Wednesday, 17 Apr 2013

Written Answers Nos. 104-112

National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy

Questions (104)

Denis Naughten

Question:

104. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline the progress made to date on his literacy and numeracy strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17888/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Over the period since the launch of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy in July 2011, there has been significant progress under many of the 41 actions and almost 180 sub-actions.

I have increased the time spent on literacy and numeracy at primary level and the revision of the English and Irish curricula is being prioritised in Junior Cycle Reform. Major changes are being made to initial teacher training and literacy and numeracy units are now in place in the National Teacher Induction Programme. School self-evaluation is being rolled out and I have introduced new requirements on standardised testing including the return of aggregate data to my Department.A national programme of professional development for primary and second level teachers is underway. Since September 2012 the Professional Development Service for Teachers has provided a range of professional development on Literacy and Numeracy for over 7,500 teachers and principals at primary and post primary levels.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Questions (105)

Denis Naughten

Question:

105. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an assessment of the impact which changes to the pupil teacher ratio are having on class numbers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17889/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Pupil teacher ratios for the 2012/2013 academic year are currently being compiled and will be available during the summer of 2013. Figures for the 2011/2012 academic year are available on the Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/.The staffing schedule is the mechanism used for allocating mainstream teaching posts to all schools. It operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools.

The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. My Department publishes annual statistics on class size data for each school. The most recent statistics are for the 2011/12 school year. The national average class size is 24.4 pupils. However, with over 20,600 classes in over 3,100 primary schools throughout the country there will always be variations in class sizes at individual school level. My Department's guidance to local school management is that such variations should be kept to the minimum.

School Staffing

Questions (106)

Tom Fleming

Question:

106. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will take the increased enrolment figures into consideration as a matter of urgency and grant developing school status which would necessitate a mainstream class teacher and accommodation in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17921/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts to schools for the coming school year 2013/14 is set out in Circular 0013/2013, which is available on the Department website. Under the terms of this Circular, where a school is expanding the number of intake classes which would generate a new stream of pupils, the school must have received prior approval for such expansion from both the school patron and from my Department. The Forward Planning Section of my Department carried out an analysis on the catchment area in which the school referred to by the Deputy is included and concluded that there are sufficient primary school places in the catchment area to meet demand. As a result the school has been advised by my Department that the staffing of the school should remain at Principal + 8 mainstream teachers and 2 special classes (ASD). The application for a teaching post on developing school grounds was refused on this basis.

It is important that school size is monitored and that a balance is preserved among all the schools in catchment areas to ensure one school is not expanding at the expense of the viability of another school. This may sometimes result in children not being offered a place in their school of first choice. As you will appreciate there is a responsibility on schools to manage their own enrolment policies to ensure that they operate within the level of accommodation available to them.

School Patronage

Questions (107, 109)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

107. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to accommodate the concerns of the patrons of smaller denominational schools throughout the country; the extent to which he continues to have dialogue with such school authorities with a view to addressing their concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17961/13]

Bernard Durkan

Question:

109. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which changes in school patronage are likely to affect smaller denominational schools throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17963/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 109 together.

A Value for Money examination of small schools is being finalised within my Department and I expect to publish the analysis and findings in the near future. I hope that this report will foster constructive engagement both in the Oireachtas and among all interested parties in looking at the challenges ahead and how best to make provision for primary education in rural and dispersed communities.

My Department and I will continue to engage with the relevant education sector stakeholders in relation to education provision for all areas. The Government is intent on fostering pluralism in school provision. Following on from recent publication of the results of the surveys of primary school patronage, I have written to the Catholic Patrons in the 23 areas where parental demand for change has been confirmed in the recent surveys. I requested they now consider options for reconfiguring schools under their patronage in order to allow the transfer of a school to a new patron. I have asked the Catholic Patrons to submit an interim response within three months and a final response with detailed proposals on divesting schools within six months. Earlier surveys had been conducted in five pilot areas and as a result options for change are also being considered in respect of these.

Educational Disadvantage

Questions (108)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

108. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to be in a position to address such issues as early school-leaving or drop out from education in the short and medium term; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17962/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to assure the Deputy that ongoing measures to address school attendance, participation and retention are part of the Government's overall strategy to deal with educational disadvantage.

DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) is part of a continuum of interventions delivered by my Department to address educational disadvantage including early school leaving from pre-school through second-level education. This includes Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) through the universal pre-school provision scheme; Second-Chance education and training and access measures to increase participation in further and higher education for the minority of our young people who, for various reasons, leave education early without the knowledge and skills they need to support them in later life. A further element of this continuum is the ongoing development of provision for pupils with special educational needs.

In 2009 the National Educational Welfare Board was given an extended remit which involved the integration of the Home School Community Liaison Service (HSCL) and the School Completion Programme (SCP) as well as the National Educational Welfare Service (EWS) under one common management team to provide for a single, strategic approach to attendance, participation and retention in school. The aim of this integration of services is to meet the needs of children and improve educational outcomes for those most at risk of early school leaving or of developing school attendance problems.

Following from the expansion of the remit of the Board, and its transfer to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs in 2011, the NEWB has developed a new Integrated Model of Service Delivery called 'One Child, One Team, One Plan'. The Plan, which I understand is to be rolled out shortly, will integrate the overall Educational Welfare Service with the key DEIS supports of the Home School Community Liaison Service and School Completion Programme. This will lead to earlier response rates and assist in achieving better outcomes for children at risk of early school leaving.

The latest Report on Retention Rates in Post Primary Schools, published in 2012 and available on my Department's website, presents the retention rates of pupils who entered the first year of the junior cycle in the years from 2005 to 2006 and completed second level schooling no later than 2012. This report shows the following encouraging results: the percentage of students who sit the Leaving Cert overall has risen by more than 6% to 90.2% in 8 years; the average Leaving Certificate retention rate in DEIS schools increased by almost 7 percentage points from 73.2% to 80.1% for students who entered second level in 2004 to 2006 while the retention rate in non-DEIS schools increased from 87.4% to 92.7% for the same entry cohorts; the number of young men staying in secondary school has risen dramatically to 88.7% compared to 76.9% in the 2001 cohort.

Question No. 109 answered with Question No. 107.

Fee Paying Schools

Questions (110, 111)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

110. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he has engaged with the authorities of the various fee-paying schools throughout the country with particular reference to the need to ensure that any future changes in funding does not result in an increased charge to the Exchequer or the taxpayer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17964/13]

Bernard Durkan

Question:

111. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will indicate, arising from the McCarthy Report, wherein changes were proposed in respect of public funding of fee-paying schools, whether it is recognised that such a proposal may result in an increased charge to the Exchequer; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17965/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together.

The salaries of teachers employed within the approved annual staffing allocation for fee charging schools by my Department, are paid by the State; an arrangement that pre-dates the introduction of the Free Education scheme and which exists since the foundation of the State. The estimated cost of these posts is in the order of €100m.The Deputy will be aware that in the context of the Budget 2013, I made a further one point change to the staffing allocation of fee charging schools from September 2013.

Given the extremely difficult economic circumstances that this country is facing and the fact that every Department has to find considerable cost-savings, all expenditure must be examined to see if cost-savings can be found. The Deputy will appreciate that I cannot at this stage anticipate any specific decisions the Government may take in respect of the next budget.

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (112, 116)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

112. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which, in the context of the school building programme, he has managed to replace temporary or prefabricated classrooms with permanent structures over the last two years; his plans in this regard in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17966/13]

Bernard Durkan

Question:

116. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which, in the context of the school building programme, he has managed to replace temporary or prefabricated classrooms with permanent structures over the past two years within County Kildare; his plans in this regard in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17970/13]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 112 and 116 together.

The 5 Year Construction Plan I announced in March 2012, together with my recent announcement of the 50 school projects from that Plan which are scheduled for construction in the current year as part of a €2 billion capital investment programme, outlines the major school projects that will commence construction over the duration of the Plan (2012-2016).

The primary aim at the core of the Five Year Plan is focused on meeting demographic demands to ensure that every child will have access to a school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. Temporary accommodation is generally replaced with a permanent structure as part of the building project for those schools listed in the Plan.

Under my Department's Prefab Replacement Initiative announced in March 2012 over 170 schools have been approved to replace their rented prefab accommodation with permanent. In excess of €42 million has been allocated for this initiative of which €21.7 million has been paid to date. Funding is provided in two tranches, 70% when the project goes to construction and the remaining 30% on completion. A total of 124 projects have gone to construction and 15 of these have been completed. The rental savings achieved by the 15 completed projects are in the region of €197,000. These figures will be subject to change as further projects are completed. The current status of all projects, including those in County Kildare, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie and this will be updated regularly throughout the year.