Written Answers Nos. 201-218
201. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made on developing new schools in the Cork city, Douglas and Carrigaline areas; if Rochestown will be considered as a possible location for a new secondary school in view of the increase in population in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19358/14]
View answerThree new post-primary schools are planned for the Cork South Suburbs/Carrigaline school feeder areas (Douglas and Rochestown are included in the South Suburbs area). The first of these is a Gaelcholáiste that will commence operation in September 2015 under the patronage of the Cork Education and Training Board. The other two are English medium schools which are scheduled to open in 2016, one under the patronage of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust and one under the patronage of Educate Together. The site for the Gaelcholáiste has already been identified in Carrigaline.
Officials from my Department will be working with the local authority to identify sites for the remaining two schools. The location of the schools will be dependent on site availability and suitability.
202. Deputy Jerry Buttimer asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has received policy advice from the National Council for Special Education on the reclassification of Down's syndrome as a low-incidence disability; if he will provide details of all interactions between his Department and the NCSE on this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19359/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that a key function of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) as set out under Section 20 of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004, is to provide the Minister for Education and Skills with expert, independent, evidence-informed policy advice on special education for children and adults. My Department requested that the NCSE consider the issue of whether Down 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 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 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 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.
203. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Skills the process by which the curriculum for history taught in our schools is drawn up and the way that history is verified to be accurate; and how what is taught is prioritised. [19383/14]
View answerThe NCCA, as set out in section 41 (1) (a) and (b) of the Education Act 1998, advises me "on matters relating to the curriculum for early childhood education, primary and post-primary schools, and the assessment procedures employed in schools and examinations on subjects which are part of the curriculum". The NCCA recruits Education Officers with specialist expertise, on a rolling basis, based on the NCCA's plan of work, to develop programmes, subject specifications and other curricular components. The NCCA works through a consultative process which allows an opportunity for all interested parties to share their views. This intensive process should ensure that the specific history approaches, topics, events, actions etc. can be verified to be accurate. This approach also identifies the particular aspects and events in history that should be prioritised for study. Curricular documents are submitted to the Council of the NCCA for its approval. Once approved they are then sent to me for my approval.
204. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which he will receive the Higher Education Authority report on the practices currently operated by individual higher education institutions in charging different rates of fees. [19388/14]
View answerThe Higher Education Authority (HEA) submitted details of the criteria in place in both the University and Institute of Technology sectors in the charging of fees (at either the EU or higher non-EU rate) to students who do not qualify for free fees under my Department's free fees schemes. Whilst the determination of fees for students who do not qualify for free fees is a matter for the higher education institutions as autonomous bodies I have asked the HEA to ensure that consistency is applied in the sectors in the charging of fees. In this regard I have recently requested that the HEA advise the sector that students who hold EU/EEA/Swiss nationality but have not been resident in these states and have completed five academic years of study (at either primary or post-primary level) in an EU/EEA/Swiss State and commence their first undergraduate course of study in an approved institution here from the next academic year onwards should be charged the EU rate of fee rather than the higher non-EU rate.
I am anxious to ensure that children who move out of the Irish education system, and subsequently return to study at third level, and also EU/EEA/Swiss nationals, who have left their home country and subsequently come to Ireland to study at third level, should not be so disadvantaged by being charged the higher non-EU rate of fee.
207. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 66 of 6 February 2014, the organisations in receipt of departmental funding that are subject to a service level agreement containing a clause prohibiting the use of funding to change law or Government policies, or prohibiting the use of funding to persuade people to adopt a view on law or public policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19483/14]
View answerIn the time available and with current resource constraints, it is not possible to examine all the arrangements and conditions in place in respect of those organisations receiving funding from my Department to determine whether the clauses referred to by the Deputy form a part of these arrangements. However, it is considered unlikely that funding conditionality would include explicit prohibitions such as those stated by the Deputy. In addition to the issue of the appropriateness of imposing such prohibitions, the question of effectively assessing compliance with them would arise. As I advised in my reply of 6 February to an earlier question tabled by the Deputy, the conditionality linked to receipt of Departmental funding generally requires compliance with a number of standard critieria, including: satisfying eligibility requirements of the scheme or programme in question; reporting of projected and actual expenditure; assessment of programme activities and impacts; and full receipting of income and expenditure, with independently audited accounts. In relation to State bodies in particular, the 2009 Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies specifies the framework agreed by Government for the internal management and the internal and external reporting relationships of commercial and non-commercial State bodies. It also advises state bodies involved in service provision to develop service level agreements. While the Code does not specify particular clauses that are required to be included in such agreements, it requires State Bodies to serve the interests of the taxpayer, pursue value for money in their endeavours and act transparently as public entities. If the Deputy wishes to table a further question regarding a specific aspect or specific recipient of Departmental funding I will arrange to have this considered.
208. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary that has applied for major capital funding; the timeframe for completion of works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19507/14]
View answerI can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension. The current status of all projects on the school building programme, including the school in question, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie. In view of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in the Five Year Plan, to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential additional school places to meet demographic demand, the Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible to indicate at this point when a major project for the school in question will be progressed. However, it is open to the school, should additional teaching posts be allocated, to apply to my Department for additional accommodation to meet its immediate accommodation needs.
209. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has personally met with representatives of the TEEU to discuss the introduction of apprenticeship fees. [19518/14]
View answerI met with the General Secretary of the TEEU on 13 February to discuss the issue of the payment of the Annual Student Contribution by apprentices for the time they spend in Institutes of Technology. Arising from this meeting, I asked officials in my Department to meet TEEU to discuss any hardship issues that might arise from the payment of the contribution. Officials have met TEEU on two occasions since that meeting.
210. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which the five-year strategy for SOLAS will be published. [19521/14]
View answerThe proposal for the Strategy was submitted to me at the end of March 2014 by SOLAS and I have formally approved it in accordance with the Further Education and Training Act 2013. Arrangements are being made by SOLAS for its publication in the coming weeks.
211. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the complaints procedure for parents who wish to complain about certain actions of a board of management in a school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19595/14]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that under the Education Act 1998, legally, all schools are managed by school Boards of Management, on behalf of the school patrons or trustees. Accordingly, whereas I provide funding and policy direction for schools, neither I nor the Department have legal powers to instruct schools to follow a particular course of direction with regards to individual complaint cases, or to investigate individual complaints except where the complaint involves a refused enrolment, expulsion or suspension, in accordance with Section 29 of the 1998 Education Act. In dealing with parental complaints, my Department's role is to clarify for parents how their grievances and complaints against schools can be progressed. Where a parent feels that the school's board of management has failed to investigate or adequately investigate their complaint, they should contact the Ombudsman for Children. The Office of the Ombudsman for Children may independently investigate complaints about schools recognised with the Department of Education and Skills, provided the parent has firstly and fully followed the school's complaints procedures. The key criterion for any intervention by the Ombudsman for Children is that the action of the school has had a negative affect on a child. The office can be contacted at Ombudsman for Children's Office, Millennium House, 52-56 Great Strand Street, Dublin 1, (Ph) 1800 20 20 40 or (01) 8656800, E-mail oco@oco.ie. The Deputy may be aware of my commitment to the creation of a parents' charter, to strengthen the relationships between parents and schools and to set out the rights of parents. This charter may be underpinned by legislation if necessary. I believe there is a need to look at how a stronger culture of valuing parental involvement in the level of each individual school can be created.
212. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide in tabular form the cost of inspections of educational institutions during 2012 and 2013. [19598/14]
View answerSince the Inspectorate is part of the Department of Education and Skills, all costs associated with its work are paid from the administrative budget of the Department and costs exclusively associated with the inspection of individual educational institutions are not recorded separately from the other inspection or policy development work of the Inspectorate.
The total salary costs of the Inspectorate were €10.64 million in 2012 and €10.91 million in 2013. The inspectorate had 124 inspectors on staff at the end of 2012 and 123 inspectors at the end of 2013. The average salary cost of each inspector across 2012 and 2013 was approximately €87,000. The travel and subsistence costs for the Inspectorate were €0.84 million in 2012 and €0.85 million in 2013. The daily unit cost of inspection can be estimated on the basis of a per diem proportion of the average annual salary cost of an inspector. For 2012 and 2013 the per diem rate is estimated at €397 for each inspector day. The following table provides an estimate of the average cost of each of the main types of inspection employed by the Inspectorate in 2012 and 2013 based on the per diem rate of €397. Travel and subsistence costs are not included as these vary depending on school location.
Average cost of each of the main types of inspection in 2012 and 2013
|
Sector |
Inspection Type |
No of Inspector Days |
Estimated average cost of each Inspection |
|
Primary |
WSE-MLL Small School |
4 |
€1,588.00 |
|
Primary |
WSE - Large School |
21 |
€8,337.00 |
|
Primary |
Probation (2 x 0.5 days) |
1 |
€397.00 |
|
Primary |
DEIS Evaluation |
10 |
€3,970.00 |
|
Primary |
Incidental Inspection |
1.25 |
€496.25 |
|
Primary |
Follow Through Inspection |
2 |
€794.00 |
|
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Post Primary |
WSE-MLL (Management, Leadership and Learning) |
24 |
€9,528.00 |
|
Post Primary |
Subject Inspection |
4 |
€1,588.00 |
|
Post Primary |
DEIS Evaluation |
10 |
€3,970.00 |
|
Post Primary |
Incidental Inspection |
1.25 |
€496.25 |
|
Post Primary |
Follow Through Inspection |
2 |
€794.00 |
213. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills the consideration that was given to the recommendations of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the opinions of the teaching unions when formulating the proposed change to school-based evaluation at junior certificate level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19606/14]
View answerThe new Junior Cycle is based on the advice provided in November 2011 by the National Council for Curriculum Assessment in their report "Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle" which, in turn, was based on a range of research findings. For example, the commissioned research reports from the ESRI's longitudinal study of the experience of students in post-primary schooling and beyond, in particular the volumes Moving Up: The experiences of First Year Students in Post-Primary School; Pathways through the Junior Cycle; Gearing Up for the Exam: The Experiences of Junior Certificate Students; No Way Back? The Dynamics of Early School Leaving; Choices and Challenges: Moving from Junior Cycle to Senior Cycle Education; Behind the Scenes? A Study of Parental Involvement in Post-Primary Education. Other reports include a commissioned research study on 'Wellbeing and Post-Primary Schooling: A review of the literature and research' by Dr. Maeve O'Brien and the Human Development Team of St. Patrick's College, Dublin; a commissioned research study on international experiences of Standardised Testing in Lower Secondary Education by the Educational Research Centre, Dublin; and a commissioned research report on Curriculum Structures and Stages in Education: Audit of Policy Across Jurisdictions by the National Foundation for Educational Research (UK). In addition, the background work carried out by the NCCA involved investigation of international developments in lower secondary education in the OECD countries and specifically in countries/jurisdictions such as Scotland, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Finland, Canada and Australia. It is true that I have gone further than the NCCA advice in relation to assessment. I made my decision having considered international best practice and in October 2012 I published "A Framework for Junior Cycle". Based on the concerns of a number of groups, including teachers and school management, I have slowed down the pace of change. The implementation of the Framework will now be phased in between September 2014 and September 2019. Additional CPD is being provided for all subject specialist teachers and also for school leaders. In addition a full day is being provided for whole school CPD on Junior Cycle reform, subject to Board of Management approval. As the Deputy is aware, my officials are currently engaged in discussions with the education stakeholders, through a National Working Group, on the resources and the detailed modalities in relation to workload and implementation issues for schools and teachers; quality assurance and teacher assessment; and for CPD to support implementation. I do not wish to pre-empt the results of these discussions. I expect to receive a report on these issues from the National Working Group in May.
214. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the exact date in 2006 that Model A was no longer part of his Department policy on autism; the job title of the person whose position it was to make that decision; and the job title of the person whose responsibility it was to communicate this decision to relevant individuals. [19670/14]
View answer215. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the basis on which his Department made the decision to stop using Model A. [19671/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 215 together.
As I previously advised in my replies to Parliamentary Questions No. 99 and 249 dated 2nd April and 15th April, respectively, I do not have a specific date from which the prescribed model became outdated. From 2006/2007 it was recognised that the model concept was complex and multi-purpose. It was determined that parents of children with autism should have three distinct choices available to them; their child could either attend a mainstream class in their local school with additional supports as required, they could attend a special class in a mainstream school or they could attend a special school. While the responsibility for policy resides with the Minister of the Department, the responsibility for implementation of policies in the area of special educational needs resides within the Department and the NCSE. The discontinuation of the model concept in favour of the mainstream, special class and special school provision did not materially alter the provision being made for children with Autism. It is not possible to establish precisely when the changes were commenced and it is likely that the changes were introduced by agreement between the Special Education Section of my Department and other relevant sections and bodies. As the model concept was mainly used internally in my Department, by NEPS and officials in the Special Education Section, it was not necessary to communicate formally to schools. Individual schools continued to be supported by NEPS, NCSE and the Inspectorate as appropriate and received any necessary guidance and information through these means. In the course of the period of transfer from the Department to the NCSE, which fully concluded in or around 2008, the language around Model A had fallen into disuse and was replaced by the type of correspondence between schools and the NCSE which is seen largely today.
217. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the change of policy regarding Model A was ever communicated to the State's legal team in a case (details supplied); and the date on which this occurred. [19673/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that all communications between my Department and its legal team, in the context of any litigation, are the subject of legal professional privilege.
218. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he has taken to promote shared reading programmes in primary schools; if grants have been put in place to support the development of these schemes; the schools that have benefited from these grants; the criteria for this support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19678/14]
View answerIn line with the Primary Curriculum for English, children should be enabled to engage in shared reading activities to support the development of their literacy skills. To support their pupils' learning, teachers are encouraged to vary the organisational groupings in their class and this may include shared reading and/or guided reading. There is a particular emphasis on literacy in DEIS schools. The DEIS School Support Programme includes, amongst other measures, access to literacy support services and to literacy programmes and to Home School Community Liaison services including literacy initiatives involving shared reading and Reading for Fun. There are 658 DEIS primary schools. Outside of DEIS primary schools there are no specific grants in place to support the development or implementation of shared reading in all primary schools.
