Press release
Department of Education Inspectorate publishes report on quality of education for children and young people from Ukraine
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The Inspectorate of the Department of Education today published ‘The Quality of Education for Children and Young People from Ukraine’ – a composite report on the quality of education for children and young people from Ukraine in Ireland.
The report found that teaching and learning experiences for the majority of Ukrainian children in school in Ireland are ‘good’ or ‘very good’. Measures were found to be in place in almost all schools inspected to ensure that Ukrainian children, young people and their parents experienced a sense of belonging in their new school community.
The report was compiled based on inspections undertaken in 40 primary schools and 38 post-primary schools between September and December 2023. Inspections focused on three key areas: the quality of teaching and learning experiences provided for children and young people from Ukraine, how schools supported their inclusion and participation and their level of participation and engagement in school life.
The majority (85 per cent) of schools reported that Ukrainian children and young people are following both the Ukrainian curriculum (online) and the Irish curriculum (in school).
Minister for Education Norma Foley said:
"Over 18,000 children and young people have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine over the past two years. The department wishes to thank school communities, stakeholders and REALT teams at a local and national level across the country for their engagement, collaboration and support in accommodating them in our primary and post-primary schools. Two years on, it is timely to review the quality of the education they are receiving and I very much welcome the publication of this report today.
“It is encouraging to see that inspectors found very good examples in our schools of well-prepared lessons, effective use of resources to support learning and teachers working together to support pupils and students. Teaching and learning were found to be ‘good’ or ‘very good’ in over 75 per cent of the schools inspected.
“Primary and post-primary schools have warmly welcomed Ukrainian children and young people and their parents into their communities and have made very good efforts to maximise their participation and engagement. Almost of all the schools inspected placed their new Ukrainian pupils in age-appropriate classes. In over 70 per cent of the schools inspected, all young people from Ukraine in third year and sixth year intended to sit the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations.
“It is very positive also to have the recommendations of the report to guide policy-making to support increased participation and engagement of Ukrainian children and young people in schools. These will be particularly important in terms of increasing attendance levels, to ensure that pupils and students can reap the full extent of opportunities presented in our schools and achieve their own potential. The recommendations will be used to further support all schools to provide high-quality, inclusive, learning experiences to meet the needs of all children and young people.”
Chief Inspector Yvonne Keating said:
"This report acknowledges the good-quality teaching and learning experiences that children and young people from Ukraine receive in primary and post-primary schools. It also recognises the inclusive practices in place in many schools. The report highlights areas that require further development. The Inspectorate will continue to work with other stakeholders to support the implementation of the report’s recommendations, which are designed to maximise the participation and engagement of children and young people from Ukraine in settings and schools.”
The report makes a number of recommendations for improving the engagement and participation of children and young people from Ukraine in their education in Ireland. These are:
- providing additional support for parents of pre-school children from Ukraine to access Early Learning and Care (ELC) provision
- improving the attendance levels of children and young people from Ukraine in primary and post-primary schools
- providing clear information to young people from Ukraine about access to further education and the world of work
Quality of education for children and young people from Ukraine
This report provides an analysis of and reflection on findings from school inspections undertaken in the latter half of 2023. It reports on ‘The Quality of Education for Children and Young People from Ukraine’.
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For further information please email inspectorate@education.gov.ie
Currently, there are over 18,000 children and young people from Ukraine in primary and post-primary schools in Ireland: 11,165 in primary schools and 6,838 in post-primary schools.
These inspections were conducted in seventy-eight schools; forty primary and thirty-eight post-primary schools. Overall there were 2,469 children and young people from Ukraine in the schools inspected; 998 in the primary schools and 1,471 in the post-primary schools.
All children may avail of the ECCE Programme of up to two years of free pre-school provision in an Early Learning and Care (ELC) setting funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY). The ECCE Programme provides children with three hours per day, five days per week for thirty-eight weeks per year of free pre-school service. Children become eligible for this provision when they reach two years and eight months of age and remain entitled to participate until they reach five years and six months of age. Access more information on the scheme.
Parents of pre-school children from Ukraine can access information online from DCEDIY and through a range of agencies including the Citizens Information Bureau and City and County Childcare Committees.
The Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) and the Department of Education launched the National Attendance Campaign in September 2023. The campaign is designed to promote the importance of school attendance. The campaign involves a positive messaging campaign, joint communication between the department and TESS, a suite of webinars for school leaders, promotional materials and an information, resources and toolkits on attendance promotion for schools.
The Minister for Education secured funding of over eight million euro for measures to enhance school attendance, participation and retention. Some of the funding is allocated to all schools to support this attendance campaign in the form of an Attendance Campaign Support Grant. The Attendance Campaign Support Grant is a once-off payment to all schools to promote and support regular school attendance of children and young people. Schools are asked to target this funding to reach individuals and groups at risk of poor attendance and can use the grant in the current academic year or over a longer period of time.
Guidelines on the appropriate use of the Attendance Campaign Support Grant for Primary and Post-Primary Schools
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The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has put in place a number of supports for Ukrainian young people who wish to progress to further education in Ireland. These include payment of tuition fees in respect of full-time higher education, a grant for qualified persons undertaking a full-time course in a publicly funded Higher Education Institution and a grant for students pursuing a Post-Leaving Certificate course (PLC). Access information on these schemes.