Vol. 609 No. 3
107 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the implications for her Department arising from the recent publication of the Ferns Report; the steps she intends to take in regard to these implications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32949/05]
The Ferns Report made for some very disturbing reading because it detailed the stark reality of the abuse suffered by children and young people and the lack of support and assistance they received at their time of greatest need. The witnesses who came forward to help the inquiry showed the strength of character and courage which has also been evident to all of us who have met survivors of abuse over the years. I register my sincere thanks and appreciation to them for without their bearing witness, the report could not have reached its findings.
It is clear from the report of the Ferns inquiry that there was a general failure to recognise the terrible hurt and damage that child sexual abuse can and does cause to the victims and their families, and that prompt and effective action was not taken for many years to protect vulnerable children. As a society, we must learn from the mistakes of the past and never allow such events happen again.
In addition to increasing public awareness and understanding of the horror of child sexual abuse, the Ferns Report provides practical and far-reaching recommendations to strengthen child protection measures in organisations working with children and to ensure a speedy and effective response to allegations of abuse. The Government has accepted the report's recommendations in principle and is committed to their implementation by Departments and relevant agencies. My Department will participate fully in the implementation process which is being driven by the National Children's Office under the leadership of the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with special responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan.
Protecting the child is the fundamental imperative of this process, and ensuring this requires the full engagement of Government, church and the community. Our educational institutions and policies have a key role to play. Our approach to child abuse has changed significantly over the past 15 years. In education, we have brought in child protection guidelines for primary and post-primary schools and clearly defined procedures for reporting allegations or suspicions of child abuse. We have also sought to raise awareness of the issue in the curriculum through social, personal and health education and the Stay Safe programme. The commitment to implement the recommendations of the Ferns Report will contribute to the further strengthening of child protection measures.
One of the main points in the report, on page 260, was that some priests appear to have abused their positions as managers of boards of management to gain access to children in school. Does the Minister intend to make any changes to the procedures for appointing people to boards of management?
I hope the Minister is aware that Fine Gael published proposals on vetting that would apply to teachers and people working with children in any capacity. When will the Minister come forward with her proposals and legislation in this area? Does she have any intention of bringing that forward to include people on boards of management as well?
The Ferns Report acknowledged the necessity to use soft information to stop abuse of children. In Northern Ireland this type of information is frequently used in child protection procedures. Does the Minister have any proposals to use soft information? A recent newspaper article outlined the possibilities it offers as well as its potential risks.
A school needs to ensure that anybody who has unsupervised access to children is suitable to have that access. Clear guidelines have been sent to all schools to cover working with and protecting children, which is foremost in everybody's mind. The vetting unit recently moved to Thurles and its numbers are being substantially increased. That will enable it to do more vetting than it does. In the context of formal education, vetting is carried out in respect of special needs assistants, bus escorts and people who work with children in detention schools. We intend with our new resources to ensure that vetting is extended to all persons working with children and vulnerable adults. This will include teachers, caretakers, bus drivers and others working with children. We will be able to start that immediately once the extra resources and staffing are put in place, which I understand will be in the middle of this month.
Vetting of boards of management is a wider issue because it raises the question of whether one vets people working in a voluntary capacity. Many parents and other adults help out in schools, on school tours and so on, but it is crucial to see to what extent people have unsupervised access to children. In consultation with the partners and others, we will see how best to progress this. We will be asking everyone to be vigilant. If people and schools follow the Children First guidelines, it will be clear what type of procedures they should adopt. While protecting children, we do not want to destroy volunteerism. In the first instance, the vetting will be extended to cover teachers, caretakers and bus drivers.
I do not think there is any danger that volunteerism will die because of vetting. Most youth organisations, the GAA, the National Youth Council and others have called for vetting of volunteers.
The Minister used the phrase "Schools need to ensure". I accept that, but when will the necessary legislative back-up be given to schools? Guidelines are not enough in this area. We need strong legislation which is not currently provided.
The Deputy asked about a non-Garda employment related register, so to speak. We are looking at this from a cross-departmental point of view, with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Department of Health and Children, to see what is the best way forward. We are considering a register which would provide information on people who had been previously dismissed, suspended, removed or made redundant from posts for harming children or vulnerable adults in the health or education sectors.
108 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will make the Stay Safe programme compulsory in view of the Ferns Report and the need to ensure that children are empowered to deal with inappropriate behaviour; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32908/05]
Child protection and the implementation of the Stay Safe programme for all children in every primary school are priorities for my Department. The Stay Safe programme, also known as the child abuse prevention programme or CAPP, is a primary school-based approach to the prevention of child abuse. The programme aims to reduce vulnerability to child abuse through the provision of in-service training for teachers, parent education and personal safety education for children at primary school level.
The Stay Safe programme is a four-stage approach to preventing child abuse, involving children's safety education, teacher training, parent education and community awareness. The programme aims to give children the skills necessary to enable them to recognise and resist abuse or victimisation and teaches them that they should always tell of any situation which they find unsafe, upsetting, threatening, dangerous or abusive. Stay Safe is a personal safety skills programme which can be used with primary school children from senior infants to sixth class. It seeks to enhance children's self-protective skills by participating in lessons on safe and unsafe situations, bullying, touches, secrets, telling and strangers.
An initial one-day in-service training seminar on the Stay Safe programme has been provided for all primary schools. Since the programme was introduced, 99.7% of primary schools have participated in this training. At present, based on a sample survey, approximately 80% to 85% of primary schools are teaching the programme to their students, but the percentage may be higher.
It should be recognised that the Stay Safe programme is not mandatory and schools can decide whether to introduce it. However, the central elements of the programme, primarily personal safety strategies and, more importantly, the overall issue of child protection, are now taught as integral parts of the subject of social, personal and health education, SPHE, which is part of the curriculum taught in every primary school. Specifically, the strand unit entitled "safety and protection" provides material for teachers to explore with children appropriate strategies in personal safety which incorporate elements of the Stay Safe programme. In addition, the implementation of my Department's child protection guidelines for all primary schools has given an additional impetus to the stay safe programme as well as the overall issue of child protection.
Additional information not given on the floor of the House.
It is a priority of my Department to ensure that a high level of awareness and the necessary skills to address child protection issues, which includes the implementation of the Stay Safe programme, is maintained in all schools. For this reason, my Department will continue to support the promotion of child protection within the context of the social, personal and health education curriculum.
The current high level of take-up of the stay safe programme, combined with the implementation of my Department's child protection guidelines and the incorporation of the central elements of the programme, and in addition to the coverage of the overall issue of child protection within SPHE is very positive. However, I strongly encourage all schools to use the stay safe programme.
While listening to the Minister, I could not help thinking how useful that programme would have been to many of the young children abused in the Ferns diocese. Why is the programme not mandatory? It is very useful because it involves giving the children skills. It also involves teachers, parents and communities. I do not understand why it cannot be made mandatory or has not been made so. Does the Minister intend to make it mandatory, or is there some obstacle which prevents the Department making it mandatory in all schools? We cannot take the risk of having children left out of such a valuable programme.
I agree it is a very valuable programme and it is desirable that all schools would agree to have it implemented. As I noted, it is not just a programme administered between the classroom teacher and the children because it also involves parents, the wider community and teacher training. All those need to sign up for the programme to be part of the school. The current high take-up is very encouraging, as is the fact that we have the guidelines, and so much of the programme is now incorporated into the SPHE programme. All that is very positive.
I will keep the programme under review. Over the weekend I looked at the various books for the different classes and I cannot see why anyone would object to teaching the programme or why any parent would object to his or her child being taught the programme. It can be taught very sensitively in the context of the school ethos and I strongly encourage and recommend that all schools implement the programme.
I am just trying to find out why the Minister cannot make the programme mandatory and give a directive to all schools to implement it. I received a letter from the Catholic Primary School Management Association which said that Catholic primary schools are required to follow the national guidelines for protection following consultation with the parents with regard to the stay safe programme. From the Department's point of view, is enough effort being made towards ensuring that all schools follow the programme? Has the Minister any indication as to what type of schools are not in the stay safe programme or what reasons are given as to why they might not be included in the programme?
I understand that teachers are very positive about the programme. The schools in which it has not been implemented are those where parents have objected to it. The reasons included a dislike of the emphasis on "yes-no" and a preference for "right-wrong" in a moral context. Some parents felt that the basis of the programme was quite dubious.
In a school where the programme is offered, parents have the right not to have their children participate in it. We have evidence only with regard to about 46 children withdrawn from the programme, but 26 of those were from one school. It is clear therefore that there were particular issues in a small number of schools. I would much rather see a situation where by explaining the programme properly and bringing those parents on board, the programme could be implemented with the full co-operation of the entire school community rather than by diktat from me or the Department. We are very close to seeing the programme fully implemented. Even though I supplied a take-up figure of 80% to85%, I understand the INTO believes the figure to be a good deal higher. I will keep the situation under review but would prefer if the school communities themselves appreciated the value of the stay safe programme in protecting children.
It would be better if no children were left out.
109 Dr. Cowley asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the site acquisition for a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; if her attention has been drawn to the need for a permanent school building; if her attention has further been drawn to the fact that this school will be homeless from June 2006 unless a permanent site and building are acquired; if this project is included in the 2005-06 capital programme owing to the imminent deadline for vacation of the present site and the need for teachers and pupils to be relocated to a new school site or building taking into account the pressing deadline of June 2006; the measures which have been taken by her on this project; the stage the Office of Public Works is at with its inquiries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32981/05]
My Department has been actively pursuing the acquisition of a suitable site to facilitate the construction of a permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy. Nine sites were initially under consideration by the OPW acting on behalf of my Department. Detailed reports were received on three of these earlier this year. The report identified one of the sites as being the most suitable, subject to a geotechnical survey. Following a favourable report, negotiations were initiated with the owners, the local authority. My Department has concluded these discussions and I understand the issue will be on the agenda of a forthcoming council meeting. Upon legal finalisation of the site acquisition, my Department will seek a fast-track solution to procurement of the school building.
As the board and patron are already aware, the provision of interim accommodation remains the responsibility of the school authorities until such time as a permanent solution is provided. Officials in my Department are willing to work with the school authorities in their efforts to address the interim solution and have communicated recently with the school authority in that regard.
I thank the Minister for her very clear answer. I am glad to hear there is a site and that the situation is finalised. Will this new school be included in the schools programme for 2006? Otherwise, there will be no alternative to the street for these children because the lease will expire next May and is not renewable, although the owner will allow the school to remain until June.
Will these gaelscoil students face similar circumstances to the 700 illiterate students who are on the streets because the Minister left County Mayo VEC with a funding shortfall of €50,000? Newspapers such as the Mayo Echo are double Dutch to people who cannot read. Will the Minister provide €50,000 to County Mayo VEC so that these people may continue to take literacy courses? If they cannot continue, they will face life sentences in terms of being unable to read.
Will the Minister include the gaelscoil in Westport in the 2006 Estimates? If she does not, its pupils will not have a school. The five prefabs that comprise their current premises are a health and safety hazard. The Minister said that once a site has been secured she will take steps to ensure that a new school is built. Will the Minister ensure that it will be included in the 2006 schools building programme so that the children will not be on the street and dependant on the VEC? Will the Minister provide the €50,000 needed by the VEC for illiterate students?
While the issues of the VEC and illiteracy do not pertain to the question in hand, the VEC in County Mayo was given its allocation and I am surprised it would choose to allow the most vulnerable to suffer. The Deputy may wish to take that matter up with the VEC.
With regard to Gaelscoil na Cruaiche, I have said that we will progress the school building once a site is acquired. Naturally, because the school must leave its temporary accommodation next year, that will become a priority. A number of ways are available to us in terms of expediting the building of schools. Acquisition of a site was the main hindrance in this process but I understand that matter will be formally cleared shortly.
County Mayo VEC has done magnificent work and has done more than any other VEC to ensure that the maximum numbers of students attend. However, it has a shortfall of €50,000. Can the Minister see a way to providing it with these funds?
It is up to the VEC to work within the resources it has been given. The Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, already spoke to this matter on the Adjournment Debate. The resources have been provided and the VEC must decide how to allocate them.
110 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science the steps she will take to improve student behaviour at second level; if, in this context she will also tackle the problem of bullying in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32950/05]
The task force on student behaviour will complete a final report, including recommendations later this year. In its interim report, the task force recognises that the most important feature of its work is to generate a set of recommendations that will impact in a positive way and will help to curtail the spread of disruptive behaviour in our schools. At its interim report stage, the task force decided to document the broad areas that are emerging to form the bedrock of its recommendations in its final report, which is expected in December 2005. Since the task force was established early this year, it has come to grips with the breadth and complexity of this vitally important area. In tackling its job it has consulted widely and built upon submissions, research and its own analysis to define the areas on which its final report will make recommendations to underpin future change.
I am particularly impressed with the ability of the task force to focus on the core issues. It has indicated to me that it is on target to produce a final report and detailed recommendations in December. Before producing that report, it wants to engage further with the wide range of interests in this area and to review what works domestically and internationally. I am greatly encouraged by this interim report and I look forward to receiving the final report and its recommendations.
With regard to the issue of bullying in schools, the education of students in primary and post-primary schools in anti-bullying behaviour is a central part of the social, personal and health education curriculum. SPHE is now a compulsory subject at primary level and in the junior cycle of post-primary schools. The SPHE curriculum provides for the development of personal and social skills including self awareness, respect for others, self esteem and communication skills, all of which are important elements in addressing the issue of bullying. In primary education, the issue of bullying is addressed in the SPHE curriculum in the strand Myself and Others from infant classes onwards. In second-level education, the issue of bullying is addressed from first year onwards in the SPHE curriculum at junior cycle in the module Belonging and Integrating.
My Department, in its guidelines on countering bullying behaviour in schools, has provided a national framework within which individual school management authorities may meet their responsibilities for implementing effective school based policies to counter bullying. These guidelines were drawn up following consultation with representatives of school 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 school is required to have in place a policy that includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour within the framework of an overall school code of behaviour and discipline. Such a code, properly devised and implemented, can be the most influential measure in countering bullying behaviour in schools.
The school development planning initiative plays an important role in supporting schools to raise awareness of the need for anti-bullying measures. In addition, my Department funds a number of support services and pilot initiatives which provide direct assistance to schools in dealing with the issue of bullying. I will give careful consideration to any recommendations on bullying behaviour the task force may make in its final report.
I welcome the Minister's response, arising from which I have further questions. Many schools are frustrated with section 29 of the Education Act 1998. I am aware that the Minister is awaiting the report of the task force but has she given any consideration to this issue in the interim? Some schools are forced to take students who have been previously expelled, which leads to a situation where students believe they can behave however they wish because the sanctions that can be applied are limited. Does the Minister plan to bring forward any legislative changes to section 29?
Dr. Maria Lawlor estimated that approximately 15% of second-level students are being bullied. The Minister will be aware that it was recently estimated that up to €3 billion is being lost to the Irish economy due to absenteeism and poor productivity arising from bullying. This behaviour is often learned in school yards and continues in later life.
Has the Minister given any further consideration to the establishment of a national anti-bullying programme? The people who work on these matters in Trinity College believe that such a programme, which would not be particularly expensive to establish, could reduce the aforementioned 15% figure. Pilot programmes have been shown to be successful and I ask the Minister to consider their expansion.
A misunderstanding seems to exist among schools in terms of the trend over recent years in the results of appeals under section 29. When these appeals were first made, a significant number undoubtedly were not favourable to schools. However, now that schools have proper procedures and policies in place, two thirds of decisions are in favour of schools and one third in favour of students. Recently, when I revealed these figures to members of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, they were surprised. The figures demonstrate that, if the correct procedures are in place, a school will be supported in its work. At the same time, we have to ensure that a child is given the opportunity to put his or her case and to receive an education. Cases are followed up with the National Education Welfare Board and welfare officers to ensure that children receive opportunities to pursue studies.
Although Dr. Maeve Martin said they would not do it, I asked her to see whether change is needed in this area. The significant amount of bureaucracy which appears to be involved causes as many problems for schools as the provisions made in section 29. I have asked Dr. Martin to determine whether recommendations should be made.
I am satisfied, with the supports that have been put in place, that requiring schools to devise anti-bullying policies is the most positive manner of addressing the issue of bullying. These actions must be taken in conjunction with boards of management, teachers and students. It is a matter of getting people to sign up to the anti-bullying policy of a particular school.
We funded a number of programmes, including the TCD programme mentioned by the Deputy and, this year, a summer course for participants. These pilot programmes feed into our overall policy. Rather than go down the road of adopting one or another, it is crucial that a whole school approach is involved and that it is fully integrated into the curriculum. Policies such as SPHE and curriculum development will ensure that young people focus on self esteem and respect for others. However, the other programmes help to feed into policy making.
What evaluation is being done on the SPHE to ensure that it is effectively targeting students and will lead to a decrease in bullying?
The task force is examining the effectiveness of the strategies being employed at present because good practices are in place throughout the country which can be built upon and used by others. The task force's investigation of effective practices in preventing or minimising disruptive behaviour will also guide us on the issue of bullying.
111 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Education and Science her response to calls from the National Heart Alliance for schools to play a crucial role in terms of promoting a healthy diet and adequate physical exercise for children; if she will reintroduce the sports equipment grant and ban the sale of sugary fatty energy-dense food from schools. [33077/05]
Our schools promote, support and encourage healthy eating and physical exercise in a range of ways. Physical education is part of the curriculum at primary and at post-primary level and plays a key role not just in giving students an opportunity to exercise during the school day but also in encouraging a positive attitude towards physical activity which students will, hopefully, carry with them into adult life.
With regard to educating students about making good food choices, a curriculum in social, personal and health education is mandatory for all primary students and its implementation is being assisted by a full-time support service. Health and well-being with food and nutrition are two areas dealt with under the "taking care of my body" unit of that curriculum. The objective is that by fifth and sixth class, pupils should be enabled to realise that they, as individuals, have some responsibility for adopting a healthy balanced diet and for taking regular and appropriate exercise.
All second level schools have been required to provide SPHE as part of the junior cycle curriculum since September 2003. The aims of this programme include preparing students for responsible decision making and promoting their physical, mental and emotional health and well-being.
Quite apart from curricular provision, schools can implement measures to encourage physical activity during school breaks and schools already play a major role in promoting the involvement of students in sporting activities in the wider community. Sports organisations such as the Gaelic Athletic Association, Basketball Ireland, the Football Association of Ireland provide extensive opportunities for schools to participate in sport.
Together, the above initiatives ensure that children not only get opportunities to exercise at school but also learn about balanced nutrition and making good food choices. I believe that schools are playing their part in terms of promoting a healthy diet and adequate physical exercise for children. However, it is important to remember that children spend just 20% of their waking hours at school so schools can only do so much with regard to promoting exercise and healthy eating and the main role must rest with parents.
Regarding sports equipment grants, my Department has provided in excess of €5.5 million in grant aid to primary schools specifically for this purpose, to enable them to provide coaching or mentoring in connection with physical education or to purchase resource materials associated with the provision of physical education. Materials and equipment purchased by schools in previous years will generally be available to them for subsequent years. The question of a further grant will be kept under review as part of the normal Estimates process in the coming years. Schools can also use their general capitation funding to support the implementation of curricula, including physical education. Since 1997 the standard rate of capitation grant has been increased from £45 or €57.14 per pupil to €133.58 in the current year, an increase of almost 134% in the period.
The position on the question of banning the sale of certain foods in schools is that schools are privately owned, privately managed institutions which, although funded by the State, enjoy a large degree of autonomy. It is, therefore, primarily a matter for the boards of management of individual schools to devise policies on the types of food that are available on the school premises and such policies should be driven by the needs and the welfare of the students. I know that many schools have developed healthy eating policies in co-operation with their parents' associations and I would encourage others to do so.
I thank the Minister for her reply but I ask her to take account of what needs to be done as well as what is being done. The National Heart Alliance has called on the Department of Education and Science to take a lead role in tackling childhood obesity. The alliance should be pushing an open door in approaching the Minister with suggestions in this area, given that one in five children are obese in Ireland, while the EU average is one in six. In this context, we are closer to Boston than Berlin.
I ask the Minister to take account of the decrease in physical exercise which is reported among children from seven to 18 years. Only 49% of such children are exercising four or more times a week, down from 54%. These figures represent an average and girls are generally much worse than boys in this regard. In that context, I ask the Minister to make the case more strongly, during the Estimates process, that the physical education equipment grant scheme be reinstated and given additional resources to try to reverse the trend of fewer children taking physical exercise.
I appreciate that schools are private institutions but the Department has a major influence in the running of schools. The Minister must take account of the need for a healthy food policy in all schools and for a code of practice, at both primary and secondary level, on vending machines. I understand there is a voluntary code on vending machines at primary level, but the secondary level sector also needs guidance and influence from the Department on this matter.
I ask the Minister to be open to meeting the National Heart Alliance to discuss further practical measures, from a health and medical point of view, that may need to be taken.
There are two significant ways of dealing with this issue, one of which is the provision of facilities. In all major extensions and new school buildings, particularly at second level, state-of-the-art gymnasia are being installed, including, for example, a balcony area with fitness equipment, which seems to be particularly attractive to teenage girls. Even though this adds substantially to the cost of physical education halls, I have decided that we should continue with this type of development as it is a way of keeping girls involved and fit.
The second way to deal with this issue is through the summer works programme. Last year, my Department provided over €2.3 million for outdoor play areas for schools. This enabled them to resurface basketball courts and so on. This is an attempt to improve the facilities in schools throughout the country. The general purpose room in schools can also be used for physical education.
A significant number of schools are now adopting a healthy eating policy and I recommend that more do so. Obviously, this is something that must be done in conjunction with parents. We cannot just ban junk food in schools and have children arriving to school with nothing. A healthy food policy must be implemented with parents' associations, which may be guided by the schools as to what is appropriate for children.
The SPHE programme, which includes information on nutrition, also includes a media awareness unit, which makes children realise how much advertising is targeted at them. It encourages children to be objective with regard to advertising. From the point of view of education, I am anxious to facilitate any initiatives that would improve the health of children. However, the parents who are looking for more time for physical education in schools are the ones who drive their children to school, collect them from school, bring them home, put them in front of a video and then give them a Gameboy for the rest of the night. A balance must be brought back into this discussion.
I am sure the Minister is not casting aspersions on the Minister for Transport over the lack of safe routes to school, though that is a matter to be resolved between Cabinet colleagues. During my time as a teacher, and perhaps during the Minister's time also, milk was provided in schools. There is a need to liaise with other Departments to provide healthier foods at schools in an attempt to reverse the habit children have acquired, perhaps through parental irresponsibility, of eating sugary energy-dense foods. The Departments of Education and Science and Agriculture and Food have a role to play in this regard.
I recently launched, with the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Deputy Coughlan, a fruit and vegetable initiative in a primary school in Brunswick Street. The aim of the initiative is to encourage young people to eat more fruit in the course of their day. There is much interdepartmental co-operation in this area.
That is a good start.
