John O'Mahony
Question:211. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills if Down's syndrome is recognised as a disability for resource hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33162/13]
View answerSpecial Educational Needs Services Provision
Questions (211, 227, 239)
Anthony Lawlor
Question:227. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills his position in regard to the recommendation of the National Council for Special Education, in its policy advice paper number four that children with Down's syndrome are allocated additional resources in line with their level of need rather than by disability category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33391/13]
View answer
Finian McGrath
Question:239. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason pupils with Down's syndrome have only general allocation hours in mainstream schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33524/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 211, 227 and 239 together.
I wish to advise the Deputies that pupils with Down's syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational psychological assessment places the pupil in the mild general learning disability/high incidence disability category, or through an allocation of individual additional resource teaching hours which are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. Pupils with Down's syndrome may be allocated resources under the category of mild general learning disability, or under the categories of moderate general learning difficulty or Assessed Syndrome, in conjunction with another Low Incidence disability.
I wish to explain to the Deputies also that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a formal role under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 in advising me in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities. My Department requested that the NCSE consider the issue of whether Down's syndrome should be reclassified as a low incidence disability in all instances, regardless of assessed cognitive ability, in the context of its preparation of comprehensive advice on how the educational system supports children with special educational needs in schools.
The NCSE report on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools has now been published and is available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie. The report recommends that under the new resource allocation model proposed by the NCSE in its report, children should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need, rather than by disability category. The NCSE has recommended that in the short-term, pupils with Down's Syndrome who are in the Mild General Learning Disability (Mild GLD) category should continue to be supported by schools' Learning Support allocation in the same way as other pupils with a Mild GLD. The NCSE policy advice did not recommend that an exception should be made for children with Down's syndrome who are in the Mild GLD range, over other children who are in the mild range and who also may have other co-morbid conditions.
However, the NCSE report states that it is confident that the introduction of a new allocation model will overcome the difficulty posed by all children with mild general learning disabilities, including children with Down's syndrome, who have additional difficulties and who can be supported according to their level of need and in line with their learning plan process. In the meantime, schools are reminded that they can differentiate the level of learning support granted to ensure that available resources are used to support children in line with their needs.
I have requested the NCSE to immediately proceed to establish a Working Group in order to develop a proposal for consideration for a new Allocation Model, which is set out as one of the principal recommendations of the report.
School Staffing
Questions (212)
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:212. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reverse the decision to reduce the permanent teaching staff at a school (details supplied) in County Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33287/13]
View answerWritten answers
The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2013/14 school year are set out in Circular 0013/2013 which is available on the website. The staffing arrangements also include an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The appeal criteria are also set out in Circular 0013/2013. The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Having considered the school's application in the context of the published grounds, the Board refused the appeal. The school was notified accordingly. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
Special Educational Needs Staffing
Questions (213)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:213. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants that will be allocated in the autumn to a school (details supplied) in County Dublin. [33288/13]
View answerWritten answers
I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
SNA allocations are made to schools by the NCSE annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support each year. All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013. Details of the SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2013/2014 school year are now available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie, which provides details of the SNA allocations for each school on a school by school and per county basis.
Where schools have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that these allocations were made, or where schools are seeking a revision to the quantum of SNA support which has been allocated to them for the coming school year, they should contact the NCSE regarding this matter. In general a revision to SNA allocations will only be made in circumstances where schools have enrolled new pupils or where schools can demonstrate that they do not have sufficient SNA posts to cater for the care needs of all of the qualifying children in their school.
All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
Student Grant Scheme Administration
Questions (214, 231)
Gerald Nash
Question:214. Deputy Gerald Nash asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the administration of the Student Universal Support Ireland system, including the fact that the student payments system does not respond to inquiries other than to issue a standard email acknowledgement in view of the contrary evidence supplied in relation to his recent response to previous parliamentary questions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33289/13]
View answer
Dominic Hannigan
Question:231. Deputy Dominic Hannigan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason Student Universal Support Ireland has still not issued a grant in respect of a person (details supplied); when payment will be made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33432/13]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 231 together.
Officials in my Department have been advised by SUSI that an award letter issued to the applicant referred to by the Deputy on 1st May 2013. SUSI further advised that fees for this application will be paid on the 25th July. While it is acknowledged that there were significant difficulties in the operation of the assessment processes last year, I am informed by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that, in preparation for the 2013/2014 academic year, both the on-line application system and the application assessment process are being further developed to enhance their effectiveness and efficiency and respond to experiences from year one.
For applicants applying through SUSI for the 2013/14 academic year, a number of new initiatives will make their application more efficient this year. The initiatives include direct information sharing between SUSI and Government bodies and agencies including the Revenue Commissioners, the Department of Social Protection, the General Register Office (GRO) and the Central Applications Office (CAO). These links should reduce significantly the number of documents required from applicants themselves. In addition the staff resources recommended by the review have already been sanctioned. The resources include three additional management posts and some 23 (whole time equivalent) additional processing staff. This will help to ensure that qualifying students have their applications assessed as quickly as possible. SUSI has also significantly developed its training programme to meet the training needs of new and existing staff.
Special Educational Needs Services Provision
Questions (215)
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Question:215. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the special needs assistance provision for a person (details provided) in County Leitrim; if he will ensure that the full-time 1:1 ratio is provided for the coming school year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33307/13]
View answerWritten answers
I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
The NCSE allocates a quantum of SNA support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support each year. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013. Details of the SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2013/2014 school year are now available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie, which provides details of the SNA allocations for each school on a school by school and per county basis.
Where schools have enrolled children who were not considered at the time that these allocations were made, or where schools are seeking a revision to the quantum of SNA support which has been allocated to them for the coming school year, they should contact the NCSE regarding this matter. In general a revision to SNA allocations will only be made in circumstances where schools have enrolled new pupils, or where schools can demonstrate that they do not have sufficient SNA posts to cater for the care needs of all of the qualifying children in their school.
All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
Schools Refurbishment
Questions (216)
Andrew Doyle
Question:216. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 303 of 2 July 2013, the position in regard to all approvals for additional accommodation and emergency works in an area in County Wicklow to date in 2013 by his Department's school building unit; if he will include the school name, roll number, date approved, type of additional accommodation or emergency work approved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33308/13]
View answerWritten answers
The information for each of the schemes referred to by the Deputy is included for information.
I wish to advise the Deputy that in the interest of openness and transparency I have requested that information of this nature be available for all on my Department's website and that it be updated regularly. Making the information publicly available reduces the amount of time spent by my Department responding to queries on approvals under the various Capital schemes. This allows my Department to focus on the delivery of urgently needed projects outlined in the 5 year Construction Plan.
Emergency Works Approvals 1 January 2013 – 5 July 2013
|
County |
Roll No |
School |
Project |
Date approved |
|
Wicklow |
17304O |
St Brigids NS, Annacurra |
Electrical Works |
07 January 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
16573N |
St. Brigids National School |
Mechanical Works |
30 January 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
14972R |
All Saints NS |
Roof Repairs |
19 February 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
15676S |
St. Patrick's NS, Wicklow |
Facilities for Special Needs Pupils |
12 March 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
16872A |
St, Cronan's, Bray |
Mechanical Works |
12 March 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
16874E |
St. Joseph's GNS, Rathnew |
Health and Safety Works |
28 March 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
19573F |
St. Laurence's NS, Greystones |
Mechanical Works |
08 May 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
17304O |
St. Brigid's NS, Annacurra, Tinahely |
Mechanical Works |
15 May 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
70770V |
St. Thomas' CC and Bray Institute of Further Education |
Facilities for Special Needs Pupils |
15 May 2013 |
|
Wicklow |
18502A |
Scoil Naomh Brid, Talbotstown, Kiltegan |
Mechanical Works |
04 July 2013 |
Additional Accommodation Approvals 1st January 2013 - 5th July 2013
|
County |
Roll No |
School |
Project |
Date approved |
|
Wicklow |
17810G |
Scoil Nioclais Naofa |
ASD Unit |
09-Jan-13 |
|
Wicklow |
17228B |
Our Ladys School |
3 x 80m2 Mainsteam Classrooms |
30-Jan-13 |
|
Wicklow |
19573F |
St Laurences NS |
2 x 80m2 Mainsteam Classrooms |
30-Jan-13 |
|
Wicklow |
18054W |
Scoil Chaomhin Naofa |
2 x 80m2 Mainsteam Classrooms |
30-Jan-13 |
|
Wicklow |
17720F |
St Kevin's National School |
1 x 80m2 Mainstream Classroom |
27-Feb-13 |
|
Wicklow |
20346B |
Kilcoole Primary School |
1 x 80m2 Mainstream Classroom |
17-Apr-13 |
|
Wicklow |
70790E |
Colaiste Bhride |
3 x 49m2 Mainstream Classroom |
01-May-13 |
|
Wicklow |
17091A |
St Mary's JNS |
2 x 80m2 Mainstream Classrooms & 2 x 12m2 Universal Access Toilets |
15-May-13 |
|
Wicklow |
10683N |
St Brigid's National School |
1 x 80m2 Mainstream Classroom |
22-May-13 |
|
Wicklow |
16634H |
Scoil Naomh Lorcan o Tuathail |
1 x 80m2 Mainstream Classroom |
05-Jun-13 |
Student Grant Scheme Applications
Questions (217)
Patrick O'Donovan
Question:217. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application made to Student Universal Support Ireland by a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33311/13]
View answerWritten answers
Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the applicant referred to by the Deputy previously had his application cancelled due to incomplete documentation. Additional documentation has now been received and the application is currently under review.
Special Educational Needs Services Provision
Questions (218)
John O'Mahony
Question:218. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a decision will issue on the July provision for a special needs child (details supplied) in County Mayo; the reason for the delay in replying to this request; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33326/13]
View answerWritten answers
The application in this case was received in the Department after the deadline for receipt of applications had passed. The application was dealt with promptly when the applications received within the deadline period had been processed. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the full allocation of hours under the Home Based July Provision scheme has been approved in this case and the applicant was notified of the decision by letter dated 3 July 2013.
Redundancy Payments Waiting Times
Questions (219)
Luke 'Ming' Flanagan
Question:219. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason special needs assistants have to wait up to nine months to receive their redundancy payments; his views on whether this delay is unacceptable and that it puts those who were already on low earnings in a very vulnerable position; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33327/13]
View answerWritten answers
My Department is currently issuing redundancy payments to Special Needs Assistants whose applications were received in December 2012. A large volume of applications were received during the period June - September 2012. A lower number of applications were received in the period October 2012 - April 2013 and these are being worked on in date order of receipt. Every effort is being made, within the resources available, to process these applications as quickly as possible.
For information, in accordance with my Department's recently published Circular on Supplementary Assignment Arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (Circular 37/2013), all SNAs who received notification of the termination of their employment due to redundancy from 1st May 2013 are deemed to be members of a Supplementary Assignment Panel for SNAs. As a result, unless an SNA opts out of this Panel, the processing of applications for redundancy payments in relation to posts lost after that date will not commence until after 1st June 2014. To date, no applications to opt out of the Panel have been received by my Department.
Minor Works Scheme Suspension
Questions (220)
Timmy Dooley
Question:220. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the plans in place to reinstate the minor works grant for schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33354/13]
View answerWritten answers
When the Minor Works Grant last issued in November 2011 for the school year 2011/2012, I stated that given the need to focus on meeting the demand for additional school places, it was unlikely that funding would be available for the Minor Works Grant in the coming years. This is borne out by the fact that in 2012, 85% of the capital expenditure in the school sector was in respect of large scale projects, additional accommodation and prefab replacement. The balance was expended on site acquisition, emergency works, furniture and equipment provision and commitments arising from earlier years. The capital allocation that is available for the school sector in 2013 is expected to have a similar spend pattern as was the case in 2012 and at this time there are no plans to reinstate the Minor Works Grant.
Student Grant Scheme Applications
Questions (221)
Brendan Griffin
Question:221. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a decision has been made in relation to a student grant application for a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33355/13]
View answerWritten answers
Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the applicant referred to by the Deputy initially applied as an Independent Mature student and following the appeals process was reassessed as a Dependent Mature student. Following the reassessment she was issued with a grant award letter on 6th June. The applicant appealed this decision on 1st July and is currently going through the appeals process.
Budget 2014 Issues
Questions (222)
Tom Fleming
Question:222. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that there are no further cuts to the schools/education budget and that all services are maintained and enhanced where possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33362/13]
View answerWritten answers
This Government has sought, against a very challenging economic backdrop, to protect education spending and maintain frontline education services as far as possible. While Budget 2013 required the implementation of some difficult savings measures across areas of the Education Vote, my Department is working to provide high levels of services through efficient and effective use of the resources that have been allocated.
However, levels of educational expenditure cannot be determined in a matter that ignores the economic reality. This reality means that restoring this country's economic fortunes and adhering to agreed targets for levels of general Government debt will require further consolidation in the years immediately ahead. My Department has a requirement to identify net savings of €44 million to meet the 2014 expenditure ceiling set for the Education Vote. In addition, it will be necessary to manage upward pressures on expenditure from within the set allocations. The precise formulation of the expenditure envelope for Education for 2014 will be determined by Government in the context of agreeing the forthcoming Budget.
Emergency Works Scheme Applications
Questions (223)
Timmy Dooley
Question:223. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an emergency works application for a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33368/13]
View answerWritten answers
Following receipt of an application from the school authority I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department recently approved funding under the Emergency Works Scheme. The school authority have been informed of this decision.
Special Educational Needs Staffing
Questions (224)
Patrick Nulty
Question:224. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he intends to lift the cap on the number of special needs assistants within the education system to meet increased demand in the system. [33371/13]
View answerWritten answers
I wish to advise the Deputy that the level of resources being devoted to supporting children with Special Educational Needs has been maintained at €1.3 billion this year. This includes provision for 10,575 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and nearly 10,000 Learning Support and Resource Teachers. These resources have been protected despite the ongoing severe financial position and a requirement to make expenditure savings across a range of areas.
I wish to clarify that there has been no reduction to the overall number of SNA posts being provided for schools for the coming school year. This provision remains at 10,575 posts, which will ensure that all children who qualify for access to SNA support for the coming school year will receive access to such support. It is important to note that the level of SNAs required to support children with special educational needs changes from year to year in line with the enrolment of different children with different care needs. The care needs of individual children can also change from year to year. The NCSE takes these factors into account when allocating SNAs to schools. Therefore, even if the number of students receiving SNA support rises, this does not necessarily mean that the required number of SNAs to support their care needs should rise by a similar percentage.
In June 2012 the NCSE reported that the number of children requiring support for the 2012/2013 school year was in the order of 20,000 and the most up-to-date current figures is that for December 2012 of 21,972. The initial allocation of SNAs for the coming school year will support about 22,000 pupils. This is at about the same level supported in December 2012, despite the passing of 6 months. To date the NCSE has allocated over 10,490 SNA posts to schools which leaves over 80 posts available for allocation during the school year. The NCSE has advised that they have processed all applications for SNA support this year and have allocated the level of SNA support to schools that it considers will meet the care needs of all qualifying pupils. These allocations have been made in line with DES policy and there has been no change in the policy or its application this year.
Details of the SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2013/2014 school year are now available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie, which provides details of the SNA allocations for each school on a school by school and per county basis.
Third Level Participation
Questions (225)
Tom Fleming
Question:225. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students that have dropped out of third level education in each of the last three years and to date in 2013; the number who have dropped out since Student Universal Support Ireland took over the processing of student grant applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33382/13]
View answerWritten answers
The information sought by the Deputy is not currently available. The HEA, which is responsible for the collection of data on student progression, is currently working on an analysis of retention rates in the universities and institutes of technology. This has only recently become possible due to a full population of SRS (Student Record System) data becoming available for a period spanning five years. The HEA does not have information for the 2012/2013 or 2011/2012 academic years and is currently collating data for the 2010/11 academic year which it is hoped will be available in the autumn.
There are a range of factors that impact on participation and progression in higher education including economic, social and cultural issues, prior academic attainment and teacher and parental expectations. The most recent report by the HEA on retention entitled, 'A study of Progression in Higher Education', was published in 2010 and is available on the HEA website.
Special Educational Needs Services Provision
Questions (226)
Anthony Lawlor
Question:226. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason, according to circular 07/2012, five years per week learning support is offered to pupils in all-boys mainstream classrooms while only four hours per week are offered to pupils attending all-girls mainstream classrooms; his views on whether it is fair that a differentiation should be made between boys and girls; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33390/13]
View answerWritten answers
I understand the Deputy is referring to resources allocated to schools under the General Allocation Model (GAM) of additional teaching supports, which are allocated to all Primary schools to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs. I wish to advise the Deputy that differing pupil teacher ratios are applied under the GAM in relation to boys, girls and mixed schools in order to account for differentials of prevalence of learning difficulty between boys and girls. The objective of this differentiation is to ensure that resources provided to schools to support children who have additional learning needs are targetted to ensure that those children most in need benefit from these resources.
The rationale for the differing ratios is based on international literature on the incidence of disability as well as international and national surveys of literacy and numeracy which indicate that there is a greater incidence of disability/learning difficulty in boys than girls. The NCSE Report on the Implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, of 2006, also examined a range of sources to establish prevalence rates, including national databases, local and international studies and expert estimates, which indicated significantly higher rates of Mild General Learning Difficulty and Specific Learning Disability prevailing in boys, in comparison to girls. The criteria for the allocation of GAM hours is outlined in circular 13/2013 which is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.