Written Answers Nos. 168-175
168. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the discussions she or her Department have had with suppliers or service contractors to her Department or to agencies of her Department, to ensure that employees of such suppliers and contractors are paid the living wage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34901/15]
View answerThe introduction of the Living Wage Campaign is a voluntary initiative being led by Ged Nash, TD, Minister for Business and Employment at the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation.
For the Deputy's information, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) is an office within the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform which is tasked with centralising public sector procurement arrangements for common goods and services. Government Departments are required to manage procurement processes in accordance with OGP guidelines. Accordingly, the Department's suppliers and service contractors are required to confirm that they have taken account of their statutory and legal obligations relating to the employment protection and working conditions of their employees, in the provision of goods and services sought for the Department through the eTenders website.
169. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set down the number of pupils required to gain an extra teacher; if this requirement is greater in smaller schools with a teacher principal rather than in larger schools with an administrative principal; if so, the reason this is the case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34923/15]
View answerThe staffing arrangements for the 2015/2016 school year are set out in Circular 0005/2015 which is available on the website. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools.
The Deputy will be aware that I announced some improvements in the staffing schedule for small primary schools in February 2015. These changes were introduced for the 2015/16 school year to better support the sustainability of small schools and particularly those in isolated areas.
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 8 km 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.
Under the published staffing arrangements for the current school year a principal teacher attains administrative status on a minimum enrolment of 178 pupils (Principal plus 7 classroom teachers) on 30 September 2014.
170. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills to explain the reason the changes to the general allocation model have discriminated against some schools of a similar size; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34924/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the General Allocation Model (GAM) provides additional resource teaching, learning support, and English Additional Language support for all primary schools, and is updated annually based on the number of mainstream teaching posts in each school and in order to take account of updated enrolments.
Details of the GAM allocation process, and of GAM allocations for each school for the 2015/16 school year, are set out in DES Circular 05/2015, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
Differing teacher allocation ratios are applied under the GAM in relation to boys, girls and mixed schools in order to account for differentials of prevalence of learning difficulty between boys and girls. In addition, schools in Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Band 1 category also receive an additional base allocation of 0.4 of a post if the school has 200 or more pupils or an additional 0.2 of a post if the school has less than 200 pupils.
The objective of this differentiation is to ensure that resources provided to schools to support children who have additional learning needs are targeted to ensure that those children most in need benefit from these resources.
The rationale for the differing ratios is based on international literature on the incidence of disability as well as international and national surveys of literacy and numeracy which indicate that there is a greater incidence of disability/learning difficulty in boys than girls.
Whereas some enhanced allocations are provided to schools to account for gender and disadvantage differentials, schools of similar size, which have the same criteria, receive the same allocation rates and are not discriminated against.
My Departments Circular 02/05 provides guidance to schools on the utilisation of resources allocated to them under the GAM. 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.
171. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the capitation grant for primary and secondary pupils; the reason there is a differentiation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34925/15]
View answerIt is extremely difficult to make precise comparisons between the levels of grants paid and the actual costs of running schools at primary and post primary levels. However it is self evident that the maintenance and running costs for second level schools are much greater on a unit cost basis than those in primary schools.
In general, second level schools are larger than primary schools and have a lower pupil teacher ratio resulting in more classrooms and specialist rooms such as laboratories, workshops and kitchens. This leads to higher unit costs in second level schools for heat, light, power, maintenance and cleaning.
I do recognise however 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.
172. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the number of administrative days that are allocated to school principals; her plans to redress the imbalance between administrative and non-administrative school principals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34926/15]
View answerPrincipal duties in medium to large sized schools are carried out by administrative principals. Principal duties in small to medium sized schools are carried out by teaching principals.
Circular 25/02 which is available on the Department website outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year 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 to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching principal. Under the current arrangements the number of days that principal teachers may take as release time in each school year ranges between 14 and 22 days depending on the size of the school.
I am aware of the workload issue and the pressures on Principals 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 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.
Economic constraints and the moratorium on recruitment, 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.
The Department, in consultation with the representative management bodies has commenced an exploration of the opportunities to support and thereby advance our understanding of the needs of school leaders and how they might be addressed.
173. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the reason primary schools are required to make regular test result returns to her Department; the purpose of these results; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34927/15]
View answerData on pupil achievement are essential to inform the quality of pupil learning and national education policy so as to identify ways of improving the performance of our education system. All primary schools are required to report aggregate standardised test results for 2nd, 4th and 6th classes once annually to the Department of Education and Skills. Individual pupil results are not reported to the Department.
Standardised tests are available for reading (in English and Irish) and mathematics at primary level in Ireland. These scientifically constructed tests can provide teachers and parents with information about how well a child's achievement compares with that of children at the same class level in Irish primary schools and the rate of progress that they have made over time.
Standardised tests are one important tool that teachers can use to monitor pupil progress. They do not measure the progress pupils have made in achieving many other important learning outcomes, including, for example, students' oral language abilities or their ability to write creatively.
Aggregating standardised test scores for pupils within different classes can help to inform a school's planning, self-evaluation and external evaluation. They can also help schools to gain a clearer understanding of trends in achievement and they can provide evidence about how well initiatives to promote better learning are working.
174. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline her plans to redress the inequity in teachers' pay scales that were applied to recent new entrants; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34928/15]
View answerSince the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure. The previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable of all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011 and required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale.
Subsequently, following the public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments, the Government decided to withdraw or modify allowances for new beneficiary public servants with effect from 1 February 2012. Under this decision, certain allowances were withdrawn for new beneficiary teachers, including qualification allowances. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale. These measures were implemented at time of very difficult financial and budgetary circumstances for the State.
Alleviation of the salary imbalance between those who entered the public service since 2011 and those who entered before that date began under the Haddington Road Agreement. Improved pay scales for post-1 January 2011 and post-1 February 2012 entrants to teaching were agreed and implemented under the terms of that Agreement. In addition, allowances payable to post-1 January 2011 entrants and such allowances as remain payable to post-1 February 2012 entrants were restored to pre-2011 levels.
The Lansdowne Road Agreement has, through salary increases and a reduction in the Pension-Related Deduction, begun the process of restoring the reductions to public service pay which were implemented over recent years. The issue of equalised pay scales was not one which could be resolved in the discussions which lead to the Agreement. However, the flat-rate increases contained in the Agreement will be proportionately more favourable to new entrants to teaching (who are lower on the pay scale) than to longer serving teachers. The LRA proposals have been accepted by the INTO and are currently under consideration by the post-primary teacher unions, ASTI and TUI.
175. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills for a list of the schools in counties Wicklow and Carlow participating in the delivering equality of opportunity in schools scheme; the entitlements of these schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34929/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy is provided in the following table. The schools in question receive the following additional supports under DEIS:
reduced class sizes in Urban Band 1 schools - access to literacy and numeracy supports services for Band 1 and Band 2 schools
- enhanced capitation
- access to Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) - Urban and Post Primary
- access to School Completion Programme (SCP) - Urban and Post Primary
- access to School Meals Programme
- access to planning and professional development supports
- additional funding under school books grants scheme
- access to Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Applied Programme.List of Primary DEIS schools in Carlow
|
Roll No. |
Name |
Address 1 |
Address 2 |
Address 3 |
DEIS Band |
|
19478L |
Holy Family GNS |
Askea |
Carlow |
Co Carlow |
Urban Band 2 |
|
19477J |
Holy Family BNS |
Askea |
Carlow |
Co Carlow |
Urban Band 2 |
|
20295K |
Carlow Town Educate Together NS |
Bestfield, Athy Rd |
Carlow Town |
Carlow |
Urban Band 2 |
|
17127S |
St Joseph's NS |
Hacketstown |
Co Carlow |
Rural |
|
|
17096K |
SN Naomh Fhingin |
Garryhill |
Muinebheag |
Co Carlow |
Rural |
|
17555Q |
Scoil Naomh Abban |
Crettyard |
Carlow |
Co Carlow |
Rural |
|
18265M |
Bhride NS |
Ard Duach |
Carlow |
Co Carlow |
Rural |
List of Post Primary DEIS schools in Carlow
|
Roll No. |
Name |
Address 1 |
Address 2 |
Address 3 |
DEIS Band |
|
70420R |
Carlow Vocational School |
Kilkenny Road |
Carlow |
Co Carlow |
Post Primary |
|
70430U |
Vocational School Muine Beag |
Muine Beag |
Co Carlow |
Post Primary |
List of Primary DEIS schools in Wicklow
|
Roll No. |
Name |
Address 1 |
Address 2 |
Address 3 |
DEIS Band |
|
07246U |
Sisters of Charity NS |
Ravenswell |
Bray |
Co Wicklow |
Urban Band 1 |
|
18464S |
St Peter's PS |
Bray |
Co Wicklow |
Wicklow |
Urban Band 1 |
|
20278K |
Newtownmountkennedy PS |
Newtownmountkennedy |
Co Wicklow |
Urban Band 2 |
|
|
20466L |
St Fergals NS |
Ballywaltrim |
Bray |
Co Wicklow |
Urban Band 2 |
|
00984V |
Glenealy 1 NS |
Glenealy |
Co Wicklow |
Rural |
|
|
16874E |
SN Naomh Iosef G |
Rathnew |
Co Wicklow |
Rural |
|
|
17669I |
SN Treasa Naomha |
Cill Teagain |
Co Cille Manntain |
Rural |
|
|
18962L |
St Ernans BNS |
Rathnew |
Co Wicklow |
Rural |
List of Post Primary DEIS schools in Wicklow
|
Roll No. |
Name |
Address 1 |
Address 2 |
Address 3 |
DEIS Band |
|
70740M |
Glenart Community College |
Coolgreaney Rd, |
Arklow |
Co Wicklow |
Post Primary |
|
70800E |
St Kevin's Community College |
Dunlavin |
Co Wicklow |
Post Primary |
|
|
70810H |
Avondale Community College |
Rathdrum |
Co Wicklow |
Post Primary |
|
|
91376L |
St Killian's Community School |
Ballywaltrim |
Bray |
Co Wicklow |
Post Primary |
