A Tipperary school has been applauded for their inclusivity as they opened their new extension.
St. Joseph’s Primary School in Tipp Town will have new spaces for those with additional this coming September thanks to the development.
Yesterday the whole school hosted the Education Minister Normal Foley and local TDs Jackie Cahill and Michael Lowry in what was a day of celebration and performance.
Through affirmations, poems, song, and speeches the students demonstrated the work they had been doing on their Mindset an Kindness Initiative.
Minister Foley told Tipp FM that seeing a school with 24 different nationalities, and an wholly inclusive environment is positive on a society wide level:
“It should be a mirror for what we would like to see in wider society it was a great pleasure to meet with a large number of children from Ukraine who are so happily settled here in this school there is a Ukrainian teacher here as well. All of it so seamlessly and so positively integrated into this school children and young people with additional needs. In its widest sense we are a reflection of inclusivity in our schools of welcome and really that there is a place for everybody within the education system and that really should be reflected in wider society as well.”
However, the Minister for Education wouldn’t be drawn on whether or not Deis applications will re-open for schools in Tipperary.
All of the primary schools in the town now have Deis Status which is for areas and students likely to experience high levels of educational disadvantage and means more teachers, as well as additional classroom and financial supports, among other supports.
There were a number of schools in the county that were unsuccessful last time round, however, Minister Foley wouldn’t indicate if the applications would re-open in a year to two years as has been reported.
She told Tipp FM she is working on other measures to ensure that all students whether in Deis schools or not receive equal educational opportunities:
“There are children at risk of educational disadvantage and they are not in Deis schools so huge emphasis is being placed on providing other resources into schools as well, so for example for the first time in September we will have free books at primary level for our students and that is universal. We have successfully over the three budgets of this Government reduced the pupil teacher ratio by one point and we have also seen other additions in terms of Hot School Meals being made available in the Deis primary schools and an objective in government that that is rolled out to all primary schools in the coming years.”
