Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 June 2012
236 Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the guidelines in place to address health and safety and child protection issues in the case of one teacher primary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29315/12]
View answerThe responsibility for day to day management of schools is at local school level. Schools are required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of pupils. A supervision grant is provided by my Department to 1-teacher schools to assist them supervise pupils during the morning and lunch-time breaks in the school day. My Department has recently published updated "Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools". These procedures are based on the recently published "Children First — National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011" and apply to all primary and post-primary schools, irrespective of size.
The new procedures incorporate significant improvements to the previous school guidelines and are intended to better ensure consistent and uniform implementation of Children First across all schools. The improvements include a new template child protection policy, a requirement that all primary schools fully implement the Stay Safe programme and also put in place improved oversight arrangements at Board of Management level.
