Spokesperson available – 086 0445966
08 September 2021: Barnardos welcomes the publication of the Department of Education’s Covid-19 Learning and Supports Scheme with the aim of providing additional support within school, through increased teaching hours, to children most impacted by the pandemic.
Results from Barnardos Back to School survey show it is clear that a substantial proportion of children struggled to engage with learning during the lockdown, with almost one in four primary school parents and one in ten secondary school parents suggesting their children spent less than an hour a day learning last year. The majority of parents told Barnardos their children would need additional support on return to school, but only half felt they would be able to access it. Today’s announcement may hopefully go some way to reducing parent’s anxieties.
Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said: “Schools are well placed to understand their pupils’ individual needs. It is therefore positive to see them retain discretion over how to allocate the additional teaching hours provided for by the Department for Education. We appreciate that the Minister’s acknowledgement that school closures had an impact on more than just children’s educational development. Schools will also recognise that you can’t separate children’s social and emotional wellbeing from their learning and their educational development. It is vital that additional support and teaching hours are used to address and improve students’ overall wellbeing as well as their ability to engage effectively in learning.”
However, it is unclear as to whether or not the additional support and resources provided will be sufficient to successfully address the additional need among children created by the pandemic and extended school closures. Therefore, Barnardos feel it is imperative that the government makes a firm commitment to pledge further funding to schools if it is found the resources announced today prove to be insufficient.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Barnardos Media Office: 01 7080442 / 086 0445966
Trudy McCarthy; 01 7080423
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About Barnardos
Barnardos’ mission is to deliver services and work with families, communities, and our partners to transform the lives of vulnerable children who are affected by adverse childhood experiences. Because childhood lasts a lifetime www.barnardos.ie