Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
518. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education the additional cost of restoring guidance counselling to pre-recession levels; the provision currently in place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37026/23]
View answerPrior to the cuts to guidance in the budget of 2012 there were 730 Guidance posts in the post primary system.
Measures announced by the Department as part of a number of Budgets starting in 2016 restored the fully restored the allocation of time allocated to guidance in schools. The Department has allocated 928 guidance posts for the coming school year 2023/24. The number of posts is subject to change as it is calculated with regard to pupil numbers in each school. Each school receives an allocation for guidance that is separate from the general allocation to schools. In this way, the hours for guidance are ring-fenced.
The allocation for guidance has returned to that of pre-recession levels. However, the model of guidance in schools has evolved over the ten years in question.
A model of whole school guidance applies in the contemporary post-primary system. The whole school guidance allocation model allows for a balanced, school-wide approach to the three elements of guidance, personal/social, educational and career guidance. Guidance hours are allocated to personnel by school management in each school. In allocating guidance hours, school management consider a range of factors including but not limited to (i) the needs of students and (ii) the student support team in the school at large. The 2023/24 circulars on staffing arrangements/ allocations, published in January 2023 provides the following text agreed with the School Management Bodies in relation to the assignment of ring-fenced Guidance Counselling hours. (Circulars 0002,0003 and 0004 of 2023)
“In deploying the guidance allocation, schools are encouraged to give due consideration to the pivotal role the qualified guidance counsellor plays in the implementation of the whole school guidance plan. The guidance counsellor will require time for individual student appointments, for Guidance lessons, and general guidance related work within the context of the Whole School Guidance plan”.
The Chief Inspector’s report (2022) notes that whole school guidance is provided to students through a variety of approaches.
The report indicated that teaching and learning in guidance lessons was of high quality in over 90% of schools inspected. It found that whole-school guidance was of high quality, well-integrated and collaborative in supporting students and involved a wide range of staff with specific roles and functions. Other good practice in relation to whole-school provision included the establishment of very effective student support teams which facilitated an appropriate focus on student welfare and clear referral pathways, both internal and external.
This would indicate that the current allocation model is effective in supporting the whole school approach to guidance provision.
