Enda Kenny
Question:87 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Education and Science his views on proposals emerging from the teacher conferences on a departmental code of discipline. [12829/99]
Written Answers. - School Discipline.
I am aware of the discussions that took place on this subject at the various teacher conferences and I welcome any constructive proposals which increase the ability of schools to deal effectively with this issue.
My Department has issued guidelines to boards of management to assist them in discharging their obligations in the area of school discipline. These guidelines were drawn up following consultation with representatives of management, teachers and parents, and are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the particular needs of the school.
Each board of management is responsible for formulating, in consultation with parents, a fair and efficient code of behaviour. This code should ensure that the individuality of each child is accommodated while acknowledging the right of each child to education in a relatively disruption-free environment. The code should also include provision for dealing with serious breaches of discipline and continuously disruptive pupils.
Social attitudes and parental approaches to discipline vary from one school community to another, and it would be impractical and even undesirable for the Department to set out a formal and detailed code of behaviour for all schools.
The report on discipline that was commissioned by my Department and completed by Dr. Maeve Martin deals comprehensively with the issue of discipline in schools, and sets out models of best practice in this area. A copy of the report has been made available to all schools and will, I am sure, be a very valuable resource for school authorities.
I also draw the Deputy's attention to the support teachers scheme, which is currently in place on a pilot basis. The functions of the support teachers are to coordinate a whole-school approach to devising and implementing good practice and strategies which will help to prevent the occurrence of disruptive behaviour and to teach and counsel small groups and individuals who exhibit persistent behaviour difficulties in the classroom.
The Deputy will be aware that potentially disruptive pupils frequently are in need of psychological evaluation as a first step to appropriate assistance. In this regard I will shortly be making an order establishing a national educational psychological service agency, NEPS. When this has been done, provision in this area will be gradually expanded on a phased basis over a five year period. At the end of this five year period it is envisaged that 200 psychologists will be in place and that every school in the country will have access to a schools psychological service. I would add that 50 psychologists are already in place and my Department will shortly be recruiting 25 additional psychologists, who should take up their appointments during the school year 1999-2000.
One of the priorities of the NEPS psychologists will be to work with schools and families in order to deal with disruptive behaviour before it becomes a problem. There will be a national advisory board as well as regional committees, on which the partners in education will be represented. These committees will provide a representative forum for the development of pre ventative strategies in relation to disruptive behaviour.