Michael Healy-Rae
Question:163. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review an issue (details supplied) regarding student transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40494/14]
View answerSchool Transport Provision
Questions (163)
Written answers
Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, has confirmed that from a safety perspective there is not a suitable turning point at the school in question.
Bus Éireann has advised that some of the school transport services pass the school each morning and depending on the direction that the bus is coming from, children are set down at their school. In the evening all children must travel to meet the services at a central point.
Central drop off and collection points are a common feature of the school transport scheme and the level of service available to the children in question is considered reasonable in the context of the scheme nationally.
Departmental Correspondence
Questions (164)
Ciaran Lynch
Question:164. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in County Cork will receive a reply from the primary payroll section; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40560/14]
View answerWritten answers
I can confirm that a reply has issued to the correspondence referred to by the Deputy.
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Questions (165)
Ciaran Lynch
Question:165. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the concerns raised by a member of Irish National Teachers' Organisation (details supplied) regarding class sizes and conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40562/14]
View answerWritten answers
The Government's focus in recent years has been on operating a budgetary programme that is designed to return the Government finances to a sustainable basis. My main priority for any additional resources for the foreseeable future will be to cater for the continuing increase in demographics at all levels in the education system. We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so that the number of teachers we have in the system has also grown in order to protect existing pupil teacher ratios. There were a thousand more teachers employed in schools around the country in the last school year, than the year before. There will be a further increase of circa 1,300 teachers in the current school year.
At primary level the staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. The national average class size at primary level is 24.7 pupils. However, with over 21,100 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.
Local Authority Leases
Questions (166)
Stephen Donnelly
Question:166. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason her Department will not seek to study the lease between Cork City Council and a private organisation (details supplied) even though that lease states clearly that the land for which the organisation has been and continues to be paid by her Department is owned by Cork City Council; if there is a prohibition in the lease on sub-leasing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40567/14]
View answerWritten answers
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department understands that there is a lease between the organisation, referred to by the Deputy, and Cork City Council. Leasing arrangements between Cork City Council and the organisation, in question, are not a matter for my Department and I am therefore not in a position to comment on those arrangements.
School Transport Availability
Questions (167)
Seán Ó Fearghaíl
Question:167. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding the school bus service; if she will address the issues raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40569/14]
View answerWritten answers
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally. Routes, pick up/set down points and timetables are planned on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible for school transport only.
However, the family in question is not eligible for school transport and is currently availing of transport on a concessionary basis; the full terms of such transport are available on my Department's/Bus Éireann's website.
The question regarding the early afternoon dismissal of some children is a matter for the school authorities and the issue concerning the non-collection of some children on the particular day has been raised with the bus contractor.
The telephone number of the local Bus Éireann office is 01-8302222 or alternatively the family may wish to contact the School Transport Section of my Department at 057-9325466/7.
Schools Designation
Questions (168)
Brendan Griffin
Question:168. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the fact that some schools are now so underfunded that teachers are buying teaching materials and classroom equipment out of their own pockets; if she will take new applications for DEIS status from schools located in areas that have been devastated by the economic crash; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40586/14]
View answerWritten answers
The key priority of my Department at present is to continue to prioritise and target resources at schools with the most concentrated levels of disadvantage. In the current economic climate this means that there is no scope for any additionality to the DEIS programme.
As the Deputy may be aware, DEIS is the subject of ongoing evaluation by both the Educational Research Centre (ERC) and my Department's Inspectorate who have produced a series of evaluation reports to date, (copies of which are available on my Department's website). I have also recently commissioned a further overall report in relation to DEIS to provide recommendations for a renewal of Government policy in relation to educational disadvantage, including DEIS. Work on this report which will inform future policy in this area is currently underway.
School Staffing
Questions (169)
Brendan Griffin
Question:169. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will visit a school (details supplied) in County Kerry to see the chronic understaffing and under resourcing of the school first hand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40587/14]
View answerWritten answers
Teacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing arrangements for the current school year are set out in Circular 0007/2014 which is available on the Department website. The school referred to by the Deputy has a staffing of Principal and 15 classroom teachers in the current school year based on an enrolment of 397 pupils on 30 September, 2013.
Reforms introduced in the 2012/13 school year created a single simplified allocation process to cover both learning and language support. At primary level, GAM/EAL (learning/language support) hours are allocated on the basis of mainstream classroom teaching posts in the school. Schools have autonomy to deploy this resource between learning support and language support depending on the specific needs of the school. This school has a GAM/EAL allocation of 2 full teaching posts and 20 part-time hours.
The new arrangements also provided for additional permanent teaching posts to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support. The school has 1 permanent EAL post.
Further additional temporary EAL support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils (at least 20% of total enrolment) that require language support. These allocations are made on the basis of appeals by any of these schools to the Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal criteria are set out in the published staffing arrangements. The school referred to was allocated a fixed term EAL post by the Primary Staffing Appeals Board at its February 2014 meeting, subject to verification of enrolments at 30 September, 2014.
The school has two resource base posts to cater for NCSE approved hours in the school or in neighbouring schools and one shared post on a fixed term basis.
Work and diary commitments would not facilitate a visit to Co. Kerry in 2014.