Written Answers Nos. 51 - 57
51. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of legal proceedings that have been issued against his Department during 2013 and 2014 for children receiving special needs assistant support and any other issues; the number of these cases that are still pending; and the number of children who received SNA support after legal proceedings regarding their case were initiated. [20481/14]
View answerIn 2013 legal proceedings commenced against my Department in respect of six children with Special Education Needs. Four of these cases are still pending. I can confirm that none of these proceedings related to the provision of Special Needs Assistant support.
The National Counsel 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 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 criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Departments Circular 0030/2014.
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. The deployment of SNAs within schools is then 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.
Whereas SNA support may already have been a feature of the supports provided in respect of a number of these children, the NCSE has advised that no additional SNA supports have been allocated in respect of any of the children as a result of legal proceedings. I can also confirm that no legal proceedings have commenced in 2014 to date in respect of children with Special Education Needs.
52. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students whose Student Universal Support Ireland grants have been awarded for 2013-14 but not yet received on 1 February 2014 and the number on 1 May 2014. [20482/14]
View answerAccording to figures provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) the number of students (both new and renewal) who were awarded a grant on the 2nd February 2014 was 57,456. The total number of students who were paid a grant at this date (including a fees only grant) was 56,655. Comparable figures provided by SUSI for 27th April 2014 was 59,440 students awarded all of which were paid.
53. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of resource teachers for Travellers employed during 2013-14; and the model under which they are allocated. [20483/14]
View answerThe principle of inclusion is at the core of the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy published in 2006 and, accordingly, the focus of both current and future provision is on the development of a more inclusive school environment. In keeping with this principle, additional resources provided in the education system are allocated on the basis of identified individual educational need rather than that of ethnic or cultural background.
I wish to advise the Deputy that a decision was taken by the previous Government as part of the December 2010 budgetary process that Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching should receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools. This is in keeping with the policy of inclusion and the 2006 report. The General Allocation Model, which provides additional learning support and resource teaching allocations for primary schools, was updated for all primary schools from the 2012/13 school year and now includes the Traveller pupils who had previously been supported by Resource Teacher for Traveller (RTT) posts under the General Allocation Model.
Limited alleviation measures were put in place to assist schools who had high concentrations of Traveller pupils previously supported by Resource Teacher for Traveller posts/hours, in the context of the limited resources available. A total of 141 posts have been allocated to schools for this purpose. 81 posts were used to readjust Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) allocations to include Traveller pupils previously supported by Resource Teacher for Traveller posts. 38 alleviation posts were provided for schools that had high numbers or concentrations of Traveller pupils who were previously supported by RTT posts and a further 22 alleviation posts were allocated to schools who had the highest percentage of traveller pupils previously supported by RTT posts, in comparison to other schools, taking into account their overall pupil populations, and who had not qualified for the first round of alleviation posts.
54. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of publicly funded positions in the higher education sector during each of the years 2009 to 2013, inclusive. [20484/14]
View answer67. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage reduction in staff numbers in the higher education sector that has taken place since December 2008. [20499/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 54 and 67 together.
The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table. I ask the Deputy to note that the numbers of positions for the years requested include mainstream posts funded from the Core Grant, undergraduate tuition fees (including grant in lieu of fees), Student Services Charge and the Student Contribution introduced in 2011 and does not include non-core and non exchequer funded research posts and other project posts funded from exchequer funds external to the Institutions. The data shows that there has been a 12.51% decrease overall in these publicly funded posts from 2008-2013.
|
Third Level Education (core posts*) |
Year |
Total Core Staff |
% decrease on previous year |
|
2008 |
19943 |
- |
|
|
2009 |
19030 |
4.58% |
|
|
2010 |
18556 |
2.49% |
|
|
2011 |
18029 |
2.84% |
|
|
2012 |
17666 |
2.01% |
|
|
2013 |
17449 |
1.23% |
|
|
Overall decrease Dec 08 -Dec 13 |
12.51% |
*Core-funded staff i.e. mainstream posts funded from the Core Grant, undergraduate tuition fees (including grant in lieu of fees), Student Services Charge and the Student Contribution introduced in 2011. The table does not include non core Research posts and other project posts funded from exchequer funds external to the Institutions, and also excludes non exchequer funded research posts.
55. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the ceiling on staff numbers in the education sector under the employment control framework, ECF. [20485/14]
View answerThe Employment Control Framework ceiling on staff numbers in the education sector for 2014 is 96,135 posts (whole time equivalent). This includes Civil Service posts and posts in a number of education bodies categorised as non-commercial state agencies.
56. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of vacant middle-management posts in the second level school sector. [20486/14]
View answerWhen the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility was introduced the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all primary and post-primary schools and these posts continue to be replaced in the normal manner. At the time of the introduction of the moratorium circa 56% of teachers at post primary level had posts of responsibility. This has since reduced to about 39%, a reduction of circa 4,900 posts at both Assistant Principal and Special Duties level. The alleviation arrangements set out in Circular 0004/2014 provide a floor by which schools acutely affected at AP level by the impact of the moratorium can fill their AP vacancies as they arise to the level of the thresholds set out in that circular. It continues to be a matter for each individual school authority to re-organise and prioritise the appropriate duties for post of responsibility holders in the context of implementing the moratorium.
57. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide on update on proposed changes to education degrees and postgraduate teaching courses. [20487/14]
View answerRecommendations for changes to initial teacher education were included in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020. These recommendations are reflected in the Teaching Council's Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher Education and Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (2011).
Improvements which have been made to initial teacher education courses include the reconfiguration of the content and duration of courses, with the duration of concurrent ITE programmes set at a minimum of four years while the postgraduate programmes of teacher education will take place over two years, thereby facilitating an innovative reconceptualisation of programmes. The lengthened and reconfigured programmes include substantial periods of school placement as central to student teacher development and a number of mandatory elements including literacy and numeracy, teaching, learning and assessment including school and classroom planning, differentiation, behavior management, inclusive education (special education, multiculturalism, disadvantage, etc) and ICT in teaching and learning.
Reconfigured and extended B.Ed programmes for primary teaching commenced in September 2012. Reconfigured concurrent programmes for post-primary teaching commenced in September 2013. Reconfigured and extended post-graduate programmes for both primary and post-primary teachers are due to commence in September 2014.
