Capacity and supports central to education sector development

The Department of Education is to prioritise improved capacity, service delivery, and supports for all those with special educational needs and their families in the next two years to 2025.

The Department’s Statement of Strategy 2023-2025 sets out the direction and high-level work programme that the Department plans to undertake during the next three years, underpinned by a vision for an education system that is of the highest quality, where every member of educational communities feels valued and supported.

A number of key challenges and opportunities shape the 2023-2025 strategic direction, not least the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has inflated the trend of international migration, requiring effective adaptation of the education system.

As of May 2023, 15,589 Ukrainian pupils had been enrolled in schools across Ireland, with 10,105 accommodated in primary schools and 5,484 in post-primary schools. The higher-than-expected migration has somewhat distorted what was an existing challenge of managing demographic pressures.

Existing projections were for post-primary enrolments across Ireland to increase by 8 per cent from 2021 and peak in 2024. At primary level, projections were for a steady decrease, reaching a low point in 2023, however, migration trends mean that both levels sit above projections for 2022/2023 school year.

The war has also had an economic impact, increasing inflation and thereby increasing pressure on finances and budgets. The importance of these budgets can be seen in the context that services are not just seeking to deliver business as usual, but to continue to address the impacts of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in relation to the wellbeing of children and young people.

Alongside the provision of measures to address this, the Department says: “The Department continues to harness the learning from the experience of responding to the pandemic including the potential and importance of digital learning and use of digital technology in education. We must continue to develop the digital capacity of our education system and the digital skills of our students and wider school communities.”

Overarching these challenges is that of necessary climate action within the sector, but also for skills provision to ensure a net zero future is possible.

To assist with meeting these challenges and grasping future opportunities, the Department has developed four strategic goals for the period of 2023 to 2025.

High-quality education

The first strategic goal of the Department is to “enable the provision of high-quality education and improve the learning experience to meet the needs of all children and young people, in schools and early learning and care settings”.

Among the key strategic actions, the Department will seek to deliver is continued support to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly for those children and young people at risk of educational disadvantage.

The Department says that as well as supporting school communities in the use of digital technologies in teaching, learning, and assessment, it will build upon actions to support the supply of teachers and other members of the education workforce, while also supporting the current education workforce to strengthen their capabilities through professional learning.

Opportunity

Strategic actions under the second of the Department’s goals: “Ensure equity of opportunity in education and that all children and young people are supported to fulfil their potential”, are also wide-ranging.

Some of the major actions include the implementation of the Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice and Cineáltas: Action Plan for Bullying, to support the mental health and wellbeing of children.

Additionally, the Department says that it will work together with the National Council for Special Education, and the HSE, to plan, design, and deliver an integrated suite of education supports aiming to support the participation and progression of children and young people with special educational needs.

Alongside a pledge to ensure policy in the area of special education is fully up to date following the review of the EPSEN ACT, the Department says that it aims to reduce the retention and achievement gap between schools in the DEIS programme and non-DEIS schools.

Finally, the statement of strategy says that the Department will continue to provide access to high-quality and inclusive education for children and young people arriving in Ireland, while continuing the process of reconfiguring schools to increase diversity and strengthen the relationship between schools and their local communities.

Leadership

Goal three of the strategy is to: “Together with our partners, provide strategic leadership and support for the delivery of the right systems and infrastructure for the sector.”

The strategic actions range from the delivery of an extensive school infrastructure programme through to a school transport scheme, while also developing and delivering shared services and information systems for the Department and the sector.

Excellence

The final goal of the strategy is towards “organisational excellence and innovation”. The Department says that it aims to deliver efficient and effective customer-centric practices that best serve the public, the Government, and the Oireachtas. Additionally, plans are for the enhancement of the strategic planning capability, including horizon scanning and strategic foresight, to support the design and delivery of the education system of the future.

Finally, the Department says that it will continue to monitor its performance, “acknowledging success when achieved, learning when things can be improved, and committing to continuous quality improvement”.