Wednesday, 26 Feb 2014

Written Answers Nos. 80-89

Teaching Contracts

Questions (80)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

80. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers who secured contracts of indefinite duration as a result of completing four years' service and as a consequence of terms agreed under the Haddington Road agreement; the number of schools over their teacher quota as a result of this, resulting in a requirement for teachers to be placed on the redeployment panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9772/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The staffing and redeployment process for the 2014/15 school year is currently under way in my Department. The information sought by the Deputy concerning CID applications is not readily available. My Department's Teacher Allocation Section is currently focussed on the allocation process for the coming school year and I do not propose to divert them from this work at this key time.

While the commitment to three year CIDs in the Haddington Road Agreement is expected to impact on the level of surplus in the system it is also the case that there are no budget measures to be implemented at post primary level for the 2014/15 school year that could lead to surplus.

The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and any appeals to the Staffing Appeals Board will have been considered.

School Enrolments

Questions (81)

Brendan Ryan

Question:

81. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a pupil (details supplied) in a school in County Dublin will have a place in that school this coming September; if not, the alternatives that are in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9783/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise that the policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, in order to ensure that as many children as possible can be educated with their peers within their own community.

My Department therefore provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, s/he will have access to an appropriate education.

Children with special educational needs may be enrolled in a mainstream school and attend all mainstream classes and receive additional teaching support through the learning support and/or resource teacher. Or they may enrol in a mainstream school and attend a special class, or they may enrol in a special school.

The enrolment of a child to a school is a matter in the first instance for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment to schools.

The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The NEWB will try to help parents to find a school placement if their child has been unable to secure a school placement to date. The NEWB can be contacted at National Educational Welfare Board, National Headquarters, 16-22 Green Street, Dublin 7 or by telephone at 01-8738700.

In addition, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) can assist parents to identify appropriate educational placements for children with special educational needs.

Parents may contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs and to seek assistance in identifying placement options, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.

The NCSE also recently published a Guide for Parents and Guardians of Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs on Choosing a School. This guide is also available at www.ncse.ie.

Finally, where a parent seeks to enrol their child in a school and that school refuses to enrol a pupil, the school is obliged to inform parents of their right under Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 to appeal that decision to the Secretary General of my Department. Only where an appeal under Section 29 is upheld, may the Secretary General of my Department direct a school to enrol a pupil.

School Staffing

Questions (82)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

82. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Waterford will lose its legacy DEIS post; the reasons for same; the total number of other schools that are to lose a similar legacy post in September 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9786/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I will arrange for my Department to contact the Deputy directly regarding this matter.

School Enrolments Data

Questions (83, 84, 85, 86)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

83. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that made returns to his Department indicating they had between 49 and 55 students at the end of September 2013; the number of these schools eligible for three mainstream classroom teachers in September 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9787/14]

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

84. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that made returns to his Department indicating they had between 12 and 19 students at the end of September 2013; the number of these schools eligible for two mainstream classroom teachers in September 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9788/14]

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

85. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that made returns to his Department indicating they had between 81 and 85 students at the end of September 2013; the number of these schools eligible for four mainstream classroom teachers in September 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9789/14]

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

86. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that made returns to his Department indicating they had 20, 56, or 86 students at the end of September 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9790/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 83 to 86, inclusive, together.

The number of pupils enrolled in individual schools is provided in the National School Annual Census. Results from the Census for the current school year (2013/2014) are being finalised at present. Publication of all data at first level and a final list of schools and their enrolments will be on my Department's website by the end of the school year.

I will arrange for the specific information sought to be sent to the Deputy.

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. Staffing arrangements at primary level for the 2014/15 school year are set out in Circular 0007/2014 which is now available on the Department website.

The staffing and redeployment process for the 2014/15 school year is currently under way in my Department. The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and any appeals to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board will have been considered.

SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Data

Questions (87)

Bernard Durkan

Question:

87. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if and when a trade certificate will issue in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9843/14]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

This is an operational matter for SOLAS. SOLAS have been requested to provide the information directly to the Deputy.

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (88)

Simon Harris

Question:

88. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the application for funding for a multi-sensory room (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9961/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department has received an application for grant aid from the school referred to by the Deputy to provide equipment for a newly established multi-sensory room.

Additional information was requested from the School Authority and this information was recently received. The application is now being assessed and the School Authorities will be advised of the outcome.

School Accommodation

Questions (89)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

89. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the accommodation levels in a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; the number of classrooms; its current enrolment; the latest figure for applicants to the school; if the school has applied for an urgent extension of its accommodation; if he will agree to granting an extension of accommodation at the school in view of the increase in demand for spaces and the expected further increase in the coming years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9966/14]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

It is expected that the school to which the Deputy refers can accommodate approximately 600 pupils. The enrolment return from the school in September 2013 indicated that there were 572 pupils enrolled at that time. The Department does not hold information on applicant levels in schools. I can confirm that the school has not applied for additional accommodation to my Department and I understand that it has no plans to expand its current capacity at this time.

As I advised the Deputy in my response to her Parliamentary Question on 29th January last, a new post primary school will open in September 2014, Maynooth Community College, which will assist in servicing enrolment demand in North Kildare. The announcement included the provision of an Aonad in the Maynooth school. In addition, my Department has confirmed, that if sufficient demand for education through the medium of Irish in the Aonad is demonstrated over a four year cycle, consideration will be given by my Department to the establishment of an independent Gaelcholáiste.

My Department has confirmed that the Aonad has capacity to cater for the students in the Kildare area. Kildare and Wicklow ETB is currently progressing the building of a new education campus through the planning process and this will provide permanent accommodation for the school.