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Wednesday, 26 Nov 2014

Written Answers Nos. 119-124

School Enrolments

Questions (119)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

119. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if it is the intention of her Department to ensure that a school (details supplied) in County Wexford remains open as a two teacher national school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45412/14]

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Written answers

As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools was gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. An appeals process is available to affected schools in the event that they can show that their projected enrolments are sufficient to allow them to retain their classroom teacher in the longer term. The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. However, this must be achieved in the context that all public servants are being asked to deliver our public services on a reduced level of resources and teachers in small schools cannot be immune from this requirement.

The school referred to by the Deputy had an enrolment of 20 pupils at 30 September 2013 and is therefore a 2-teacher school in the current 2014/15 school year.

Kilnamanagh NS has returned an enrolment of 18 pupils at 30 September, 2014 in the Annual Census Return to the Department. If the school projects an enrolment of 20 pupils or above for 30 September, 2015 it will remain as a two teacher school.

Schools Site Acquisitions

Questions (120)

David Stanton

Question:

120. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 240 of 14 October 2014, the further progress that has been made with regard to the site acquisition in respect a school (details supplied) in County Cork; if the new school building project is still on target to go to construction in 2015-2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45421/14]

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Written answers

I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department's 5 year plan to go to construction in 2015/16.

The conveyancing process in relation to the site concerned is currently underway, and due diligence must be performed in this regard. Once the acquisition of the site is finalised, the project will be progressed into the architectural planning process with a view to having accommodation in place, subject to no issues arising, for the academic year commencing September 2016. My Department will continue to keep the school authority apprised of developments.

Schools Building Projects Applications

Questions (121)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

121. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the recent submission in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Galway will be fully assessed and a decision made on their application for a new school building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45425/14]

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Written answers

I can confirm to the Deputy that following a recent site visit to the schools in question, my Department is currently finalising the project briefs for the schools concerned. When the briefs concerned are finalised, the projects in question will be progressed into the architectural planning process. My Department will be in further contact with the schools at that stage.

Emergency Works Scheme Applications

Questions (122)

Éamon Ó Cuív

Question:

122. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding is available in respect of a primary school (details supplied) in County Mayo to carry out necessary works on a school yard which is a health and safety hazard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45426/14]

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Written answers

My Department's Planning and Building Unit has no record of receiving an application for funding from the school referred to by the Deputy for yard works to address health and safety issues.

If the school in question considers that there are works of an emergency nature requiring attention it is open to the school authority to submit an application for funding under the Emergency Works Scheme. The main purpose of the scheme is to ensure the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are most in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation.

Details of the scheme, together with an application form for grant assistance, can be accessed on my Department's website.

Questions (123, 124)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

123. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the data protection measures that are in place regarding information concerning the survey of schools conducted by the Educational Research Centre at the request of her Department in conjunction with the NSCE; the other Departments or statutory bodies which this information will be shared with; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45430/14]

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Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

124. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the international and national research supporting the collection of data to create a social profile of every school, including the names and authors of any reports consulted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45431/14]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the data which schools were requested to return as part of the social context survey was non-personal, anonymised data. Schools were not asked to return data in relation to the social circumstances of individual pupils. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has confirmed that collecting data in this form is not be in breach of data protection measures.

This data was returned to the Educational Research Centre (ERC). It will be considered by the ERC, and the results of this consideration by my Department and the National Council for Special Education, but will not be shared with other Departments or statutory bodies. My Department has collected this data in order to consider potential revisions to the system of allocating Resource Teaching and Learning Support to schools on foot of recommendations set out in the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) Policy Advice on "Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools (May 2013) and the recommendations of the NCSE Working Group Report "A Proposed New Model for Allocating Teaching Resources for Students with Special Educational Needs" (2014).

The Working Group report recommended that a school's social context should be used because it can contribute strongly to the level of learning needs that students have. The report considered that, on the basis of available research evidence, the use of a school's social context is valid in developing an educational profile, as socioeconomic disadvantage is associated with the incidence of certain types of special educational needs, including low achievement in academic learning and emotional or behavioural disorders.

Details of the international and national research which support this conclusion are set out in Chapter 2 of the Working Group Report on Research Findings and Consultation Process and Chapter 3 Proposal for a New Model to Deliver Additional Teaching Resources for Students.

Further details are also available in Appendix 4 of the Report on International perspectives on models for supporting students with special educational needs. A copy of the Working group Report is available at www.ncse.ie.

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