More than 18,000 Ukrainian pupils enrolled in schools by the start of June

The Department of Education stated in total that 18,133 Ukrainian pupils had been enrolled in schools so far this month.

Of that figure 11,287 pupils had been provided places in primary schools while 6,846 had enrolled in post primary.

A Department spokesperson said: “This data indicates an enrolment rate of 93.1pc among Ukrainian children aged five to 18, who have come to Ireland.

“The Department wishes to thank school communities and stakeholders at a local and national level across Ireland for their engagement, collaboration and support in accommodating Ukrainian pupils in Irish primary and post-primary schools.”

Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) are helping Ukrainian pupils and their families with the transition to the Irish education system.

The teams are hosted by the 16 regional Education and Training Boards around Ireland and staffed by regionally-based education support personnel.

The spokesperson said: “These teams continue to make sure 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.”

In February this year, the Department announced that over 18,000 Ukrainian children had arrived into the country since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

At that time, 85pc were learning the Irish curriculum in person and the Ukrainian curriculum online.

A Department report had found that from an inspection of 40 schools, between September and December 2023, almost all schools had provided a “sense of belonging” for Ukrainian students and their families.

Education Minister Norma Foley said at that time that Ukrainian children were receiving either a “good” or “very good” education in Ireland.

At that point, in more than 70pc of schools inspected, all Ukrainian students in third and sixth year had intended to sit the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate exams.