Priority Questions.
47 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science how she intends to deal with the provision of permanent school accommodation in areas of major population growth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8222/05]
View answerIt is the policy of my Department to provide a permanent accommodation solution in so far as possible to meet the demands presenting for schools in areas of major population growth. However, the time span involved in architectural design and obtaining planning permission processes effectively means that in all instances it may not be possible to provide a permanent accommodation solution as soon as it is required. In these cases temporary accommodation is provided as an interim measure.
I am conscious of the pressures being placed on education providers in areas of major population growth. To this end my Department is prioritising the provision of new and enhanced educational facilities in these areas. The prioritisation criteria, which were recently revised in consultation with the education partners allocates a top priority band 1 rating to school building projects in such areas.
My Department is included among the prescribed authorities to which local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment. As a matter of course, meetings are arranged with local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any major proposed developments and their possible implications for school provision so as to ensure as far as possible the timely delivery of the required education infrastructure.
In recent years my Department has worked to strengthen contacts with local authorities to facilitate informed decisions on planning future educational provision. For example, the Dublin school planning committee, chaired by officials of my Department, interacts with the Dublin local authorities. This forum comprises representatives of the local authorities in Dublin, together with representatives of the patron bodies of primary schools and it monitors demographic changes and their likely impact.
The school planning section of my Department also works with some local authorities to explore the possibility of the development of school provision in tandem with the development of community facilities. This enhanced co-operation minimises my Department's land requirements and thus reduces site costs while at the same time providing local communities with new schools with enhanced facilities. Under the provisions of the strategic development zones it is generally the position that sites must be reserved for schools and also that the schools must be developed in line with the housing and other developments.
My Department has recently adopted an area-based approach to school planning where, through a public consultation process involving the education partners, a blueprint for schools' development in an area for a ten year time frame can be set out. The areas covered in the pilot phase of this area-based approach to school planning include north Dublin, south Louth and mid-Meath; the N4-M4 route running from Leixlip to Kilbeggan, including Maynooth, Celbridge, Kilcock, Edenderry and rapidly developing villages and towns on that route. Taken in combination these measures will improve the speed and effectiveness of the response to emerging needs.
A ten-year timeframe at this stage is too little too late. There has been an appalling lack of planning in the past and we must learn from previous disastrous decisions to ensure that cannot happen again. Does the Minister agree that the present emergencies must be dealt with now?
Is the Minister aware of the situation in places such as Johnstown outside Navan, Ballivor, Navan and Ratoath, which is a prime example of the problem? What can the Minister say to a school with 940 pupils? She will probably be there to open a €4 million extension later in the year but the school will remain one classroom short at current growth rates. What can be done in such situations? There is a school in Gorey, County Wexford which caters for twice the number of pupils for which it was built, as Deputy Kehoe can confirm.
We must ensure we can deal with these emergencies. A ten-year time frame is a nice idea in places where population growth is about to start but in places such as those I have named already experiencing serious problems, something more urgent must be done. Other places, such as Enfield, Lismullen and Coole are in a disastrous position and the parents are frustrated at the lack of action. They cannot wait ten years, which is the cycle of primary school education, so where can they go? In many of these areas the answer is simply, nowhere.
The demographics for some of the areas around Dublin reached their projected numbers years in advance of the dates given in the census. For that reason five new primary schools in Kildare have been recognised, three in Meath and two in Dublin, of the counties the Deputy mentioned. This is the type of initiative we take as an immediate response.
The Deputy mentioned Ratoath where an extension to cater for the senior students of the primary school will open in September and already there are plans for a third school there. I visited there recently and saw that end of the county is well served by educational developments and extensions. More provision is needed in some other counties such as Wexford, Westmeath and Laois which are within an hour or 90 minutes' drive of Dublin, and demand has grown.
One anticipated that new building would bring young couples with new families in four or five years' time, instead, five schools on the north side of Dublin have closed while there is a demand for schools in Meath. Whole families move in May and need school places in September. We must react to this. That is why we are investing so much in extensions to schools and pursuing sites in other situations.
What time frames does this involve for a school such as Johnstown, which is newly recognised? How long does the Minister envisage such a school in a major growth area must wait because ten years is too long? The school cannot provide and teach the new curriculum in its present situation. That is only one example.
I do not wish to speak about any one school. I would not envisage a ten year wait for a school that is recognised. The funding for this year alone for the schools' modernisation and building programme is €493 million of which €270 million will go into primary schools.
Is the Deputy referring to the Johnstown, Kill school?
I am referring to Johnstown in Navan but it is probably the same in Johnstown in Kill.
There are problems regarding sites which are tied up with rezoning. I have witnessed situations where the politicians calling for new schools vote against the rezoning of the only available site in the area. There are planning issues and problems of infrastructure, development and provision. I do not envisage any delay for new schools because they get priority 1 status.
48 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will clarify her plans for proposed changes to special education support in view of the growing concern among parents and teachers at the implications of circular SP ED 09/04 for children with special needs; if she has consulted with schools on this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8091/05]
View answerIn light of the reality that pupils in the high incidence disability categories of mild and borderline mild general learning disability and dyslexia are distributed throughout the education system my Department, in consultation with educational interests, developed a general model of resource teacher allocation to schools to support students in these disability categories.
My predecessor, Deputy Noel Dempsey, announced a model in 2004, which was due to come into effect this year but we have reviewed that model. The aim was to place a permanent resource in primary schools to cater for pupils in these categories. The model based on numbers and which takes into account the differing needs of the most disadvantaged schools and that boys have greater difficulties than girls was the one devised.
There are advantages to using a general allocation model. It ensures there is early intervention because the resources are in place in the school when a child enrols. It reduces the need for individual applications and supporting psychological assessments. It puts resources in place on a more systematic basis, thereby giving schools more certainty about their resource levels. It gives more security to special education teaching posts and makes special education teaching a more attractive option. It allows flexibility to school management in the deployment of resources, leading to a more effective and efficient delivery of services. It will automatically adjust a school's general allocation on the basis of changing enrolment. The principle of having a general allocation is a good one for the reasons I have outlined. However, the particular model which was announced indicated that there would be particular difficulties for small, rural and disadvantaged schools. For that reason, a review is under way which it is hoped will be completed over the next few weeks. This has involved consultation with the representative interests, including the National Council for Special Education.
In regard to resources next year for children in the lower incidence disability categories, resources will continue to be allocated on the basis of individual applications. It is important that where there is a particular special need in the low incidence category, these children are considered individually. These pupils are not evenly distributed among schools. Therefore, the general model would be inappropriate for them. However, the involvement of the National Council for Special Education and the special educational needs organisers will greatly enhance the speed of response to such applications.
I thank the Minister for her reply. This issue has been raised on a number of occasions. I am sure her back bench colleagues will have made her aware of the serious disquiet that exists on this issue. I recently attended a meeting in Scoil Coca Naofa, Kilcock, to which all the candidates were invited in the context of the by-election. We heard at first hand the concerns of parents and teachers, including special needs teachers and the principal of the school, that children who have been assessed as being in need of resources and who now have them will have them diluted. Has the Minister listened to some of these parents and teachers regarding their real and individual concerns?
The Minister said that children would receive the service appropriate to their needs. Does that mean that a child who has two and a half hours' one-to-one support and has been assessed as needing this support will continue to have that level of support from September 2005? There are concerns that where resources are in place and the system is working well on the basis of the figures in the weighted scheme, schools would lose teachers and resource hours and children would lose out. Will the Minister address these concerns and ensure children do not lose the resources they need?
I met the principal of the school to which Deputy O'Sullivan referred and also the principals and boards of management representing schools in west Limerick. I was happy to receive submissions from various groups to revise our thinking on the matter. I always believe in listening to people. I have received recommendations from organisations such as the National Council for Special Education and partners in education.
We said that children will receive a service according to their needs. The needs of children change each year. Just because a child needed a particular resource in senior infants does not necessarily mean he or she will need it in second class. I hope these children will not continue to need these resources and that their educational development will be such that they will be able to address their problems and issues. The aim is to ensure that children who need a service will receive it. The problem is trying to find an allocation that can cater for all the needs of small and rural schools in particular which share teachers. We want to address the problem of people having to drive from one end of a county to another.
An issue that came to light in some schools was the differential in the allocation between boys and girls. There should be a greater allocation for boys because all the international literature and all the national and international surveys indicate that there are greater needs and difficulties among boys than among girls. We must address that kind of evidence and information.
In her reply about children getting what they need, does it mean that the poor unfortunate principals will have to make a decision in September if they do not have sufficient resources? Where a child had two and a half hours' one-to-one support, will the principal now have to decide the child does not need it anymore or can they get the resources from the Department?
There are many instances where principals must decide on the deployment of resources. We appointed 2,600 additional resource teachers in recent years to deal with the issues and difficulties to which we have referred. A child who has a specific need and who falls within the low incidence or more severe category will continue to get exactly what was allocated to him or her. What we are talking about in this model is the mild and borderline mild general learning disability. We must cater for their needs by having that service in place. I hope to be in a position to announce the allocation over the next few weeks. However, it is proving quite difficult to come up with a model.
49 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the need to reduce class sizes, particularly at primary level, in view of Ireland’s poor position in EU terms; her views on international evidence collated recently by the INTO which points to the huge benefits of smaller classes; her plans to improve the pupil-teacher ratio over the next five years, notwithstanding investments in special needs assistants and resource teachers; the steps being taken to roll out more graduates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7940/05]
View answerThe system for allocating teachers to primary schools is based on ensuring an overall maximum class of 29 in each school. While some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is generally because a decision has been taken at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes.
The Deputy should note that significant improvements have been made in this area in recent years. The average class size at primary level is now 23.9, down from 26.6 in the 1996-7 school year. The pupil-teacher ratio, which includes all teachers in the school, including resource teachers, has fallen from 22.2:1 in the 1996-7 school year to 17.44:1 in 2003-04. Some 4,000 additional teachers have been employed in primary schools since 1997. These additional teaching posts have been used to reduce class sizes, tackle educational disadvantage and provide additional resources for children with special needs. Significantly smaller class sizes have been introduced in disadvantaged schools involved in the Giving Children an Even Break and Breaking the Cycle programme, with approximately 47,700 pupils in 243 participating schools availing of reduced class sizes of either 15 or 20 pupils per class.
In line with Government policy, my Department will continue to provide further reductions in the pupil-teacher ratio within available resources and subject to spending priorities within the education sector. Priority will be given to pupils with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas and in junior classes. The primary sector has experienced a shortage of trained teachers in recent years, mainly because of the creation of the large number of posts which I have outlined. The difficulties being experienced were aggravated by the number of teachers availing of career breaks and job-sharing schemes.
It is important to acknowledge that the colleges of education have done much to increase the output of primary teachers to meet the needs of schools arising from significant additional teacher allocations in recent years. Since 1999, more than 1,000 students have been admitted annually to the BEd programme in the colleges of education. Since the 1995-6 academic year, an 18 month postgraduate course has been provided in the colleges. The total intake to the colleges of education in the current academic year is approximately 1,280 students. This compares with an intake of 500 in 1996-7. There are 3,500 students enrolled and pursuing various stages of primary teacher training programmes in the colleges of education. In addition, graduates of the new primary teacher training course, which is being accredited by HETAC and delivered by Hibernia College, an on-line third level educational company, will be recognised for the purposes of primary teaching.
Is the Minister aware that more than 80% of approximately 210,000 to 220,000 children under the age of nine in classes ranging from junior infants up to second class are in classes of more than 20? International evidence indicates that smaller class sizes can benefit a child's reading and language development skills, mathematics and artistic development. It also indicates that teachers who are able to spend more time teaching can benefit children under the age of nine and prepare them for the work ahead. Studies have shown that people who complete their leaving certificate and go to college earn more money and pay more in tax.
The programme for Government contained a pledge that over the next five years the Government would progressively introduce maximum class size guidelines to ensure the average size of classes for children under nine would be below the international best practice guideline of 20:1. Is the Government admitting that it has broken that promise and that it will remain broken until the next election?
The Deputy referred to international evidence on smaller class sizes and the Government accepts that smaller class sizes at junior level can make a difference. There is no evidence, however, to show that smaller class sizes further up the line can make a real difference to educational achievement. The international level was recently cited by the INTO in its magazine in an article that also shows the reduction in class size must be accompanied by a change in teaching styles to achieve all of the benefits. Teacher quality and the work he or she is doing in the classroom is even more significant than the size of the class. The two must go hand in hand.
Our priority must be disadvantaged areas. We want to ensure children in those areas are targeted and that is backed up by changes in teaching methods. In the Breaking the Cycle element of the disadvantage programme, there is a class size of 15:1 but in the evaluation, improvements in literacy and numeracy were not generally attained and, unfortunately, in some areas it was found that there was even some decline in attainment despite the small class size. My priority is to aim to meet the target in the programme for Government but that will be done in the context of the availability of resources and teachers and the priorities for me are special needs and disadvantage.
Does the Minister acknowledge that many pupils are disadvantaged even when their school is not in a disadvantaged area and, in terms of class sizes, they must also be dealt with? Whatever about the Minister's aspirations to meet the commitments in the programme for Government, so far the promise has remained unfulfilled. In economic terms, Ireland has the third largest class sizes in the EU and our future economic and social development will be in jeopardy unless the issue is addressed as a matter of urgency.
The same tables also show that educational achievement in Ireland is much higher than in those states with smaller class sizes.
It is higher in spite of the larger class sizes.
That bears out that class size is not the only contributor to educational achievement. It remains our aim and part of the programme for Government but it will be done in the context of targeting those most in need with teachers and available resources.
50 Ms Enright asked the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the extent of bullying in schools; the action her Department is taking to combat bullying in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8224/05]
View answerI assure the Deputy that I am acutely aware of the issue of bullying in schools and my Department has in place a multifaceted strategy to tackle the issue.
The education of students in both 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 both 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 Myself and Others strand from infants classes onwards. In second level education, bullying is addressed from first year onwards in the SPHE curriculum at junior cycle in the module on 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 which 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.
What evaluation has the Department carried out of the success rate of the SPHE anti-bullying element? Has the Minister seen statistics reflecting a reduction in bullying? Is the Minister aware of the programme carried out by Dr. Mona O'Moore in Trinity College and that an evaluation of it showed a reduction of 50% among those frequently victimised and a reduction of 69.2% in reports of those frequently carrying out bullying? That was properly evaluated and shows a high level of success. This pilot project was allowed to get off the ground in 1998 in response to a sad tragedy that occurred as a result of bullying and we all know of other tragedies in similar circumstances.
Does the Minister feel current provision is sufficient? If the Department felt such a project was necessary in 1998 and if it has been shown to be so successful it has been adopted by the Norwegian Government, why have we not allowed it to expand to the extra 140 schools? It is not even a huge financial burden. Why could we not find €26,000 in the resources of the Department of Education and Science to allow for a video that has also been successful to go out to schools? Why can we not facilitate some level of in-service training to allow this to roll out?
I personally have noticed a distinct change since I was a Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science with special responsibility for children on the whole issue of bullying. When I visited schools then, bullying was the number one issue but now in any of my dealings with the children whom we have consulted it does not come up as an issue. That is striking and the reason for that is it is being tackled at school level — because children are more aware of it, more vocal about it and involved in it, they are not highlighting it as a problem while realising they must deal with it.
That is anecdotal.
No. This is as a result of the various policies, seminars, guidelines that have been issued, the pilot projects that exist and the fact that all schools are now required to have an anti-bullying policy. The best way to deal with this is in the context of the code of behaviour of the individual school which would be signed up to by staff, parents and children. That makes the penalties and sanctions clear to each student and informs him or her of the attitude of the school to bullying and it is having a real impact.
I am familiar with the anti-bullying programme in Trinity College, which is one of many pilot projects. The Cool School anti-bullying project in the former North Eastern Health Board area is being implemented in 80% of schools in Counties Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan and the pilot project from the Navan Education Centre is also being extended.
The Trinity College programme was funded by my Department based on the Norwegian model. Last year, well into the academic year, after the school in-service programme had been arranged, the TCD centre sought funding to be included in this year and it was far too late to do it. Last year, during the summer, we gave approval, despite a late application, to run a summer course in Trinity College for preventing and countering bullying behaviour in schools' practical intervention work.
We are open to considering all programmes that might be of benefit. It is important this is done in conjunction with the SPHE programme and the schools' development planning initiative to support all of the work being undertaken. At the end of 2004, DCU also published research on bullying and the effect of the anti-bullying measures.
51 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the way in which she proposes to address the growing problem of inadequate provision of school places for children in areas of expanding population, especially in Dublin and the counties bordering Dublin; if she will pursue with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the possibility of having the Planning and Development Act 2000 amended to make sites for schools available at affordable prices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8092/05]
View answerI am conscious of the issues raised by the Deputy and in particular the pressures for places in some schools and colleges in the greater Dublin area and in those areas within commuting distance of Dublin which are experiencing major population growth. To this end my Department is prioritising the provision of new and enhanced educational facilities in these areas. The prioritisation criteria which were recently revised in consultation with the education partners allocates a top priority band one rating to school building projects in such areas.
My Department is included among the prescribed authorities to whom local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment. As a matter of course, meetings are arranged with local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any major proposed developments and their possible implications for school provision to ensure as far as possible the timely delivery of the required education infrastructure.
The areas covered in the first phase of this approach to school planning include north Dublin, south Louth and mid-Meath in one plan and a separate plan for the N4-M4 route running from Leixlip to Kilbeggan and including Maynooth, Celbridge, Kilcock, Edenderry and rapidly developing villages and towns on that route.
In regard to the availability and costs of sites for school buildings, the Deputy will be aware of the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000. All these measures taken in combination will enable us to build on the progress made to date and respond ever more effectively to emerging need.
The Deputy has also raised the matter of site acquisition and ensuring that sites are available at affordable prices. The position is that my Department, working with the local authorities, causes land to be reserved for school development in particular areas. While it would be fair to say that the cost of sites impacts on the overall capital envelope available for school buildings, it is important to note that the question of acquiring suitable land per se rarely in practice slows up the delivery of a school building project in a rapidly developing area.
There is an issue whether my Department ends up paying a fair and reasonable price for school sites and what contribution, if any, a developer should make. The provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000 do not place an onus on developers to provide school sites other than at market rates. I am keeping an open mind as to whether legislative change might be of assistance or prove the best way forward. Any changes in this area would require careful consideration in the context of constitutional protection for private property and in weighing up how any reduction in the price per acre of any land given for schools development might impact on the unit costs and affordability of houses developed on the remaining lands.
I am a member of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution. In our recommendations we said it would be possible to have land made available for educational purposes at affordable prices without affecting the Constitution and we got legal advice on that issue. It costs the Department money that could otherwise be spent on school buildings, expansions and so on. It is a matter of public accountability that we try to buy land for schools at prices that are not inflated. I am aware that Educate Together met the Minister recently and made that point.
Given the recent dramatic expansion in population, does the Minister agree that not having a proactive approach in the Department of Education and Science and waiting for local communities to get organised for new schools affects children and parents and their opportunity to be in schools of a reasonable size with decent classrooms? A report in her Department suggests that within the next 15 years, primary enrolments will increase from the current level of fewer than 450,000 to approximately 600,000 and that second level enrolments will increase from 335,000 to 405,000. Are there plans in the Department to be more proactive in assuming the role of setting up new schools and supporting local communities rather than expecting schools to start up in scout halls, rugby clubs and all kinds of unsuitable accommodation until such time as they reach a certain size?
On the Deputy's first point on the issue of sites, I would like to see a situation where a developer had to make a site available at low or no cost to the Department of Education and Science. However, I want to ensure he does not then hike up the price of houses. That said, it may be worth it for those people to have children in their schools.
It would be made a condition of the rezoning.
The legal advice is that one cannot make it a condition of the rezoning. That issue would have to be examined because a property right is involved. In fairness, there are local authorities, such as Fingal County Council, which are being extraordinarily helpful to us to ensure the Department does not end up paying large sums of money. There can be a programme through which community facilities are provided and that can link in with the developer's work. On the other side there are some developers who offer to make contributions towards the building of schools. In an area which will be a new town of 20,000 people, a developer said he would provide a four-teacher school which would not go far in meeting the need.
The Deputy's second question related to planning generally. A new group or patron is not allowed to set up a school in a scout hall. It must be able to show it can develop and grow within the site during the coming years. The area development plans and the commission on schools is one way of ensuring proper development and plans for an area. It is through that committee we have seen applications being made, following notification, public consultation, identification of the real need and temporary or permanent recognition, leading to the provision of a school in an area. That system has worked well, particularly in some of the new areas, and I have mentioned some of the new schools which have been provided as a result. There is also the development of gaelscoileanna and Educate Together so that planning for the future is being looked at in many different ways and not just from the point of view of demographics. The difficulty is not that we do not have school buildings but that some happen to be in the wrong places.
