Written Answers Nos. 693-705
693. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding examination support for the leaving certificate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23085/15]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
694. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the European Social Fund, targeted at poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23381/15]
View answerThe Irish European Social Fund Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) 2014-2020 contains a total budget of €1.153 billion. The ESF will contribute almost €611 million and the Exchequer will contribute €542.43 million. The Programme is focused on Promoting sustainable and quality employment and supporting labour mobility; Promoting social inclusion, combatting poverty and any discrimination and Investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning. Over a third of the total allocation is focused on the social inclusion and combatting poverty element, which will, in particular, help to support the upskilling of people from disadvantaged groups with a view to enabling them to gain employment and help to reduce poverty. However, the majority of national actions to tackle poverty are outside of the ESF programme area.
695. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reasons a school (details supplied) in Dublin 6 was refused an English teacher as an additional language teacher; if she will re-examine the application; and if the awarding process could be made more transparent. [22996/15]
View answerThe staffing appeal process at primary level includes the provision whereby schools with a high concentration of pupils requiring English as an additional language (EAL) can apply for further additional temporary language support posts. The appeal criteria are set out in Circular 0005/2015. The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an appeal under the EAL criterion to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal was refused on the basis that the grounds of the appeal did not warrant the allocation of an EAL post under Circular 0005/2015. The school has been notified accordingly.
The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
696. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Meath will be afforded an exemption for Irish when the person commences secondary school in September 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23019/15]
View answerWhile the study of Irish is compulsory at both primary and post-primary there are a limited number of specific circumstances whereby an exemption from this requirement may be granted.
The granting of exemptions is governed by Departmental circulars, 12/96 for primary and M10/94 at post-primary. Under these circulars the authority to grant exemptions within the terms of the circulars has been delegated to school management. Advice in the application of these circulars to individual cases may be sought by either the school or the parent from the Inspectorate of my Department.
In respect of the case referred to by the Deputy the advice of my Department's Inspectorate was sought on two occasions. Following two separate reviews of this case by different Inspectors they both advised that the student concerned did not meet the criteria for the granting of an exemption.
697. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will report on all public and private, official and unofficial engagements and meetings with a person (details supplied), and with senior executives within the person's media companies here; and the outcome of such meetings. [23043/15]
View answerThere have been no meetings with the individual referred to by the Deputy, nor have there been any meetings with senior executives of the media companies referred to by the Deputy.
698. Deputy Anthony Lawlor asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 158 to 160, inclusive, of 28 May 2015, the reason for the decision not to continue providing a derogation to the junior certificate school programme which supports teachers and students in over 230 disadvantaged DEIS schools; her views that the proposed staffing levels and expertise for August 2015 will still be in a position to support all aspects of the programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23068/15]
View answerA limited alleviation of the application of the five year limit has been agreed to allow secondees to serve for a further limited period in my Department's support services. It is Department policy to apply alleviations to meet the business needs of each of the services, for example, to provide for continuity in management, planning and leadership and retention of expertise. Alleviations only arise where the business needs of the service require it and this position is reviewed annually. While decisions are taken following consultation with service management, the Department must ensure that its policies and priorities are supported and transacted through the programme of work agreed for each service annually.
My Department's support services have engaged in succession planning as a key strategy in ensuring continued support for teachers and school leaders in implementing national education policy priorities and CPD.
699. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application for funding submitted by a school (detailed supplied) in County Tipperary; the status of this application and details of the works applied for; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23082/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving an application from the school to which he refers. It is open to the school authorities to submit an application to my Department for consideration. Any application received will be considered in the context of competing demands on my Department's capital budget and other competing priority projects.
700. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason some schools are advertising for special needs assistant posts but the National Council for Special Education is not showing any posts. [23129/15]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support to schools to support children with special educational needs and additional care needs, respectively.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.
All schools have been asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.
Schools will be advised of their revised SNA allocations for the 2015/16 school year, prior to the end of the current school year.
While the majority of new SNAs posts are sanctioned at the start of each school year, SNAs can be appointed throughout the year according to local circumstances such as staff resignations, retirements or fluctuations in school SNA allocations in cases of new assessments of disability, new entrants, or emergency or late applications.
701. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to ensure that a child (details supplied) in County Wicklow will receive all necessary special needs assistance care and resources, in order to enable the transition to mainstream schooling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23154/15]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support to schools to support children with special educational needs and additional care needs, respectively.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.
All schools have been asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.
Schools will be advised of their revised SNA allocations for the 2015/16 school year, prior to the end of the current school year.
It is a matter for schools to allocate SNA support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management.
The NCSE has now published details of the resource teaching allocations which will be made to each school for September 2015 on its website www.ncse.ie. The NCSE will also have a second round allocation process to respond to late enrolments, or from diagnosed disabilities emerging after the closing date for the first allocation round, to the start of the new school year.
In addition, all mainstream Primary schools are in receipt of learning support/resource teaching support under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports. In circumstances where a child may be awaiting a diagnosis, learning support or resource teaching support can still be provided for that child from a school's general allocation of resource teaching/learning support provision, taking into account the needs of the child, pending formal diagnosis. In the event of a low incidence disability diagnosis being forthcoming, an application may be made to the NCSE by the school for a low incidence resource allocation. 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. The teaching time afforded to each individual pupil is decided and managed by schools, taking into account each child's individual learning needs. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO if they wish to discuss the resource allocation for individual pupils. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
702. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of pupils enrolled in the schools (details supplied) beginning in each of the academic years from 2010 to 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23253/15]
View answerData on the number of pupils enrolled in each school is available on the Statistics Section of my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/. The most recent published information is provisional data for the 2014/2015 school year. Final data in relation to the 2014/15 school year will be published later in the current school year.
703. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of times retired teachers were employed in schools (details supplied) in County Louth in the 2014-15 academic year; the length of time each teacher was employed; the subjects the retired teachers were employed to teach; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23254/15]
View answerThe detailed information sought by the Deputy is not available in my Department. The recruitment and appointment of teachers are the responsibility of Boards of Management of recognised schools.
The policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the Managerial Authorities of Primary and Post Primary schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts. While it is schools that employ teachers my Department has issued a number of Circulars addressing this issue in recent years.
Under the terms outlined in these Circulars, School Principals must maintain a list of unemployed registered teachers who are available for substitute work at short notice and report to the Board of Management on any exceptional occasion where they have had to engage a registered teacher who is retired. Circular 31/2011 details a cascade of measures for the recruitment of teachers, prioritising registered teachers over retired registered teachers and unregistered people.
A retired teacher who returns to teaching on or after 1 February 2012 commences at the first point of the incremental salary scale (i.e. the lowest point or starting salary for teachers). Incremental credit for service prior to 1 February 2012, qualification allowances and job role allowances are also not payable to retired teachers returning to teach. These measures represent a significant financial disincentive for teachers who retired at the top of their salary scale, often with a post of responsibility allowance, to return to teaching.
704. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers or other persons who were employed as supervisors and-or attendants for State examinations in 2014 and 2015; the total amount of money paid to these supervisors and attendants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23255/15]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
705. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of retired persons who were employed as readers and-or assistants for State examinations and-or practical examinations, or in any capacity by the State Examinations Commission in 2013 and 2014 and in 2015 to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23256/15]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
