Written Answers Nos. 897-911
897. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education and Skills the role of the education and training boards as it relates to provision and planning for new primary or secondary schools in their areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41536/14]
View answerIt is the function of the Department's Forward Planning Section to determine where additional school infrastructure might be needed. In this regard, it uses a Geographical Information System to analyse demographic data in order to determine the locations where additional school accommodation might be required. A variety of data sources are used in this analysis, including census data, school enrolment data, and child benefit data obtained from the Department of Social Protection.
As a matter of course, the Department liaises with school patrons, including Education and Training Boards, in relation to local school needs. Education and Training Boards may also apply for the patronage of any new schools that are being established.
898. Deputy Peter Mathews asked the Minister for Education and Skills on learning supporting teachers in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin, if the school will lose learning support teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41547/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that all primary schools currently receive an allocation for learning support/resource teaching under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to support children who have mild general learning difficulties or learning support needs. Over 4,200 Learning Support/Resource Teachers have been allocated to schools for this purpose. The GAM is updated annually, based on the number of mainstream teaching posts in schools in the previous school year, and is adjusted in accordance with fluctuations in this regard. The arrangements in this regard for 2014/15 are set out in my Department's Circular 0007/2014.
In addition, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
It is then a matter for schools to determine the manner in which support resources are utilised to provide additional teaching support to eligible pupils. Guidance to support schools in this regard is set out in my Departments Circular 02/05.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published a Report on a Proposed New Model for Allocating Teachers for Students with Special Educational Needs on 18th June 2014.
The NCSE, consulted widely with education partners, representatives of the disability sector, stakeholders and parent representative groups, during the course of the development of this policy advice.
The report recommends that a new allocation model should be developed, based on a schools educational profile, while providing a baseline allocation to every mainstream school to support inclusion.
My Department is currently collecting information which will be required to develop the proposed new model. Pending consideration of this data no decision has been made as to the weightings which will be applied to the various elements of the proposed model.
Following consideration of this data, my Department will also consider whether, and from what date a new model might be implemented.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that following publication of the working group report, my Department invited education partners, stakeholders, and parent representative groups to make written submissions in relation to the NCSE report. 27 written submissions have been received to date, from interested parties. My Department also held a number of consultation meetings on 1st and 3rd October last with stakeholders, education partners, and parent representative groups. Consultation has been a key feature of the development of this policy advice to date and I can confirm that consultation will continue to take place at each stage of the development of proposals for any new model.
899. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if and when higher education grant will be paid in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; the reason the 2013 P60 in respect of their father is being sought; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41548/14]
View answerAs part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.
This service compliments the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries, such as that raised by the Deputy, may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.
900. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to introduce an Irish curriculum at second level to cater for native Irish speakers given that their competency in the language far exceeds those who are non-native speakers given that a separate curriculum at junior and leaving certificate would recognise their already developed competency in the language and help develop and enhance it further; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41551/14]
View answerThe NCCA is developing a new specification for Irish at Junior Cycle. It is proposed to introduce the new specification for implementation from September 2016. In addition, the NCCA will be developing a short course that will allow students in Irish-medium schools, including Gaeltacht schools, to study and gain credit for an enriched engagement with aspects of the language.
At Senior Cycle, the NCCA is currently reviewing the new assessment arrangements whereby 40% of the marks are allocated to oral proficiency. The Department awaits their report. Consideration is also being given to how the Irish curriculum at senior cycle can accommodate the wide range of learning needs of students including those in Gaeltacht schools.
In addition, the Department is currently reviewing the provision of education in the Gaeltacht and topics such as the one posed by you, will be further considered.
901. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding available to assist national schools with field trips and excursions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41552/14]
View answerThe Department provides capitation funding to all recognised national schools. There is no specific funding provided for field trips or excursions.
I have no scope to introduce new or additional funding measures to assist primary schools, such as those referred to by the Deputy.
902. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to reduce the cost of college registration fees here in the context of the cost in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41594/14]
View answerThe decision to increase the Student Contribution, which stands at €2,750 for the current academic year, to €3,000 by 2015/16 has already been signalled by the previous Minister. It should be noted that some 50% of students who qualify for free fees have the Student Contribution paid on their behalf by the Exchequer under my Department's Student Grant Scheme.
An Expert Working Group chaired by Peter Cassells is currently preparing a Report on future funding policy for higher education. The objective is to identify a range of approaches that, combined, will achieve a sustainable funding base to address the continual expansion of the sector while protecting the quality of education.
903. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there will be a summer works scheme for primary and secondary schools in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41603/14]
View answer935. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of projects achieved under the summer works scheme for schools for 2014; the proportion of the total which this figure represents; and if it is intended to hold a scheme in 2015. [42097/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 903 and 935 together.
The Deputies will be aware that my Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. To ensure that this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demand nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. In view, therefore, of the need to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential school accommodation to meet this demand, it is not possible for me to advance with a new summer works programme in 2015.
Over 1,600 applications were received under the 2014 Summer Works Scheme. In total, the spending of more than €70 million on the 2014 Summer Works Scheme has been approved to allow over 770 schools undertake improvement works. In that regard, I wish to advise the Deputies that provision has been made in the 2015 allocation, on foot of the budget, for the carryover costs of such improvement works approved in 2014.
Commensurate with the level of funding set aside for the Scheme, applications were assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the Circular accompanying the Scheme. Unfortunately, due to the scale of demand for funding under the Scheme, it was not possible to grant aid all applications. However, in accordance with the Scheme's Circular, these applications will be retained and will be prioritised for consideration under further rounds of the Summer Works Scheme in the future, subject to availability of funding.
904. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to an address to the Catholic Primary School Management Association in March 2014 by the Secretary General of her Department, in which it was stated that as a result of the discussions between the church and her Department, progress had been made on the divesting of a small number of schools which would begin in autumn 2014 and continue into 2015 and that she will provide details of these at a later stage in the year, if she will provide these details including the names of the schools concerned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41624/14]
View answerFour new primary schools opened this September under the patronage divestment process.The schools are:
Tramore Educate Together NS;
Trim Educate Together NS;
Malahide/Portmarnock Educate Together NS;
Newtownwhite Educate Together NS, Ballina (this school resulted from the transfer of a Church of Ireland school to Educate Together patronage).
In addition, a former Edmund Rice Schools Trust building in Basin Lane, Dublin 8 came into use from this September by Portobello Educate Together NS. This school opened in temporary accommodation in September 2013.
Discussions are continuing with the main Catholic patrons and Educate Together in relation to possible start-ups for 2015. I will announce the details of those schools in due course.
905. Deputy Stephen S. Donnelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 216 of 18 September 2014, if her Department has had any form of contact with potential patrons for a new primary school to serve the Greystones, Delgany and Kilcoole areas of County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41625/14]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, my Department is currently analysing the latest demographic data on a nationwide basis to determine where further school accommodation might be needed from 2015 onwards. When this exercise has been completed, I will announce details of any new schools that are being provided. When it has been determined that new schools are needed and these have been announced, a patronage determination process then follows on to establish who will run the schools.
906. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if assistance can now be offered in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Wexford in allocating a bus ticket; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41628/14]
View answerBus Éireann which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department has advised that the family in question were late in submitting both their application and payment details.
Unfortunately, by the time the details were received the service was operating to capacity in that all of the seats had been allocated.
The family should continue to liaise with their local Bus Éireann office in Waterford (Tel: 051 873401) as seats may become available during the course of the current school year.
907. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the options available to a married couple who are separated, although not legally, and whose child is prohibited from getting a grant as they cannot demonstrate they are legally separated, even though if they were still together their income would be sufficiently low to quality for a grant. [41645/14]
View answerThe Student Grant Scheme 2014 states that where a dependent student's parents are divorced or legally separated, or it is established to the satisfaction of the relevant authority that they are separated, the income to be assessed is that of the student and the parent with whom she/he resides. Where the student cannot establish to the satisfaction of the awarding authority that her/his parents are separated (legally or otherwise) then the income to be assessed is that of both parents.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in her/his case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form is available to download from http://www.studentfinance.ie/downloads/1375344221/2013_SGAB_appeal_form.pdf
908. Deputy Pat Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Skills the lowest number of leaving certificate points where the appellant's leaving certificate was one of the criteria used accepted by University College Dublin for admission to its medicine degree programme via mature applicant entry for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. [41773/14]
View answerI would like to inform the Deputy that in the case of mature applicants for Medicine at UCD, points achieved in the Leaving Certificate form only part of the requirements for admission, which include mandatory completion of the Health Professions Admission Test (HPAT), work experience, personal statement and references. The number of applicants for the years in question is very small, and the lowest Leaving Certificate points score involved was 480 points.
909. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills her Department's policy regarding the specification for the provision of rooms for resource teaching in terms of the size of the room, sharing with other pupils and facilities and any other specific requirements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41797/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has produced a suite of technical guidance documents, which are available on my Department's website, www.education.ie, to assist design teams in best practice in the design and development of schools in green field site situations.
The current practice is to use a guideline of 15 sq. metres as the standard size for a special education tuition room. It is a matter for schools to monitor and utilise their allocation of additional teaching support to best support the needs of identified pupils, in accordance with my Department's guidance.
910. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in County Mayo has been refused funding of a devolved grant; the appeal options that are available to it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41798/14]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department considers that the school in question has sufficient accommodation to meet its current needs. My Department explained the position directly to the school recently in response to its application for grant aid. It is open to the school to submit any additional information that was not provided with the original application and this can be considered by my Department.
911. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) in County Mayo has been refused a higher education grant by the Student Universal Support Ireland; the other sources of funding available to them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41800/14]
View answerAs part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.
This service compliments the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries, such as that raised by the Deputy, may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days. Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances.
Information on the fund is available through the Access Officer in the third level institution attended. The fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis. In addition to the student grant, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners on www.revenue.ie.
