Written Answers Nos. 574-594
574. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in County Kerry will be included in her Department's five-year building programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36172/15]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has completed the acquisition of a greenfield site for the school in question on foot of outline planning permission being granted.
The next stage involves the commencement of the architectural planning process and the appointment of a design team to advance the project. The school authorities have been advised of this position.
School building projects, including the project in question, which have not been included in the current Five Year programme, will continue to be progressed to the final planning stages and are available to be considered in the context of the new 6 Year Construction Plan that I intend to announce in the coming weeks.
575. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the position regarding a project (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36176/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the building project to host the proposed amalgamation of the schools to which he refers is at an early stage of the architectural planning process. The Pre Stage 1 meeting was held in November 2014 and the Department requested that a number of points be addressed as part of the Stage 1 report. An Addendum to the Stage 1 report was furnished to the Department by the Board of Management and Design Team on the 18th August last and the project has now been authorised to progress to Stage 2(a), which is the developed sketch design stage.
Upon successful completion of Stage 2(a) and subject to no issues arising, this project will be authorised to proceed to Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design Stage, which includes applications for Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certification, Disability Access Certification and the preparation of tender documents.
School building projects, including the project in question, which have not been included in the current five year construction programme, are being progressed to the final planning stages and are available to be considered in the context of the new 6 Year Construction Plan that I intend to announce in the coming weeks.
576. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills when resource hours will be provided to a child (details supplied) in County Cavan, given the child's entitlement to same and given that the school year has already started; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36177/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that, in primary schools, additional teaching supports for pupils with special education needs are provided through two channels.
Under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, schools are resourced to cater for pupils whose educational psychological assessment places them in the high incidence, or less complex, disability category. All mainstream Primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources under the GAM to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs. Separately, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
All schools were asked to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March, 2015.
Details of resource teaching allocations which have been made to schools is available on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie. The NCSE is also currently completing its 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 circumstances where a school may have an application for resource teaching support pending on behalf on an individual child, 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.
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. 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.
577. Deputy Eamonn Maloney asked the Minister for Education and Skills to explain the reason education and training boards have no structured links with local industries for trainees during and following completion of courses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36183/15]
View answerMy Department, SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards (ETBs), are developing the further education and training (FET) sector, through the implementation of the FET Strategy 2014-2019. The Strategy provides for the development of stronger links and partnerships between employers, employees and ETBs to provide education and training solutions that respond to the needs of learners and employers alike.
The annual service planning process requires ETBs to set out how provision meets local and national employer needs and the needs of unemployed persons including those referred to education and training by the Department of Social Protection. My Department is currently involved in the establishment of 9 Regional Skills Fora to enable ETBs and higher education institutions address employer skills needs in a more unified way and strengthen the links between learners and industry.
FET programmes such as Traineeship and Momentum contain a work placement component where individuals can use and develop the skills they have learned in a class setting in a practical working environment. In addition, the apprenticeship programme provides structured training in specified occupations both on and off the job. There are also less formal workplace components on a range of other FET programmes.
578. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out in detail the funding provided to schools (details supplied) in County Cork for capital works since March 2011; the purpose of the funding; when construction was completed; or will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36185/15]
View answerThe capital funding issued to schools in the primary and post-primary sectors in County Cork in the years 2011 to 2015 is as follows.
PRIMARY: 2011 - €24.8m; 2012 - €23.8m; 2013 - €31.1m; 2014 - €37.4m; and 2015 - €13.0m
POST-PRIMARY - 2011 - €6.4m; 2012 - €7.0m; 2013 - €14.2m; 2014 - €16.2m; and 2015 - €26.3m
It is not possible to provide the data/information requested in respect of a region within a county. However, if the Deputy wishes to nominate a specific school, I would be happy to provide the level of capital funding issued in such an instance.
580. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the category of funding available to cover urgent essential work to the roof of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry, as a previous refusal of an application is delaying the works required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36195/15]
View answerThe school in question applied for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for roof works.
As the scope of works is outside the terms of this scheme, the application cannot be considered for funding. The school authority has been informed of this decision.
It is, however, open to the school authority to apply for funding under a future Summer Works Scheme. In this regard, earlier this week I announced that there will be a Summer Works Scheme in 2016 and 2017. I also announced that the minor works will be paid later this year. It will be open to the school in question to use its minor works grant for the works in question.
581. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out her plans for a new school for 2016 in the Stillorgan and Goatstown areas in County Dublin; when the patronage will be awarded; and if any potential sites have been identified. [36227/15]
View answerIn February of this year I announced that a new primary school would be opening in September 2016 in the Goatstown/Stillorgan area.
My Department runs an open patronage determination process to decide who will operate the schools. I plan to announce a patronage determination process for the new primary schools commencing operation in 2016 before the end of this year or early next year. It will be open to all patrons and prospective patrons to apply under this process. In applying for patronage, the patrons must provide evidence of parental demand from within the area for the type of school proposed and this will be considered by my Department in awarding patronage.
Details of the criteria for the establishment of new schools is available on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Establishing-a-New-School
The site acquisition process in respect of the school in question is currently underway.
582. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the legislative provisions necessary to ensure that schools are no longer allowed to discriminate in admissions criteria on the basis of religion. [36242/15]
View answerIt is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. The enrolment policy must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.
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.
Under the Equal Status Act, 2000 schools are not permitted to discriminate against an applicant for admission on any of the grounds set out in the Act. However, the Act makes provision for exemptions to apply in the case of single sex schools and in the case of schools where the objective is to provide education in an environment that promotes certain religious values.
The legislation 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 Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, which was published in April of this year and is on the Government's legislative programme for enactment in this session, introduces a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent.
The 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 requires 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.
583. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15 will be included in her Department's five-year plan which is due to be announced shortly; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36243/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the school, to which he refers, is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning (Stage 2b – Detailed Design) which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of tender documents.
School building projects, including this project, which have been initiated but not included in the current five year construction programme, will continue to be progressed to final planning stages and are available to be considered in the context of the new 6 Year Construction Plan that I intend to announce in the coming weeks.
584. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the progress to date in renewing the delivering equality of opportunity in schools programme; the outcome of the review process of written submissions from education partners received during the consultation process that ended on 22 May 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36246/15]
View answer585. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 207 and 208 of 8 July 2015, the up-to-date status on the establishment of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools Programme Advisory Group within her Department and the Technical Group to develop criteria for a new identification process for which schools should participate in the Programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36247/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 584 and 585 together.
As the Deputy is aware, I have recently commenced a process to renew the DEIS programme. The review process involves a number of strands including:
- a consultation process with the Education Partners to inform the development of appropriate future interventions to tackle educational disadvantage;
- the establishment of an inter-Departmental Group to ensure a joined-up approach to future delivery of services in the DEIS Programme;
- the establishment of a Technical Group which is working to establish what eligibility criteria are now appropriate to re-identify the level of need in schools; and
- the establishment of a DEIS Advisory Group within my Department.
The submissions received during the consultation process are being examined and my Department will collate the main points and provide all stakeholders who participated in this process with feedback in due course.
The Technical Group, comprising of Officials from my Department and from the Educational Research Centre, is now established. The process of establishing a DEIS Advisory Group has commenced. The review of DEIS, which includes the work of the Technical Group and the DEIS Advisory Group, will take place during the course of the current school year.
586. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills for an update on the replacement of old prefabricated units which are in poor condition, and the provision of a suitably fitted-out autistic spectrum disorder unit in a school (details supplied) in County Carlow. [36277/15]
View answerI can confirm that the school in question has applied to my Department for funding to provide the accommodation referred to by the Deputy.
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is completing a nationwide demographic review to determine where additional post-primary school places might be needed from 2017 onwards. This includes an examination of need in County Carlow and the area where the school concerned is located. On foot of this review, arrangements will be made to provide additional post-primary accommodation where this is needed. The application from the school will be considered within this context.
587. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline her views on correspondence regarding a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36289/15]
View answerThe Major Building Project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b - Detailed Design which includes applications for planning permission, Fire Safety Certification, Disability Access Certification and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been received for this project.
Due to competing demands on the Department's capital budget, imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements, it was not possible to include this project in the five year construction programme. However, school building projects, including the project in question which have not been included in the current five year construction programme, are being progressed to the final planning stages and are available to be considered in the context of the new 6 Year Construction Plan that the Minister intends to announce in the coming weeks.
588. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the position further to Parliamentary Question No. 530 of 29 September 2015 in respect of a student with special needs whose parent applied for school transport in March 2015 and whose school also made an application, and given that no decision has been forthcoming, the steps she will take to ensure that the special education needs organiser responds urgently to this application. [36309/15]
View answerMy Department received an application for school transport for the child referred to by the Deputy on the 16 October 2015.
The child in question is eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs. In this regard Bus Éireann has been requested to report on the possibility of accommodating the child on an existing service.
The family will be advised of the position as soon as the report from Bus Éireann is received and considered.
589. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills for an update regarding advances towards secular education; access for unbaptised children to national schools; and the repeal of Section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act 2000. [36319/15]
View answerThe Programme for Government gives a commitment to move towards a more pluralist system of patronage for our schools. In this context, a Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector was established to look at how schools could cater for diversity and ensure an inclusive environment for all their pupils. Work is continuing on implementing the Action Plan arising from this Forum, including advancing the patronage divesting process.
Under this process, which creates greater choice for parents in areas where there is not a demographic need for new school provision, eight new multi-denominational primary schools have opened and work is continuing to advance choices in the other identified areas. I intend to reinvigorate the process to speed up divestment and to that end, I will be arranging to meet with the Catholic Bishops and with the other patrons in the coming period.
In addition to divesting, in those areas where there is a demographic need for new schools, the arrangements introduced in 2011 place a strong emphasis on parental choice. Under this process, 20 new primary schools and 17 new post-primary schools have opened. 35 of these 37 schools have a multi-denominational ethos.
With regard to admission to schools, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. The enrolment policy must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.
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.
Under the Equal Status Act, 2000 schools are not permitted to discriminate against an applicant for admission on any of the grounds set out in the Act. However, the Act makes provision for exemptions to apply in the case of single sex schools and in the case of schools where the objective is to provide education in an environment that promotes certain religious values.
The legislation 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.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, which was published in April of this year and is on the Government's legislative programme for enactment in this session, introduces a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent.
The 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 requires 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.
590. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline her plans to revise the online claim system to record and differentiate leave due to an assault from regular sick leave, in order that any changing trends may be monitored adequately; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36321/15]
View answerThe current sick leave scheme for teachers provides for sick leave to be granted to a teacher who is unable to perform his/her duties because of illness or injury. The terms of the sick leave scheme are contained in my Department's Circular 0053/2015 Sick Leave Scheme for Registered Teachers in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools.
Circular Letters 40/97 and M18/99 outline the policy to be adopted in schools where incidents of assaults on teachers occur. These Circulars on assaults are currently being reviewed by my Department under the auspices of the Teachers' Conciliation Council (TCC). The TCC is part of the scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme for Teachers, the purpose of which is to provide a means of dealing with claims and proposals relating to the salaries and terms and conditions of teachers. The Council is composed of representatives of the teacher representative bodies, school management, the Department of Education and Skills, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and is chaired by an official of the Labour Relations Commission. The role of the On-Line Claims recording system will be considered as part of this review.
591. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills to outline her plans to amend the relevant circular relating to compassionate leave for special needs assistants to ensure it includes the death of a brother or a sister-in-law; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36327/15]
View answerCircular 0032/2010 sets out the provisions regarding brief absences for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in Recognised Primary and Post-Primary Schools. Special leave with pay is allowed to an SNA in the event of the bereavement of a family member as follows: 5 consecutive days in the case of a spouse, partner, child, or a person to whom the SNA is in loco parentis; and 3 consecutive days in the case of a parent, brother, sister, parent-in-law, step-parent, grandparent or a person who resides with the SNA in a relationship of domestic dependency.
These provisions were agreed by my Department in conjunction with the School Management Bodies and the relevant Trade Unions and have general application to all Special Needs Assistants.
592. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills to set out the position regarding a new school proposed (details supplied) in Dublin 3; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36331/15]
View answerIn February of this year I announced that a new primary school would be opening in September 2016 for the Drumcondra/Marino/Dublin 1 area.
My Department runs an open patronage determination process to decide who will operate the schools. I plan to announce a patronage determination process for the new primary schools commencing operation in 2016 before the end of this year or early next year. It will be open to all patrons and prospective patrons to apply under this process. In applying for patronage, the patrons must provide evidence of parental demand from within the area for the type of school proposed and this will be considered by my Department in awarding patronage.
Details of the criteria for the establishment of new schools is available on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Establishing-a-New-School.
In the meantime and in tandem with that process, officials from my Department are working to identify and secure suitable accommodation for the school.
593. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that Bus Éireann has refused a bus ticket to a child (details supplied) in County Offaly on the basis of a late payment, even though there are spaces on the bus travelling the route to the child's home; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36351/15]
View answerChildren are eligible for Post Primary School Transport where they reside not less than 4.8 km from, and are attending, their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The closing date for receipt of payments for school transport was 31st July 2015. Children for whom late payments are received cannot be guaranteed a seat on a school transport service.
However, on this occasion Bus Éireann was able to accommodate the child in question.
594. Deputy John Perry asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will intervene and seek a reply to an application for grant assistance by a person (details supplied) to Student Universal Support Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36356/15]
View answerAs part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making enquiries about their grant applications.
This service complements the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
