Letter to Parents from Ms. Norma Foley, Minister for Education
12 January 2021
Parents of students receiving remote
learning
Dear Parent/Guardian
I hope that you and your families are
keeping safe and well at this difficult time.
As you know, from yesterday Monday 11
January, schools will be closed to students and all students at primary and
post-primary level will now move to a programme of remote learning.
While NPHET is of the view that schools
remain safe environments, the decision to close schools was taken in order to
minimise mobility of the entire population and to support the suppression of
the Covid-19 virus in the community. This will allow everyone to reduce their
contacts, with a view to reducing the spread of the virus and a swift return to
school for all.
Remote
Learning during this period
Following the initial period of school
closure last year, the Department has engaged with the education partners to
revise remote teaching and learning guidance. This was agreed with all
stakeholders last year and guidance for primary and post-primary schools was
subsequently published online in October and December 2020 respectively.
As such, during this time, all teachers,
including special education teachers (SETs), are required to continue to
support teaching and learning for all pupils/students in their class/subject
group or on their caseload.
Schools have been advised of the need to
ensure appropriate provision and support for pupils/students during this time.
Every school has been advised of the need to develop a contingency plan for
remote learning that is appropriate to children’s different ages and stages,
and has been provided with guidance on best practice. The guidance provided to
schools notes that it is crucially important that the learning of all
pupils/students, especially those with special educational needs and those at
risk of educational disadvantage and/or early school leaving, are supported at
this time. These guidelines are listed at the end of this letter.
Schools have been provided with funding as
part of the Digital Strategy for Schools. In 2020 funding totaling €100m in
2020 was provided to schools and schools have been advised to prioritise
supporting the purchase of devices for students who may not have access to
devices for remote learning. The School Support services that are funded by the
Department have developed a suite of materials to assist teachers in using an
online platform to support teaching, learning and assessment. Furthermore, there
is a range of supports available to schools from the National Council for
Special Education (NCSE), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment,
Junior Cycle for Teachers, An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus
Gaelscoilaíochta, National Educational Psychological Service, Education Centres
and the Centre for School Leadership.
There has been an excellent take up by
teachers throughout the country of training and supports provided in this area,
and I know that schools will do their utmost in these difficult circumstances
to provide the best possible experience for students. Schools will contact
parents directly with their plans and arrangements for remote learning.
The Inspectorate of the Department will
continue to offer an advisory service to schools to support the delivery of
remote learning and to provide assistance to school leaders in particular. The
Inspectorate will also evaluate and report on the quality of educational
provision for students at this time.
Returning to in-person learning for
all schools
The Department is conscious that closing
schools has hugely adverse consequences at individual, family and societal
level. For children, it impacts on wellbeing, learning, on social and emotional
development.
School closure has significant impacts on
children with special educational needs. School closure also heightens student
anxiety, particularly for the Leaving Certificate cohort, in relation to state
examinations.
The Government decision included provision
that in-person learning would be maintained for two specific cohorts from
Monday 11, pupils/ students attending special schools and classes and final
year Leaving Certificate students. Despite the confirmation by Public Health
that schools remain safe, unfortunately it has not proved possible to get
agreement to provide in-person learning for these two groups. In these
circumstance there is no alternative but to pause the limited reopening and
continue engagement with partners. I will keep parents of these students updated
on this engagement.
The latest public health advice received by
Government is available here.
It clearly outlines that schools are safe environments, and that the protective
measures and the considerable supports put in place to support schools have
been successful.
Where there have been cases in schools, the
enhanced school teams put in place by Public Health and the Department have
worked effectively to support schools, and the level of transmission in schools
has been low. Because of this, we continue to aim to return all students to
in-person learning as soon as it is possible to do so.
Supports and wellbeing
It is important that students experience
continuity of learning during this period to the extent that is possible for
your family, bearing in mind your child’s age and stage. Research conducted in
Ireland concluded that while online learning worked for some students during
the period of school closure, it did not replicate the in-school learning
experience – this was also the experience internationally.
We all know that it can be difficult to
achieve maximum interaction with remote learning, with many competing demands
and restrictions. The best advice is that you provide the support that is
possible for your family to your child and that you prioritise your child’s and
your own wellbeing, balancing that with supporting learning, during this
period.
Links to some supports available are
provided below.
I wish you and your family all the very
best at this time, and hope to communicate soon with you on a safe return to
in-person learning for all.
Regards,
______________________________
Norma Foley TD
Minister for Education
Information on guidance provided to schools on remote learning
The guidance provided to schools that it is
crucially important that the learning of all pupils/students, especially those
with special educational needs and those at risk of educational disadvantage
and/or early school leaving, are supported at this time, and sets out the
following requirements:
·
Regular engagement with
pupils/students: It is important that teachers engage with their
pupils/students; in a primary setting this should, ideally, be on a daily
basis; in a post-primary context teachers should, as far as possible, engage
with students as per the normal school timetable.
·
A blend of guided and independent
learning tasks/experiences: Teacher-pupil/student engagement should involve
both direct teaching by the teacher and the assignment of independent learning
tasks for completion by the pupils/students.
·
Appropriate and engaging learning
opportunities: Teachers should ensure that the chosen learning tasks give
pupils/students an opportunity to demonstrate their learning in a clear and
concise way.
·
Learning tasks: The tasks chosen
should be specifically aligned to the needs of the pupil/student, including
pupils/students with special educational needs (SEN), and should enable the
teacher to monitor progress and give constructive, developmental feedback to
support the next stages in their learning.
·
Two-way feedback between home and
school: Schools should ensure that two-way feedback between teachers and
parents/guardians and between teachers and their pupils/students is encouraged
and supported. Schools should provide manageable and accessible opportunities
for all pupils/ students to regularly share samples of their work with the
teacher(s) throughout each week. Teachers should ensure that work received is
corrected and relevant feedback is provided.
·
Support for pupils/students with
special educational needs: Special education teachers (SETs) should continue to
engage with the pupils/students on their caseloads and class/subject teachers
should differentiate teaching and learning in line with their pupils’/students’
needs to minimise disruption to their learning and progression.
Further
details are available here:
· Guidance for parents/ guardians on supporting continuity of learning can be found here and is available in multiple languages.
Wellbeing
The wellbeing of all children and families
is important, and the National Educational Psychological Service has a range of
supports available on gov.ie/schools in the parents section which you may find
useful. This material is being updated regularly so please check back:
Gov.ie/schools/wellbeing.