Tuesday, 23 Jun 2015

Written Answers Nos. 515-533

Children First Guidelines

Questions (515)

Finian McGrath

Question:

515. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that files on child protection held by schools are protected until the subject of the file is at least 25 years old and, if necessary, amend the Data Protection Acts to allow this to happen so the right to access of the subjects on whose behalf the file is created is recognised and to allow the subjects the opportunity to benefit from knowledge of the positive interventions made by schools on their behalf; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25104/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department has issued "Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools" based on the "Children First – National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2011" and which apply to all primary and post-primary schools. The purpose of the procedures is to give direction and guidance to school authorities in the implementation of Children First when dealing with allegations/suspicions of child abuse and neglect. The Deputy will be aware that The Children First Bill, 2014, which will put elements of the Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2011) on a statutory footing is currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas. It is envisaged that the Department of Children and Youth Affairs will review and publish updated Children First Guidance on foot of the finalised legislation and other recent legislation relevant to child protection. This will also trigger some changes to the existing "Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools" and the issues raised by the Deputy in relation to the maintenance of records at school level can be considered in that context.

Planning Issues

Questions (516)

Andrew Doyle

Question:

516. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the issue of the refusal of a planning application by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council for an access road for a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24486/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department is currently considering all the options available to it in light of the refusal of planning permission by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for the access road to the site in question. My Department is currently engaging with the key stakeholders in that respect and has also lodged an appeal of the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

The school in question continues to be included in the Schools PPP Bundle 5 programme.

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (517)

Billy Timmins

Question:

517. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the stage which plans for a new mixed secondary school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 have reached; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24492/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The Design Team on the project for the school referred to by the Deputy has recently completed stage 2(a) and has been authorised to progress to Stage 2(b), which includes the application for planning permission and other statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. Following the completion of stage 2(b) the project will then be authorised to proceed to tender and construction stages.

The project is included in my Department's five year building programme to proceed to Tender and Construction in 2015/16.

Patronage of the new school was granted to the ETB and the intended start-date for the schools first intake of pupils is the commencement of the school year 2016/17.

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (518)

Ray Butler

Question:

518. Deputy Ray Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a status update and the progress that has been made in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Meath which was to be taken over by the redress board which has been vacant since 2010 and has been earmarked to become the Trim Educate Together school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24516/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Officials in my Department, through the Chief State Solicitor's Office, are currently working with the Solicitors acting on behalf of the landowners concerned on the legal procedures and mechanisms required to facilitate the transfer to the Minister of the property referred to by the Deputy.

School Guidance Counsellors

Questions (519)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

519. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 190, 239, and 243 of 14 February 2012, the resource that was used to state 42% of schools did not have a full-time guidance counsellor at that time; and the percentage of schools that do not have a full-time guidance counsellor at present broken down by fee-paying and non-fee-paying schools. [24519/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Up until September 2012, an ex-quota allocation was provided for guidance in addition to the standard teacher allocation to post primary schools. This resource was allocated in accordance with pupil enrolment. 42% of second-level schools at the time were allocated at least 22 hours per week in respect of guidance (22 hours being the equivalent of one teaching post) while the remainder of the schools were allocated between 8 and 17 hours of guidance per week.

Since September 2012 at post primary level guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. Guidance is a whole school activity and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. This operates at local school level and therefore the information requested by the Deputy on the current position is not available centrally within my Department. The Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations.

Summer Works Scheme Eligibility

Questions (520)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

520. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Kerry will be allocated funding to make the drop-off and collection area safer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24552/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving an application from the school to which he refers for the works outlined.

The works in question are appropriate to the Summer Works Scheme, the purpose of which is to devolve funding to individual school authorities to facilitate carrying out small and medium scale capital works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings and the grounds within the school site area.

Under the scheme, responsibility for identifying and prioritising the most urgently required project rests with the school authority. While the school did not apply for the works concerned under the 2014 scheme, it will be open to the school, if it so decides, to make an application under a future summer works scheme.

School Funding

Questions (521)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

521. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the capitation grant for primary schools, which was cut by the previous Government in 2010, will be increased to bring it closer to the post-primary level; the cost of restoring the grant to the previous level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24554/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The last Budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60m during 2015. That increase has provided funding for 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs to be recruited for our schools, as well as funding important reforms. However, it was not possible to secure the funding which would be required to also increase the rates of capitation paid to our schools.

The school funding measures introduced in Budget 2011 provided for a 5% reduction in funding for capitation and related grants to primary and second level schools. This was applied to schools by a 5% reduction across the range of per capita grants.

The multi annual school funding measures introduced in Budget 2012, provided for a 6% overall reduction in the funding for capitation and related grants to primary and second level schools. The reduction was introduced on a phased basis and applied by a 2% reduction in 2012 and 2013 and a further reduction of 1% in 2014 and 2015.

In total these measures have resulted in capitation and related funding to the primary and second level school sector being reduced by 11%.

Increasing overall funding at present for the primary sector would cost approx. €2.1m per percentage point.

I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. In the last Budget, I was able to secure the first increase in education spending in recent years. I am determined to continue pressing the case for increased investment in education in the forthcoming budget.

School Staff

Questions (522)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

522. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reduce the threshold numbers for small three-teacher and four-teacher schools to pre-budget 2012 levels, that is to 49 and 81; if she will equalise retention and allocation figures, which are out of kilter at 53 to 56 and 83 to 86; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24555/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website.

The circular sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and also the improved appointment and retention thresholds for isolated one-teacher schools.

These improvements particularly recognise the challenges faced by very small schools that are more than 8km from the next nearest school of the same type.

This package of measures will provide rural communities with security about the future of their small schools, recognising the essential social function which small schools can play, especially in isolated communities.

These improvements in the Staffing Schedule for small schools are the only changes that I am making to the staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year.

School Staff

Questions (523, 524)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

523. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reduce the threshold numbers for small three-teacher and four-teacher schools for the 2016-2017 academic year to pre-budget 2012 levels, that is to 49 and 81; if she will equalise retention and allocation figures, which are out of kilter at 53 to 56 and 83 to 86; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24556/15]

Brendan Griffin

Question:

524. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reduce the threshold numbers for non-isolated two-teacher schools for the 2016-2017 academic year below 19; if she will equalise retention and allocation figures, which are out of kilter at 19 and 20; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24557/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 523 and 524 together.

The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Circular 0005/2015.

The circular sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and also the improved appointment and retention thresholds for isolated one-teacher schools.

The staffing process for the 2016/17 school year at individual school level will be initiated early in 2016. It is not possible at this stage to advise on the staffing arrangements for the 2016/17 school year.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Questions (525)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

525. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the ratio of students in mainstream classes to the number of mainstream class teachers nationwide for the 2014-2015 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24558/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Provisional data on the number of mainstream pupils in the 2014/2015 school year is available by individual primary school on my Department's website at the following link http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/. This includes information on the number of mainstream class teachers.

Final data in relation to the 2014/15 school year will be published later in the current school year.

Minor Works Scheme Expenditure

Questions (526)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

526. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that the minor works scheme will be guaranteed as an annual grant scheme as the lack of certainty regarding the scheme causes forward-planning difficulties for schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24559/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

As the Deputy is aware the Minor Works Grant for the school year 2014/2015 was issued to all primary schools last December. For the first time the grant issued to schools with provisional recognition only.

As I said on 4 March 2015 before the Select Committee on Education and Skills with regards to the Minor Works Grant 2015/2016, the normal practice is for that to be announced later in the year. In the autumn I will be considering the issue of the Minor Works Grant in the context of my Department's overall capital position at that time.

National Educational Psychological Service Administration

Questions (527)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

527. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reform the situation whereby psychological assessment allocation is equal for a mainstream school and for a mainstream school with an autism unit; if she will ensure that an allowance will be made for the school with an autism unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24560/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.

In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution focused consultative approach to maximise positive outcomes for these pupils. NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Teachers may consult their NEPS psychologist should they need to at this stage in the process. Only in the event of a failure to make reasonable progress, in spite of the school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, will the psychologist become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment.

This system allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.

For clarity, NEPS psychologists are not assigned to schools on the basis of a number of assessments to be delivered in each nor, as described above, does assessment constitute the sole support afforded to pupils with special needs. Psychologists are in fact allocated schools based on a weighting process which takes into account school size, DEIS status, gender mix, geographical spread and the presence of special units or classes. For the Deputy's information under this process a full-time equivalent psychologist will cater to a group of schools roughly equivalent to a 5,000:1 pupil to psychologist ratio.

My Department remains committed to the maintenance of the NEPs service to schools and I can inform the Deputy that current staffing resources stand at 183 (172 w.t.e.), including 5 temporary posts, the highest level since the establishment of the Service in 1999. Furthermore the process of engaging three additional psychologists is nearing completion.

School Staff

Questions (528)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

528. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if principals of primary schools will be allowed to use their release days in conjunction with resource hours to create an additional post for their school as the system does not allow for the best use of existing resources; if she will consider the merit of such a situation as it would eliminate further red tape in hiring sub-positions on numerous occasions throughout the year and would lead to greater instructional continuity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24561/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Principal duties in small to medium sized schools are carried out by teaching principals. Teaching principals are provided with release time in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school so that the principal can come out of the classroom. Under the current arrangements the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in each school year ranges between 14 and 22 days depending on the size of the school.

The NCSE generally announces the sanction of resource hours to schools in May and October each year. My Department introduced reforms to the teacher allocation process for resource hours in recent years which included the allocation of a network of permanent posts in base schools to cater for NCSE approved resource hours for individual pupils in schools. 83% of all NCSE approved resource teaching hours in the 2014/15 school year were allocated to schools that had permanent resource base posts. Schools with a resource base post are required to co-operate with their neighbouring schools to ensure that any surplus capacity in the (25 hour) resource post(s) is made available to neighbouring schools to meet their NCSE approved resource hour requirements. Where a school has less than 25 hours that cannot be met from other schools, sanction will be given for part time hours.

Given that there are separate structures and arrangements in place in relation to NCSE hours and given that such allocations are subject to change each year and for some schools within each year it is not possible to combine these hours with principal release days in the manner suggested by the Deputy.

School Staff

Questions (529)

Brendan Griffin

Question:

529. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will reintroduce posts of responsibility for primary schools; if she will provide details of the cost of this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24562/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

Economic constraints and the moratorium on filling posts of responsibility, albeit alleviated to some extent for schools, have presented challenges within the education sector. They also provide an opportunity to review the role of the principal so that our principals are leaders of learning, and to reconfigure the middle management structure to support principals in their role, ensuring ownership of responsibility rather than tasks, thereby building expertise and supporting a career path within the profession.

Rather than simply looking at re-introducing posts of responsibility it is important to carefully consider the needs of school leaders and how they might be addressed. The Department is engaging with the management bodies at post-primary level on this issue and will, in due course, also engage with the management bodies at primary level.

I am aware of the workload issue and the pressures on Principal teachers. My Department has done work at helping to ease the administrative burden on school principals. The development and introduction of the primary online database is a significant step forward in this regard. A further step forward was the publication recently of Department Circular 0033/2015 which updates and simplifies the manner in which primary schools can maintain pupil enrolment and attendance records following the introduction of the primary online database.

Education and Training Boards

Questions (530)

Terence Flanagan

Question:

530. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding local training initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24567/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

This is an operational matter for the City of Dublin ETB and I have asked them to contact the Deputy directly to clarify the position.

Teachers' Remuneration

Questions (531)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

531. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to her correspondence (details supplied), if she will provide an update on the situation regarding the qualification allowance; if a decision still has not been made, when she expects a decision to be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24591/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The position is that the teacher referred to by the Deputy in correspondence reference number 1501403BC has been awarded an Honours Primary Degree allowance. Any arrears due are scheduled to be paid on the 2nd July 2015.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Questions (532)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

532. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way a child (details supplied) in County Tipperary, who has been classified as having a severe to profound learning disability, can be refused access to the July education school-based programme, because the child is not classified as being on the autism disorder spectrum; the reason other severe and profound learning disabilities are not considered for the school-based programme; if a school can offer the programme to children who have a severe to profound learning disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24605/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. This Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. Where school based provision is not feasible, home based provision may be grant aided.

It is a matter for individual Boards of Management of schools to decide if they wish to participate in the programme. Staff working in schools are not obliged to work for the extended school year and schools may choose to limit their participation in the programme where necessary.

The school in question has advised that due to staff availability during July they are only in a position to offer the school based programme to children with autism. Home based provision will be approved for the eligible pupils who cannot be accommodated by the school, on request. Home based provision has been approved for the pupil referred to by the Deputy.

Home Tuition Scheme

Questions (533)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

533. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a reply will issue to correspondence (details supplied) regarding the home tuition scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24608/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The correspondence supplied by the Deputy was referred to me separately by Taoiseach for my attention.

A response issued from my office to the correspondent of that letter on 20th May 2015.