Tuesday, 3 Nov 2015

Written Answers Nos. 931-948

Schools Establishment

Questions (931)

Jim Daly

Question:

931. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the necessary requirements for a voluntary group of parents wishing to set up a new school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37414/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The new school establishment process is initiated by my Department identifying the requirement to establish a new school in a particular area in order to meet demographic demand in that area. Once the requirement is established, my Department then conducts a process to allow for different patrons/bodies to be considered as the patron of the new school. A school patron has significant responsible duties which relate to the whole school community including students, teachers, parents and the wider community served by the school. A prospective school patron therefore needs to be able to demonstrate sufficient structure, continuity and reliability to conduct the responsible functions of patron in an ongoing way. For a group that is not a statutory body and wishes to be established as patron of a school, the group needs to establish itself as a corporate entity or as some other acceptable legal entity. In this process the group should articulate its educational philosophy and educational objectives in the memorandum and articles of association. The group should name three members as directors/trustees. Among the other requirements is that the applicant patron should have charitable status. Meeting these requirements in themselves does not confer any automatic right to become a patron of a new school. The awarding of patronage of new schools is governed by a patronage determination process and all applicants must comply with published mandatory requirements and criteria under that process. Full details of that process are published on my Department's website.

Special Educational Needs Data

Questions (932)

Jim Daly

Question:

932. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of school places available for children with autism-specific learning challenges within special educational units in County Cork at primary level and at secondary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37415/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included where possible and appropriate in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports, including the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support.

SENOs engage with schools annually in order to plan for, and to open, new special classes each year, in order to ensure there are sufficient special class placements available at primary and post primary school level to meet demand in a given area.

All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents are encouraged to liaise with the local SENO to discuss placement options for their child.

The NCSE will continue to monitor and review the requirement for special class places in particular areas and has capacity to establish such new special classes where necessary subject to the willingness of schools to open classes.

Parents can choose to enrol children with autism in an early intervention class from the age of three and where such a placement is not available home tuition is approved. Children with autism over the age of four may also be eligible for home tuition if a school placement is not available for them.

My officials have been advised by the NCSE that there are currently 124 ASD special classes at primary and post primary level in Co. Cork. This includes 24 early intervention classes, 66 classes at primary level and 34 autism classes at post primary level. Each special class for autism has a 6:1 pupil teacher ratio.

Details of all of the special classes for children with special educational needs which are attached to mainstream schools are published each year on the NCSE website at www.ncse.ie.

School Staff

Questions (933)

Finian McGrath

Question:

933. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that the current ban on promotion in our national schools is seriously affecting schools and their ability to deliver a quality education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37515/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

While there has been a moratorium on recruitment across other sectors in the public service, this has not applied to teaching and shows the commitment this Government has to educating our future generations. We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so that the number of teachers we have in the system has also grown in order to protect pupil teacher ratios. Between this year and last year this has involved an increase of around 2,300 teachers in our primary and post-primary schools. This is a very significant investment at a time of scarce resources.

The Deputy will be aware that I have made provision in Budget 2016 for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. These posts will provide for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhance the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their teaching time, an improvement to the scheme of release time for principal teachers at primary level and additional resource posts to meet special education needs.

At primary level, teaching principals may take a certain number of days 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 principal release days ranges between 14 and 22 days depending on the size of the school. Budget 2016 will increase those days to range between 15 and 25 days, effective from the start of the 2016/17 school year.

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.

National Council for Special Education

Questions (934)

Michael McCarthy

Question:

934. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of plans to include Down's syndrome on the list of disabilities in all National Council for Special Education literature and applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37527/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has recommended the introduction of a new resource allocation model for schools, which will allow schools to allocate resources to pupils taking into account their individual learning needs, as opposed to being based primarily on a diagnosis of a particular disability.

A pilot of this new resource allocation model is currently taking place in a number of schools.

Pending the full implementation of the proposed new model for allocating resource teachers to schools, I agreed to review the particular position in relation to educational provision for children with Down syndrome in mainstream schools.

On 24 March of this year, I announced that additional resources will be allocated to schools, as an interim measure, to support those children with Down syndrome, who are not already supported through the National Council for Special Education's (NCSE) annual allocation process.

I advised that this measure was being introduced in recognition of the length of time it will take to introduce the new resource teacher model and the fact that children with Down syndrome experience a cluster of difficulties relating to this syndrome, in addition to general learning difficulties, including speech and language developmental delays.

Details of the manner in which schools can apply for additional resources for children with Down syndrome is available on the NCSE website at http://ncse.ie/for-schools.

As my Department is continuing to develop the new allocation model for schools, consideration of the content of any new supporting literature and guidance for schools will take place as part of this process.

Home Schooling

Questions (935)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

935. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a teacher can remain in a home school liaison scheme post for only five years; her plans to change this; the number of exemptions which have been granted enabling a teacher to remain in the post for longer than five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37532/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department's Circular 0058/2013 "Assignment of Home School Community Liaison Coordinators within DEIS schools" governs the procedures that must be followed by participating DEIS schools in relation to Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) assignments. The contents of this Circular were agreed with the Teacher Unions and Management Bodies. The circular in question directs schools to implement the relevant procedures and there are no plans to amend the contents of same.

It is the responsibility of the Board of Management/Chief Executive Education and Training Board, as the Employer, in each participating school to adhere to the Circular, including the specific assignment periods and the rotational requirement attached to the HSCL post.

A key feature of the HSCL Scheme is the principle of the rotation of the HSCL post among eligible staff in the school. This is to ensure that all staff gain first-hand experience of educational disadvantage and bring this experience into the classroom.

Question No. 936 answered with Question No. 913.

Question No. 937 answered with Question No. 913.

School Staff

Questions (938, 939, 940, 941)

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

938. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of English as an additional language posts awarded from 2010 to September 2015 to date, by full-time post, part-time post and year. [37564/15]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

939. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the criteria required for a school to qualify for the allocation of an English as an additional language post. [37565/15]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

940. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school, 20% of whose total enrolment is made up of pupils who require English as an additional language support, qualifies for support as outlined in Circular 0005/2015. [37566/15]

Jonathan O'Brien

Question:

941. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the budget for English as an additional language posts has been cut and, if so, the details of the cuts by post and year. [37567/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 938 to 941, inclusive, together.

The level of extra teaching support provided in respect of language support to schools is determined by the numbers of eligible pupils enrolled and the associated levels of those pupils' language proficiency. Budget decisions since 2009 have reduced significantly the number of language support posts provided to schools. Arising from these decisions new arrangements (rule based allocations and appeal process) were put in place in recent years for the allocation of language support to schools. Prior to the 2012/2013 school year, these posts were allocated on a temporary basis by way of applications by individual schools.

Reforms introduced in the 2012/13 school year created a single simplified allocation process for both learning and language support. At primary level, learning/language support hours are allocated on the basis of mainstream classroom teaching posts in the school. At post-primary level, learning/language support is allocated on the basis of pupil numbers. Schools have autonomy to deploy this resource between learning support and language support depending on the specific needs of the school.

The new arrangements also provided for additional permanent teaching posts to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support.

Further additional temporary support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils that require language (EAL) support. At primary level, these allocations are made on the basis of appeals by any of these schools to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Where at least 20% of the total enrolment of the school is made up of pupils that require EAL support, the school may lodge an appeal with the Appeals Board. Having considered the circumstances outlined by the school and having regard to the high number of pupils requiring EAL support, additional post(s) may be approved by the Appeals Board.

I will arrange for the information sought by the Deputy in relation to post numbers to be forwarded to him separately.

School Transport Eligibility

Questions (942)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

942. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if school transport will continue to be provided for a family (details supplied) from September 2016; if not, the reason; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37577/15]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

In general, children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann.

The family referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for school transport as they are not attending their nearest national school. Children who are not eligible for school transport may avail of school transport on a concessionary basis only subject to a number of conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service.

Bus Éireann has advised that it is not possible, at this early stage, to confirm if transport on a concessionary basis will be available for the 2016/17 school year.

School Enrolments

Questions (943)

Clare Daly

Question:

943. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 589 of 20 October 2015, and noting that the religious values exception to the Act applies to more than 96% of schools, her views on whether this is appropriate in a State-funded school system; and the steps she proposes to take to deal with unbaptised children to ensure that their second-class status under this legislation is dealt with. [37578/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I fully support the Programme for Government commitment to move towards a more pluralist system of patronage for our schools. The Deputy will be aware that 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.

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. 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.

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.

As outlined in my reply to P.Q. No. 589, the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, does not propose changes to the existing equality legislation. However, the Bill provides that every recognised school shall explicitly state in its 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.

Multidenominational Schools

Questions (944)

Richard Boyd Barrett

Question:

944. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views regarding the lack of secular, multi-faith, non-faith primary and post-primary schools in the Dún Laoghaire constituency; whether the supply of primary and secondary schools is sufficient to meet the increased demand for children from non-Catholic families; if she will consider supplying funding to Educate Together or similar groups for the purpose of providing new schools in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37584/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

New schools are established to meet demographic need. In the past ten years the total pupil enrolment in first and second level schools has risen by almost 100,000 pupils. Enrolment levels are still rising annually at both levels and are projected to rise by some 44,000 pupils in 2018/19 compared with current levels. This level of increase has meant that the available financial resources have to be prioritised towards ensuring that every child has access to a physical school place. It is simply not practical for every student to be provided with access to a place in a school operated by a patron of their choice. The new school establishment arrangements introduced in 2011 place a strong emphasis on parental choice. In any area identified as requiring a new school it is open to all patron/prospective patron bodies to make application for patronage under the patronage determination process. Since 2011, 42 new school have opened (24 primary and 18 post-primary). 39 of these schools have a multi-denominational ethos.

The 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. One of the outcomes of the Forum was the initiation of a school patronage divesting process at primary level. This process has the aim of creating greater choice for parents in areas of stable population growth by re-configuring existing provision where there is not a demographic need for new school provision. To date, eight new primary schools have opened (seven of which are under the patronage of Educate Together) and work is continuing to advance choices in the other identified areas. However, more needs to be done. 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.

Schools Building Projects Expenditure

Questions (945, 994)

Michael Creed

Question:

945. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has received a request from a school in County Cork (details supplied) regarding additional funding for works unforeseen at the time of its original application, and as stipulated in the recent granting of planning permission by the local authority; if she will provide the school with an additional financial allocation to meet these unforeseen costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37595/15]

Billy Kelleher

Question:

994. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding will be provided to Firmount national school in County Cork for the provision of essential upgrading of its sewerage and treatment system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38210/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 945 and 994 together.

I can confirm that my Department approved a devolved grant to the school referred to by the Deputy in January 2014 for the provision of 2 classrooms and 2 resource rooms to replace prefabs.

The school authorities contacted my Department in July 2015 seeking funding for additional building works to the original project approved. Clarification on the additional scope of works requested by my Department has recently been received from the school and is currently being considered. My Department will be in direct contact with the school authorities concerned as soon as the deliberative process has been concluded.

School Enrolments

Questions (946)

Joan Collins

Question:

946. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the decision by the Canal Way Educate Together national school, Basin Lane, to only accept one stream of junior infants from 2016. [37601/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that the Board of Management of Canal Way Educate Together school has confirmed that the school will continue to accept two junior infant streams. I understand that it is the school's intention to apply to my Department for additional accommodation.

School Accommodation Provision

Questions (947)

Joan Collins

Question:

947. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the board of Ard Scoil Éanna secondary school roll number 60990G on the Crumlin Road in Dublin 12 has contacted her Department to offer the facility for divestment to an alternative educational body. [37602/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that I am not aware that this school has been offered to my Department for any educational purposes.

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Questions (948)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

948. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a family who are in receipt of family income supplement from the Department of Social Protection cannot qualify for a SUSI grant due to the family farm having had an annual turnover of about €70,000, not income, in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37603/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland).

The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant or how that applicant's income is assessed. This is a matter for SUSI to determine.

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.