Vol. 489 No. 1
71 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Science the proposals, if any, he has to provide appropriate education for students who are expelled from second level schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7531/98]
A number of students are not attending school because they have been expelled or otherwise excluded from school. The managerial authorities of each school are responsible for ensuring that a fair and efficient code of behaviour, encompassing rules, sanctions and procedures, is drawn up and applied in the school. Such a code is unique to each school as it reflects a whole host of factors associated with the community which it serves. My Department has issued guidelines to assist schools discharging their responsibilities in this area. The guidelines stress that expulsion should only be considered after every effort at rehabilitation has failed and every other sanction has been exhausted.
I intend at an early stage to establish a mechanism for the purpose of quantifying the number of pupils who fall outside the system through suspension or expulsion. In addition, the Education Bill which is currently before this House contains provisions which will allow a more formal appeal by parents or students who have reached the age of 18 years against exclusion from school. This should bring greater clarity to these matters.
It is open to parents who experience school placement difficulties to seek assistance from my Department in securing an alternative school placement through the involvement of the inspectorate in a consultative process with school authorities. My Department's psychological service is also available to assess pupils with special needs in order to identify the most appropriate provision for such students.
Programmes such as youth encounter projects and youthreach are designed to cater for pupils whose needs can best be dealt with outside of the mainstream school system. I am also committed to addressing the needs of children with school attendance problems. In this context it is proposed to introduce a School Attendance (Amendment) Bill during the current year.
