Written Answers Nos. 757-772
757. Deputy Áine Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the special needs assistant panel is not done in order, with persons on the list for only a short time being allocated positions ahead of persons who have been on the list a long time; and the rules governing this process. [28306/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, a set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). One aspect of this Agreement relates to supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and as both Unions that represent SNAs namely, SIPTU and IMPACT, have signed up to the Haddington Road Agreement, my Department has implemented supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs.
The first part of the LRC proposals for supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs outlines that the supplementary assignment arrangements only apply to current SNAs who are notified that they are to be made redundant. Accordingly, the purpose of these arrangements is to facilitate eligible SNAs who are being made redundant by one employer in filling SNA vacancies that may become available in another school/ETB.
The detailed supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) for the 2015/2016 school year are set out in Departmental Circular 0041/2015 which issued on 12 June 2015 and which is available on the Department's website at the following address: http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/Recruitment-of-Special-Needs-Assistants-SNAs-Supplementary-Assignment-Arrangements-for-the-2015-16-school-year.pdf. Once an SNA with a minimum of one year's service (Service in a substitute capacity i.e. covering for maternity leave, sick leave, career breaks, job-sharing etc. does not count) is notified by his/her employer that s/he is to be made redundant then s/he shall be deemed to be a member of a supplementary assignment panel for SNAs.
The operation of this panel is described and outlined in Circular 0041/2015 and it is designed to be as flexible as possible which enables all eligible SNAs, who have the requisite Panel Form 1 completed by their former employer, to apply for any SNA position that is advertised by a school or an ETB with no sectoral, diocesan or geographical limitations imposed. It does not work on a list basis. Every eligible SNA will remain on the panel for two years with a view to getting further employment. If they are not successful over that period of time in obtaining a further SNA position then they will be eligible for a Redundancy payment. Furthermore, an SNA may opt out of this supplementary assignment panel at any point in time triggering the processing of his/her redundancy payment in line with the terms set out in the SNA redundancy scheme (DES Circular 58/06) or any revision of same that is applicable at that time.
It is important to note that when an employer has a vacancy to fill, they must undertake the recruitment process in accordance with the provisions outlined in paragraphs 15-22 of Circular 41/2015.
Finally, my Department has set up a dedicated e-mail address to deal with all queries in relation to the SNA Supplementary Assignment Panel and any queries in respect of the operation of the Panel can be directed to this dedicated e-mail address: snasupplementpanel@education.gov.ie
758. Deputy Noel Harrington asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to include the new Eircode postcode in all schemes and administrative roles operated by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28313/15]
View answerBusiness areas within my Department are drawing up implementation plans to include Eircodes on key databases, i.e. those holding addresses of school employees, schools, Boards of Management, suppliers etc. Development work needed to support Eircodes will be scheduled along with other changes to our systems to minimise costs and disruption to the everyday work of the Department.
759. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address issues raised in correspondence regarding the amalgamation of schools (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28366/15]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Patron of the schools to which he refers has determined that the new amalgamated school should be located on the site and buildings of one of the schools in question. In reaching this decision, the Patron and schools had available to them an independent technical report that reviewed the curricular capacity of both school buildings and sites. A separate technical report completed by my Department has also been made available that supports the Patron's decision. Whilst deficits of accommodation in both buildings were identified, the independent report recommended that one of the school buildings was the location that "requires the least amount of re-modelling of the existing structure and has the potential for expansion to accommodate a combined curriculum and additional teaching spaces". The Patron has advised my Department that they accept the report's recommendations.
I wish to advise the Deputy that funding for a significant extension project has been approved in principle in recent days to facilitate the proposed amalgamation of the schools concerned, which are proposing to amalgamate from September 2016. This extension includes for the provision of a science laboratory, business studies/commerce room, technology room with associated preparation areas and three interlinked standard classrooms. This extension is expected to significantly enhance the accommodation available to the amalgamated school. The position of the prefabs, referred to by the Deputy, which are on the site in question will be addressed as part of the extension project.
To also facilitate the amalgamation, a site extension to the existing site in question has been agreed under a lease agreement at a nominal rate and this arrangement will be reviewed in 5 years. This site extension includes the gardens, referred to, and significantly enhances the school site in question.
The Department is aware that the amalgamated school will not have access to a PE hall. As the Deputy will appreciate, due to the competing demands on my Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential school classroom accommodation, it is not possible at this point to provide an indicative timeframe for the provision of funding towards a PE hall for the school concerned. However I understand that the school concerned will continue to have access for PE purposes to a swimming pool, the rowing club and a local hall.
In relation to the future use of the remaining building, the Patron has advised that they have not formulated proposals for its future use, but consider that the buildings would be suitable for alternative education use.
Finally, I understand that a Steering Group has been established to support the amalgamation process. It is understood that this Group has nominees of parents, teachers and members of the Boards of Management of both schools. It is also understood that from September next, both schools will cooperate closely in terms of curricular provision.
760. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of additional funding in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; the current position of this application; the timeframe for a decision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28373/15]
View answerA devolved grant was approved to the school in question earlier this year to construct an additional mainstream classroom. The school subsequently sought additional funding to complete associated works and I am pleased to advise the Deputy that funding was recently approved to the school for this purpose.
761. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application for additional funding to supplement an all-in devolved grant application under the 2014 additional accommodation scheme by a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; when is a decision expected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28390/15]
View answerFollowing a recent meeting between officials from my Department's Planning and Building Unit and the management authority of the school in question, it was agreed that the school authority would submit revised proposals to my Department for consideration. As soon as these are received and considered the school authority will be informed of the outcome.
762. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for funding to equip a room for the teaching of technology at post-junior certificate level in a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28397/15]
View answerI understand that the school referred to by the Deputy intends offering Technology as a Leaving Certificate subject option and is undertaking modifications to an existing classroom for this purpose. It is open to the school to submit an application to my Department for funding to equip this classroom and the school has been advised accordingly.
763. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a new school building will be provided for a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28434/15]
View answerI can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has recently applied to my Department for large scale capital funding to provide a new school building.
My Department has been in recent contact with the School in respect of their proposal and will be in a position to assess the proposal further when a response to the queries raised is received.
764. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the compassionate assistance and allowance available to young persons taking the leaving certificate under circumstances where a parent or sibling has recently passed away; if such bereavement is taken into account in any way; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28435/15]
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.
765. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board is operating with staff levels under 10% of that set out by the 2009 moratorium; her views regarding the inability to hire a human resources executive and the risks this may pose to the organisation; the number of times her Department has been contacted on this by the training board; the reason this has not been resolved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28436/15]
View answerThe Deputy may be aware of the decision of the previous Government to implement a recruitment and promotion moratorium in the public sector, which is binding upon all Departments, non-commercial state bodies and agencies.
In respect of Educational Training Boards, positions other than teacher and SNA posts in schools, and teacher equivalents that are directly providing tuition to pupils in schools, in special programmes or in adult and further education, are comprehended by this decision. It is a matter for each ETB to implement work prioritisation across different functions, and to deploy available staff to execute those functions. However, my Department is in the process of finalising a Delegated Sanction Agreement for the education sector with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. This agreement will replace the existing Employment Control Framework arrangements which have been in place since 2010. When the Delegated Sanction Agreement has been finalised my officials will discuss the operationalisation of the agreements with the Education and Training Boards, which includes the Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board.It is important, however, to note that the operation of the agreement will be subject to multi-annual pay ceilings that have been set by Government for the period 2015-2017.
766. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding free school transport for a child (details supplied) in County Leitrim; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28443/15]
View answerUnder 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 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The child in question is not attending her nearest school and is therefore not eligible for school transport. Children who are not eligible for school transport, may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only which is subject to a number of conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service and payment of the annual charge.
Only children who are eligible for school transport and who hold a valid Medical Card (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge.
The terms of the scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.
767. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of funding her Department has allocated to student counselling services at third level for each of the past five years; and her Department's policy on supporting the provision of such services. [28462/15]
View answerThe position is that my Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution. Third level institutions are autonomous and the responsibility for day to day operational affairs rests with the Governing Bodies and management staff of the institutions.
As the Deputy will be aware, students who qualify for free fees funding at third level are liable to pay the Student Contribution which includes funding towards student services including counselling services. A working group was set up by the HEA, at the request of my Department, to review and update the Framework of Good Practice for the provision of student services. This working group agreed that among others, welfare and guidance were areas to be included, together with counselling, as part of student services.
The HEA previously undertook a review of expenditure on student services in the sector and has advised that expenditure on counselling services amounted to some €5.55m in 2010/11, €5.84m in 2011/12 and €5.97m in 2012/13. Information is not yet available for the 2013/14 or 2014/15 academic year, however, the HEA is seeking the data from the institutions and my Department will arrange for details of the amount spent on counselling services in respect of those years to be forwarded to the Deputy.
768. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on a matter (details supplied) regarding national schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28491/15]
View answerThe majority of school buildings in the state are in private ownership and under denominational patronage. When state monies were provided to facilitate building works to school property owned by a third party, a legal mechanism had to be put in place in order to protect the State's interest. This was known as a Charging Lease or Declaration of Trust. These leases protect the Minister's capital investment in the school property and require that the property be used as a school for a set period.As a result of negotiations in the late 1990s on the reconstitution of Boards of Management, an agreement was reached whereby patrons agreed to cede representatives on the Boards of Management in lieu of the Department agreeing to insert a Deed of Variation into the existing property lease. The Deed of Variation refers to a change in the terms of a charging lease or Declaration of Trust. The objective of this Deed of Variation is to provide security for the denominational ethos of a school in cases where a patron or trustee owns the property. Discussions have taken place with the relevant patron bodies over the years to obtain a mutually acceptable solution which meets this objective and these discussions are ongoing.
Section 15 of the Education Act, 1998 provides that a board of management shall manage the school on behalf of the patron and uphold, and be accountable to the patron for so upholding, the characteristic spirit of the school as determined by the cultural, educational, moral, religious, social, linguistic and spiritual values and traditions which inform and are characteristic of the objectives and conduct of the school.
In relation to school admissions, parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
Schools are not permitted to discriminate against an applicant for admission on any of the grounds set out in the Equal Status Act, 2000. However, the Equal Status Act provides that an educational establishment does not discriminate where the establishment is a school providing primary or post-primary education to students and the objective of the school is to provide education in an environment which promotes certain religious values, it admits persons of a particular religious denomination in preference to others or it refuses to admit as a student a person who is not of that denomination and, in the case of a refusal, it is proved that the refusal is essential to maintain the ethos of the school. Schools that comply with the requirements of the equality legislation do not therefore discriminate on religious grounds.
The recently published Education (Admission to Schools) Bill does not propose changes to the existing equality legislation. However, the Bill provides for schools to explicitly state in the school's admission policy that it will not discriminate against an applicant for admission on the grounds of disability, special educational needs, sexual orientation, family status, membership of the traveller community, race, civil status, gender or religion while including provision for single sex schools and denominational schools to reflect, in their admission policy, the exemptions applicable to such schools under equality legislation.
The Bill also provides for schools to publish an enrolment policy which will include details of the school's arrangements for students who do not want to attend religious instruction.Furthermore, the patronage determination process for new schools requires prospective patrons to commit to enrolling pupils from the area to be served by the new school.
769. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position in relation to the appointment of a third teacher to a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; if this request will be given serious consideration; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28495/15]
View answerThe 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. An appeals process is available to small 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. Details of the appeal criteria are set out in the published staffing arrangements, Circular 0005/2015 which is on the website.
The Primary Staffing Appeals Board meets three times per year. The Board will meet again in October, 2015. The closing date for receipt of applications to this meeting will be published on the Department website in due course. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
770. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the Apprenticeship Council will provide a report on proposals for a new way of developing apprenticeships; if she will provide an update regarding same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28535/15]
View answerThe Apprenticeship Council reported to me on the 30th June recommending that, following its evaluation of proposals for new apprenticeships, 25 proposals across a range of sectors be prioritised for development.
I am currently in the process of examining the implications of the report in the light of the governance, budgetary and other considerations raised. The next stage of the process involves the detailed development of the proposals into apprenticeships, including curriculum development, quality assurance, approval of employers and a range of other issues.
771. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding student councils (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28538/15]
View answerThe existing provisions of Section 27 of the Education Act 1998 give broad scope for the formation of student councils in all secondary schools and their active participation in school management in conjunction with the Board of Management, parents and teachers. There are no plans to change this position. The proposed Parent and Student Charter engagements will provide an opportunity to further clarify the role of student councils.
772. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding funding for guidance counsellors in schools (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28539/15]
View answerSince 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. The Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations. Guidance counsellors have two distinct functions. The first is general career guidance and guidance on the educational opportunities a child or young person might pursue, while the second involves support for students' well-being. The principal and leadership of a school have the best knowledge and experience to determine how exactly guidance resources and teaching resources should be allocated. The representative organisations for school principals and school management developed a framework that assists schools on how best to manage the provision of guidance from within their staffing allocation. This approach puts a greater emphasis on group-work and class-based activity at senior cycle and maximises the amount of time available for those pupils that need one to one support. There are also a range of other supports available to promote and support the wellbeing of students. NEPS psychologists are available to offer their advice and support to schools in establishing and developing School Support Teams. The extension of the NEPS service to all mainstream schools since September 2013 also puts it in a good position to provide advice to the Teams in regard to students with particular difficulties and on onward referral or liaison with other community based services that also have a role in providing service to schools. Student Support Teams in Post-Primary Schools (DES 2014) is a NEPS booklet to promote the well-being of pupils in post-primary schools. Wellbeing Guidelines for Post-Primary and more recently for Primary Schools have been produced by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive. The guidelines are informed by consultation with key Education and Health partners and by the findings of current research. They provide practical guidance to schools on how they can promote mental health and well-being in an integrated school-wide way and they also provide evidence-based advice on how to support young people who may be at risk of suicidal behaviour. The Guidelines build on the significant work already taking place in schools, including through the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the whole-school guidance plan, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support model and the HSE, Health Promoting Schools Process. Information is also provided on how to access support from the SPHE Support Service and other external agencies and support services. It should also be noted that the proposals on the reform of the junior cycle envisage a new subject on "wellbeing" being studied by all pupils. I have repeatedly argued that improvements to the staffing and funding of our schools must be a priority as the economic recovery takes hold. 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. I am determined that education should be prioritised for investment as our economy recovers and I will be seeking to agree a set of priorities for such increased investment into the future.
