Government's measures could go a long way to bridging education gap

The new Government also promises to expand the provision of after-school and childcare in school buildings and campuses. Picture: PA/Stock

The incoming Government promises to introduce powerful measures that could go a long way towards closing the gap for the students who need it most.

Tucked amongst the pledges to “demonstrate greater ambition” when it comes to Ireland’s education system, the draft programme for Government includes a pledge to introduce a needed Deis+ scheme and to create a new dedicated national therapy service for education — beginning with special schools.

It's not an exaggeration to say these two measures have the potential to completely transform the educational experience for the country’s most marginalised students if introduced properly and without delay.

For the past eight years, primary school principals working with children in some of the most deprived parts of the country have been highlighting the urgent need for a new Deis+ scheme.

On the ground, they see firsthand the devastating effects of poverty and intergenerational trauma on children’s education

Principals working in areas like Tallaght, Ballymun, and Darndale would point to the latest Pobal deprivation index, which shows these areas have become more disadvantaged in recent years. At the same time, the latest international programme for international student assessment (PISA) results also show a widening gap in the literacy and numeracy scores between Deis and non-Deis schools.

While the current Deis scheme for disadvantaged schools has rapidly expanded in recent years, to date there has been little recognition in policy that extra support is needed in the hardest-hit school communities — despite it being widely agreed on amongst the powers that be.

'Addressing the trauma'

With the plans to introduce targeted measures now in writing, these principals have urged the Department of Education to implement this scheme without delay and to ensure therapeutic supports are a key aspect.

"Addressing the trauma that exists across our schools will make the biggest difference to closing the gap in literacy and numeracy scores between Deis and non-Deis schools," said Philip Fitzgerald, the principal of St Joseph's senior national school in Ballymun. 

Supporting a child to feel loved, be safe, and connect with adults in school will allow them to focus on learning in a way that isn’t possible at the moment

There are also plans afoot to create a dedicated national therapy service in education, beginning with special schools. This, according to the programme for Government, will see it doubling the number of college places for speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, educational psychologists, and "any other specialists required".

It will also see the creation of new, expedited qualification routes for professionals with relevant skills and experience, as well as the provision of therapy assistant posts within the education sector, "to maximise therapists’ ability to deliver bespoke therapy services".

Many vital therapeutic supports were removed from special schools in 2020 to be replaced with the HSE's Progressing Disabilities Services (PDS) model. However, many schools have been highlighting how their students are missing out on key supports as a result of the move.

This week, St Killian’s Special School announced that in-school therapies had resumed at Munster's largest special school following a year-long campaign spearheaded by parents. However, this is a temporary solution for the school with a private provider while it waits for the public system to catch up.

Reforming the Senior Cycle

Elsewhere, the programme for Government pledges to continue with reforming the Senior Cycle to "ensure that students benefit from up-to-date curricula, more diverse skills development and assessments, and reduced stress levels". 

It also adds an interesting commitment to work with higher education on reforming the CAO system to "to ensure that young people are best served by it".

There are also plans to expand on programmes and recent initiatives that have proved relatively popular with parents. This includes a promise to expand the school transport service to include an extra 100,000 students by 2030, while also improving its application system and communication.

Parents can also expect to see more promotion of 'uniform swaps' in all primary schools, as part of a bid to make uniforms more affordable and sustainable

There are also promises to expand the provision of after-school and childcare in school buildings and campuses, as well as the free schoolbooks scheme and the free hot school meals programme, including the rollout of hot school meals to all secondary schools over the next five years.

Recent criticism of aspects of the scheme may have contributed to the programme for Government's pledge to ensure school lunch suppliers “adhere to robust guidelines on the nutritional value of meals, the dietary requirements of students, reduce food waste, and utilise recyclable packaging".

Given the pressure for school places in certain areas is expected to increase this year, the plans also promise to roll out nationwide common application systems for school places to reduce stress on parents and students. 

This promise of a common application system also extends to children applying to special schools and classes “to make it a more straightforward experience for parents".

There are also plans to introduce a “comprehensive wellness approach” focusing on physical activity, nutrition, emotional wellbeing, and positive social behaviour in schools,  while promoting “at least 60 minutes of physical activity throughout the full day for children of all abilities".

Meanwhile, plans to reduce the pupil teacher ratio of Ireland's previously "supersized" primary school classes has been welcomed by the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO). The union believes reducing class sizes to the EU average of 19 will help create a "more equitable and supportive learning environment for pupils across Ireland."

However, it does "not provide a robust response to the staffing emergency" caused by the ongoing teacher shortage crisis, it added.