Dan Neville
Question:321 Mr. Neville asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of students suspended from primary and second level schools for each of the months in 1998 and to date in 1999. [11371/99]
Written Answers. - School Discipline.
Schools are not required to advise my Department of cases where children are suspended or otherwise excluded from schools. My Department, however, through its guidelines on school discipline, lays considerable stress on the use of suspensions and expulsions only as a last resort.
Under the Rules for National Schools, no pupil shall be struck off the rolls for breaches of discipline without the prior consent of the patron and unless alternative arrangements are made for the enrolment of the pupil at another suitable school.
In addition, my Department gives assistance in securing placement in individual cases. Typically, this can arise where a pupil has been suspended as a result of disruptive behaviour and where alternative arrangements need to be made. In these circumstances, my Department endeavours through a process of consultation with the schools and through the Inspectorate to assist in the re-instatement of the pupil in the school, or alternatively, his or her placement in another school. In more difficult situations my Department's psychological service is available to assess pupils in order to determine the nature and extent of any special needs with a view to having them addressed in the most appropriate manner. I should add that I am not satisfied with the adequacy of current arrangements in relation to school attendance, suspension and expulsion.
Under the Education Welfare Bill, which was published last week, I will be bringing forward a comprehensive range of measures in relation to children with educational welfare problems. The Bill provides a framework within which issues relating to the educational welfare of children, including the causes and effects of school attendance problems, can be addressed effectively. Among its key objectives is the establishment of a national education welfare board to co-ordinate and implement services for children in difficulty within the school system. The legislation will also include specific measures for the early identification and support of children at risk of dropping out of the school system.
In addition, the eight to 15 early school leavers initiative will involve the development of a tracking template/pupil data-base for use in primary and second level schools which will track children's attendance and ensure that corrective action can be taken at an early stage.