Close to 100 Ukrainian children enrolled in schools across county

Almost 100 Ukrainian children are enrolled in schools across county Westmeath, new figures supplied by the Department of Education show.

In all, 95 children from Ukraine are attending schools in the Lake County as of May 13 last, 63 or over two thirds are in in primary school, 32 in second-level schools.

Over in Roscommon, that figure is 73, with the vast majority (64) accommodated in the county's primary schools and just nine of the total in secondary schools.

Looking across the region, in Offaly 63 Ukrainian pupils have been enrolled in schools, 48 in primary school, and 15 in second-level, while the highest number of Ukrainian students in the Midlands is in county Laois, where there are a total of 107 attending school. Again, the overwhelming majority (73) are going to national school, with 36 in secondary facilities.

Countrywide, a total of 5,843 Ukrainian pupils have been enrolled in schools across Ireland, according to the new Department figures released on Monday.

Out of that figure 3,968 of these pupils have been accommodated in primary schools while 1,875 pupils have enrolled in post-primary schools.

To assist with the transition of Ukrainian refugees and their families into Irish schools Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) are now in place, hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards around Ireland and staffed by regionally based education support personnel.

The primary role of the REALT, according to the department, is to build on existing regional education support structures and the initial focus will be on assisting families in securing school places.

REALT is also supporting schools in the area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, advising and supporting the Department of Education in developing new capacity where required, and coordinating the provision of education services to schools and families across their defined area.

These teams are ensuring that clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures in relation to people arriving from Ukraine.

Information for parents in Ukrainian and Russian on accessing school places is available on gov.ie/Ukraine