and put in place a similar structure for our caretakers. Any future requests, particularly relating to pensions, will have to be agreed across the Government - not just in my Department, but in the Department of public expenditure and reform. We will need to engage on that as a Government when making any future decisions, and not just as it affects secretaries. That engagement is happening.”
“I have a capital budget of €1.6 billion this year and I am currently working with the Minister for public expenditure to, I hope, increase it for the lifetime of the next NDP, which will be from 2026 to 2030. On top of that, I reaffirm my commitment and that of the Government to continuing to increase the capitation grant so that the day-to-day supports are provided for schools. I will make sure we have minor works, summer works and emergency works, are planning ahead as best we can for the future and are investing in those building blocks for young people. I thank the House for the invitation and look forward to hearing colleagues' contributions.”
“Thirty years ago, a convention on education was held by one of my many predecessors. It set out the direction in which education would go for the following 30 years and how we would develop many of the agencies and building blocks that created the education system we now have. Later this year, I will announce a new education convention, which will bring together all stakeholders and look at what education needs to be like in the next five, ten and, importantly, 20 years. It takes time for all of these changes to take place. I look forward to working with colleagues in that regard. It would be hard not to mention the fact we need to continue to invest in the education system, not just in the teachers, curriculum and young people, but in the building blocks and infrastructure.”
“I will turn to well-being, including the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, and Bí Cineálta, which was introduced by my predecessor, the Minster, Deputy Foley. We will continue to implement the actions contained in Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying. Like many colleagues, I have been raising flags in schools where they were putting in place their Bí Cineálta overall strategies. This is essentially a strategy that focuses on how we can support one another, look out for one another, prevent bullying in our schools and be kind. It is as it says on the tin. It is an important strategy, being implemented and taught in our schools from the earliest possible stage. We teach understanding, acceptance and inclusion from the early stages. It is important that we plan for the future.”
“There are now 78,000 qualified teachers employed in Ireland with more than 35,000 in post-primary schools, the largest number in the history of the State. However, I understand there are still challenges in certain areas, especially in post-primary education and for certain subjects. While I made a number of announcements in recent months, in particular that teachers could get a permanent position after one year as opposed to two years, I am currently working on other measures we can take to make sure it is simple for teachers to do their jobs and to be registered when they have worked abroad. I am also making sure we support those who teach subjects where we know there are challenges at post-primary level or in the Gaeltacht areas, Gaelcholáistí and Gaelscoileanna. I am examining further measures for all of these.”
“I will turn now to teacher supply. We cannot do this without our wonderful teachers, including special education teachers and SNAs. We are showing it is still an attractive profession for young people. First preference data from the CAO shows an increase in post-primary first preferences of 5%. This builds on similar gains in recent years. It is a testament to the very high esteem in which the teaching profession is held. The number of allocated teaching posts and the number of registered teachers have increased significantly in recent years. There has been a 20% increase in the number of student teachers graduating between 2018 and 2023 and a 30% rise in teachers registered with the Teaching Council in recent years.”
“In 2024, the State Examinations Commission provided an integrated set of results to leaving certificate applied students who also took leaving certificate established mathematics or a modern foreign language in 2024 for the first time. This school year, we saw the first modules from the new senior cycle level 1 and level 2 programmes introduced in schools. This is particularly important because it is for students who have specific and additional educational needs. It makes sure they go through their own exams and are presented with results in the same way as their peers. These measures illustrate how the senior cycle redevelopment programme is already playing a key role in students reaching their full potential. We will build on this annually over the next five years, with the start of tranche 1 being introduced in September.”
“It is on my desk at the moment for me to look at and see how we can move forward to implement it. I look forward to working with teachers, principals and the whole school community in making these important changes. Turning to the senior cycle, the number of students enrolled in the leaving certificate vocational programme link modules across fifth and sixth years has increased from 30,000 to 50,000. That is a significant increase in a few short years. The number of students participating in transition year passed 60,000 for the first time. That is 14,000 more than five to six years ago. This is due to changes that have already taken place around the senior cycle reform.”
“We are getting better, but we need to bring forward our times every year so that every child is treated equally. The curriculum at all levels is designed to reflect and support all learners regardless of background, ability or gender. The primary curriculum framework places a strong emphasis on inclusion and diversity. It aims to ensure all children feel they belong, are respected and safe so that they can engage fully in learning and thrive. It recognises each child’s unique background, identity and strengths and is designed to support what is best for each individual child. Under this framework, foreign languages will be introduced at primary level on a phased basis from September 2025. The work around the changes to primary school is happening.”
“I have asked the Teaching Council to begin work on ensuring all future graduates have a mandatory special education placement as part of their initial teacher education. It is most important that we have places for children every year and that we do so on time. The work was done last year to prepare for next year in identifying and understanding children's needs, engaging with the relevant schools and making sure both matched. This year, we are asking for parents of children with additional needs and schools or teachers to notify the NCSE by 1 October about whether children will need a place so that we can, by the end of this year, already identify where schools need to open new classrooms to provide places for those children and we are not still unclear about where some children are going this time next year. We have to get better.”
“The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream schools with their peers. Approximately 96% or 97% of our students are supported in mainstream education. I thank principals, teachers, including special education teachers, and SNAs for the huge amount of work they do and support they provide day in, day out in our mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. By September, the number of special classes will have doubled in the past five years; there will be more than 3,700 special classes supporting 21,000 children. We need to ensure we continue to support schools and teachers in a context where teachers are facing even more complex and challenging environments.”
“This includes investment in the educational welfare services and the school completion programme. I acknowledge and commend the work of the home-school liaison co-ordinators and the school completion programme. Important changes need to happen in the age limits because, at the moment, they cannot support children under six. Alarmingly, from visiting schools recently with Senator Scahill, we know there are children as young as four and five years of age who are missing 40,50 or 60 days of school outside the weekends, holidays or any other period. It is important that, when children are in school, we support children at as early a stage as possible. If children attend school, they continue that trend later in life as well.”
“In that regard, extra funding has been secured to increase the number of community link workers and, as part of the Traveller and Roma strategy, we will work to improve communication, promote positive relationships and to support the learning of Traveller and Roma children. Regular attendance in school is essential, not just for academic achievement but also for well-being, social development and long-term life outcomes. The recent Tusla attendance report shows that in the 2022-23 school year, over 110,000 primary and 65,000 post-primary students missed 20 or more days of school. Everyone will agree that those numbers are alarming. To address this, I recently announced a comprehensive suite of targeted and universal actions to improve school attendance.”
“The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, and I are working hard to implement the terms of the school transport review to reduce distance criteria, expand eligibility and make sure every child is supported to get to school. We know from data trends that Traveller and Roma children have poorer educational outcomes than their counterparts in the general population. I mentioned the junior cycle earlier. Following recent engagement with representatives from these communities, it is clear that we need to focus not just on the leaving certificate but also on the junior certificate.”
“I am delighted to be able to say that from the start of the 2025-26 school year, for the first time ever, all children and young people enrolled in primary, special and post-primary schools in the free education scheme will be provided with schoolbooks and core classroom resources. School transport is a much-valued scheme to families, and it ensures that children living in rural and remote areas are not disadvantaged by distance by providing a safe and reliable service to their nearest school of eligibility. More than 173,000 pupils benefit from the scheme each day, making it a core component of equitable school access nationwide. The programme for Government contains a commitment to expand the school transport service to include 100,000 additional students by 2030.”
“The Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, programme has seen the gap in retention rates between DEIS and non-DEIS schools halved to 8.4% in recent years. Closing performance gaps further is a key part of the new 2025 DEIS plan I announced at the beginning of the term. Work is under way in respect of the development of a new plan that will be published later this year. I am also working with my team and all stakeholders to develop a new DEIS Plus scheme to put a much greater focus on those schools that have the highest levels of educational disadvantage, particularly targeting and supporting those children who are most at risk. I refer to instances where there is intergenerational trauma or where children have trauma in their lives for various complex reasons.”
“I want to ensure we have a world-class education system that is inclusive, equitable, and empowering for all. Every learner deserves the opportunity to thrive. Our focus is on high standards, inclusive practices, and strong supports to ensure no one is left behind. Breaking down barriers, whether social, economic, or educational is essential to helping all learners succeed. Education should open doors, build confidence and prepare every learner for life, not just exams. I will prioritise actions to tackle educational disadvantage. This means ensuring that the necessary resources are in place to support and retain children and young people in school to completion of leaving certificate and the junior certificate, where we know there are specific challenges, in order that they can reach their full potential.”
“I am delighted to be in the Seanad for the second time this week and am grateful now for the opportunity to set out some of my priorities as Minister for Education and Youth. My objective, which I assume is the same for everybody, is to deliver a world-class education system which breaks down barriers and above all ensures every child can achieve his or her full potential. An education system which wraps around all children and young people in every community is essential if we are to achieve the goal that they are supported to fulfil their potential. I want the outcome of my time as Minister to be greater equity and excellence in education for all children and young people in Ireland. We cannot have one without the other. I want to focus on specific ambitions that break down barriers and support children and young people.”
“They are people who literally go out and stand outside children’s bedroom doors to make sure they are supported to come in to school. They do really excellent work. A national EWO recruitment campaign took place in February 2025 from which all vacant EWO posts are currently being filled. All of the posts are filled or being filled. The funding is there and we need to make sure they are in place where they are not as soon as possible. Any increases to overall capacity will be considered in the context of the budgetary process in my Department. We have spoken a lot about the DEIS programme and a new DEIS plan. This is about making sure we keep what we have that works well. I cannot commend enough the work of the home school liaison co-ordinators, teams and the educational welfare officers.”
“None of those 528 posts are currently vacant. The primary role of the EWS is to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a certain minimum education. Educational welfare officers are based throughout the country and work with children, young people and their families who are experiencing difficulty with school attendance. The main priority of the work is around the educational welfare of children and to ensure that concerns around attendance are addressed before attendance becomes a crisis issue. Currently there are 153 EWOs operating across the six Tusla regions, including 23 EWOs who provide services to the most vulnerable children, such as children in care, and five temporary EWO posts allocated to trial innovative approaches to supporting attendance. I have met them.”
“The DEIS programme is a key policy of the Department to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. The Tusla education support service, TESS, is under the remit of my Department and has three strands: the statutory Educational Welfare Service, EWS, the home school community liaison scheme and the school completion programme. These all work extremely well and support a huge number of students every year. The scheme is an important support under DEIS, promoting partnership between parents, teachers and community family support services. All DEIS urban primary and all DEIS post-primary schools are included in the scheme. It is delivered by 528 full-time home school liaison co-ordinators, who are teachers in these schools and assigned to these duties either in individual schools or in clusters of schools.”
“My intention is to make sure in the years ahead we continue to increase that capitation. We also need to find ways in which we can save money for schools. For the 28 schools announced this week where over €80 million will be spent on retrofitting, that will help reduce their overall energy costs. That is why it is really important. The summer works scheme is focusing solely on environment and climate because that helps bring down the bills. We need to support schools in looking at insurance and other costs. That is something I am looking at currently.”
“I want to stress that the Department is there and available to engage with schools. While we have seen an increase in the number of people coming to the FSSU it is not to the level that we are hearing more broadly. I encourage schools which may be in difficulty and have a challenging time ahead with their finances to engage with the Department. The DEIS grants and status mean that students and schools get an increased rate for various things and increased supports but I appreciate that is often not enough. The commitment in the programme for Government is very clear. We will continue to increase capitation. In this month alone, the level for primary school will increase to €224 and will also increase for post-primary students to €386. That is an increase in primary alone of €30 million in the last year.”
“I appreciate that schools are under pressure and that there are challenges for schools with increased costs as there are with any businesses, homes or any other body or organisation. That is why there have been increases in the budget in the last number of years. The capitation that was announced in the last week for the upcoming September has meant it has gone from €200 to €224 per student. I appreciate that is not what people are looking for and they want more. It is very much my intention, as set out in the programme for Government, to increase that even further in the upcoming budget negotiations. Obviously that has to be worked through.”
“To clarify on ICT, we gave a commitment as part of the overall strategy that we would provide €200 million to schools over the lifetime of the strategy. What had been provided to date was two amounts of €50 million but they were not exactly every year so they were spaced out. I want to make sure that every year schools get the grant, that they know they are getting it and how much. The €35 million is for this year. I want to make sure there is a further €35 million next year and the following year. Schools are telling me that they want to know they are getting it and how much they are getting. It is not a reduction and I want to make that clear to schools. The intention is very much that it be the same next year as opposed to the end of next year or into the year after.”
“I recently announced a new climate action summer works scheme and the application process for this scheme is currently open for all schools, with a closing date for receipt of applications of 30 June. I would say to schools if they are looking to apply to get it in by 30 June. The emergency works scheme also remains available as required to address very urgent issues. A review is happening which will give a really good sense of the state our school buildings are in. We committed to a minor works grant in the programme for Government. If we can change, adapt or amend it so that the schools which need more funding through that grant get it, we will be able to do that once we have that information. However, it will be next year before we have all that information.”
“This is due for completion in 2026. The subsequent analysis of this data will help determine priorities going forward, including any potential future refinements to the minor works grant regime and provide a strengthened evidence base for an effective prioritisation of capital investment. This will form part of broader planning by my Department of capital investment in schools for the period 2026-30 in line with prioritised needs and reflecting, as appropriate, wider Government priorities, informed by NDP allocations once they are known. In the interim, schools can engage with my Department through the relevant application-based capital schemes.”
“As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting schools, I recently announced €65 million in minor works and ICT grants. This funding provides schools with flexibility to address small-scale infrastructure improvements and to invest in IT equipment and digital infrastructure. The minor works grant is provided on a standard flat rate plus a per capita basis. This provides the most straightforward and consistent basis for provision of the grant funding to all eligible schools. This approach allows schools to plan and carry out essential maintenance and improvement works, based on their own identified priorities. I recognise that some schools, particularly those in older buildings, may face more significant maintenance challenges. My Department is currently carrying out a national energy and condition survey of all schools.”
“Obviously, it is about making sure everyone gets their fair share. I reiterate, and I agree with the Deputy, that our youth organisations have such an important role to play in identifying and supporting young people at the earliest stages possible in order that it does not get to the extreme situation where young people are engaged with youth diversion programmes or the youth justice system. We must support them at the earliest stage possible. As Minister, I want to make sure I can do that through as many different streams as possible. There are a lot of different organisations across different counties and we want all of them to benefit.”
“In a lot of instances in the past, what happened with funding being provided was that we focused on specific projects because there had been specific needs in areas, whether they were related to drug abuse, crime, mental health or various different challenges that young people identified. What I want to ensure is that we are looking at the geographical spread. We know young people in rural areas are just as impacted as people in urban areas, although the issues might be different. The new programme and funding that will be announced will have a particular focus on geography to make sure we have that spread and that we are looking at counties and areas which might not have benefited to the tune or in the same way as some urban areas have in the past. That does not mean urban areas will be excluded.”
“Similar to the situation in Offaly and Laois, Louth and Meath Education and Training Board, LMETB, encompasses Louth and Meath and, therefore, only has one application and will have a similar challenge. It is about building up the capacity in each county over time. Obviously, if we can benefit one county in an initial year, we will try to make sure those resources are spread as far as possible. I acknowledge the work many of our youth services and volunteers do. They play a significant role in supporting children outside of school hours. They often support those who are most vulnerable. They have a positive role to play when it comes to school completions, school attendance and supporting children overall.”
“I fully agree. Our youth services have such an important role to play in supporting those who are most at risk and in dealing with issues of attendance and providing that support outside of school hours. When we talk about formal education, our youth services are the informal side of that in so many instances. That is why I welcome that the area of youth has now come into the same Department as education because there is a role for both areas to work hand in hand. My Department, which now has responsibility for youth services, will be rolling out new funding streams for the UBU Your Place Your Space scheme. They are important supports put in place throughout the country and administered through the ETBs. Each ETB will be able to apply for those supports and resources when the scheme opens.”
“If we want children to stay in school to complete their exams, we need to make sure they are there in the first instance. That is feedback I am hearing strongly.”
“We need to do everything we can to support those students, particularly those who are most at risk, in order that they stay at school and achieve the best they can. Those supports are a key part of our response to supporting those children. They work in tandem with other supports, including the home-school community liaison, HSCL, co-ordinators and the education welfare service under my Department’s DEIS programme. My Department, in conjunction with the Tusla education support service, TESS, is also undertaking a five-year plan to improve school attendance, as I mentioned. Those measures were introduced and announced recently. They are being rolled out. I wish to mention the Anseo programme, which is the new evidence-based framework to help schools analyse and respond to attendance data. This is central to everything we do.”
“A series of reports which record retention rate trends in post-primary schools over the past 26 years are available on the Department’s website. Of course, ensuring children remain in school as long as possible to undertake the leaving certificate and junior certificate is a priority for all of us. In addition to the universal supports available to schools, such as school guidance and well-being supports, there are targeted supports such as the school completion programme, which covers 783 schools with a total population in excess of 250,000 students, and the Traveller and Roma education strategy. I know from speaking to members of the Traveller and Roma communities recently that their focus is on the junior cycle rather than just the senior cycle, unfortunately. Those numbers are very challenging at the moment.”