Tuesday, 10 Nov 2015

Written Answers Nos. 470 - 479

Juvenile Offenders

Questions (470)

Regina Doherty

Question:

470. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the education system within the juvenile justice system has the same inspection regime, standardised testing and supports as other schools; the additional learning supports that are provided to young offenders; the ratio of pupils to teachers in each of the detention centres, high support centres, and other centres; the measurements that are used to monitor outcomes; the percentage of young offenders whose literacy levels are under Level 1; and the education spend on the juvenile criminal justice system annually. [38976/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department's Inspectorate conducts specialised High Support Unit, Special Care Unit and Children Detention Centre inspections in schools attached to these Units/Centres. These schools have been inspected annually since 2011. All Inspection reports are published on my Department's website. A variety of assessments are carried out in these schools depending on circumstances including age and stage of educational progress of students. The students are of post-primary age and may pursue some Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate subjects or FETAC programmes. The pupil teacher ratio in these settings is 6:1. Expenditure on education provision in centres operated by Tusla and the Irish Youth Justice Service in the current school year will be in the order of €4.5 million.

Early School Leavers

Questions (471)

Regina Doherty

Question:

471. Deputy Regina Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of pupils who leave secondary school with no qualification. [38977/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The latest information available on school retention rates is for the cohort of pupils who began post-primary education in 2008. Of the 2008 entry cohort, 96.89% sat the Junior Certificate Exams in 2011 or 2012 and 90.56% sat the Leaving Certificate Exams in 2013 or 2014. More detailed information on retention rates and school leavers is available on my Department's website at the following:

http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Statistical-Reports/Other-Statistical-Reports.html.

School Completion Programme

Questions (472)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Question:

472. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the school completion and retention rates; the number of pupils who leave school before the leaving certificate; the number of home school liaison officers; the number of young persons liaison officers work with; the cost of the School Completion Programme in 2011; in 2015; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38987/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The latest retention rates available in my Department relate to the pupil cohort that started post-primary school in 2008. The retention rate for that cohort was 90.6%. 5,293 pupils did not complete the Leaving Certificate out of a cohort of 6,075 students who started post-primary school in 2008.

Retention reports are available on the Statistics section of my Department's website at the following link:

http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Statistical-Reports/Other-Statistical-Reports.html.

The Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Scheme operates in Urban Primary and Post Primary schools included in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools). Participating schools are allocated additional posts through the assignment of HSCL Coordinators to individual schools or clusters of schools. Currently, there are 400 teachers deployed as HSCL Coordinators in DEIS schools with an enrolment of 169,500 pupils. The School Completion Programme comes within the policy remit of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. It is managed by the senior management team within the Educational Welfare Service of TUSLA. In 2011 the School Completion Programme Cost was €30.25 million.

I am informed by TUSLA that the School Completion budget for 2015/16 is €24.75 million.

Schools Building Projects Expenditure

Questions (473)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

473. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will prioritise the extension of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin and make funding available immediately to ensure the extension may be carried out in an effort to ensure the provision of secondary school places in the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39021/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

The building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Five Year Construction Programme to proceed to Tender and Construction.

The original design team appointed to the project had reached completion of Stage 1 of Architectural Planning. As part of that work and following an assessment of the current accommodation, it was agreed by the Department that extensive additional refurbishment works to the existing school will also be required.

The Department approved a significant increase in the scope of works for the project to incorporate those refurbishment works. Arising from this expansion in the scope of works it was necessary to commence a tender exercise for the appointment of a new design team to take the project forward from this point. This process, which was conducted by the ETB, was completed and the new Design Team have been authorised to proceed to Stage 2A of Architectural Planning, which is the developed Design Stage. Earlier this year, the Department met with officials from the ETB regarding progression of the project. Following this meeting, further information was requested from the ETB and its Design Team. A review of this information has been completed by my Department and the project is proceeding to complete Stage 2A of Architectural Planning. Upon successful completion of Stage 2A the project will progress to complete Stage 2B, Detailed Design, which includes the application for Statutory approvals and the preparation of Tender Documents for Contractors. Following completion of stage 2B the project will then be progressed to tender and construction.

Autism Support Services

Questions (474)

Mary Lou McDonald

Question:

474. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans for increased investment in special autism units and increased teacher supports and special needs assistants for children with autism and other special needs in the Newcastle, Rathcoole, Lucan, and Dublin 22 ares in Dublin over the coming five years. [39081/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Jan O'Sullivan)

I wish to advise the Deputy that some €1.37 billion will be spent in support of children with Special Educational Needs this year, which represents approximately 15% of my Department's budget.

The investment which is being made to support children with special educational needs is an area of spending which has been prioritised above most other areas by this Government.

We now have the highest level of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support, Resource Teaching allocations and Special Class provision that we have ever had, which will ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

I recently announced that an additional 610 SNA posts and over 480 additional Resource Teachers are being provided for this year to ensure that children can continue to have access to additional supports in school.

In addition, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has established over 150 new Special Classes in the 2015/16 school year, which means there are now over 1,000 special classes attached to mainstream schools catering for children with special educational needs.

This will ensure that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

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.

Children with autism therefore have a number of placement options including mainstream placement with support, placement in a special class in a mainstream school or placement in a special class in a special school.

The establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years.

The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) will continue to engage with schools 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.

The NCSE has advised my Department that, for children with autism, there are now 762 special classes nationwide in mainstream schools, 116 of which are early intervention settings, 452 in primary schools and 194 at post primary level.

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.

I have arranged for the Deputy's request for specific detail on provision in the areas referred to, to be forwarded to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.

Physical Education

Questions (475)

Martin Heydon

Question:

475. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the efforts being made to establish physical education as an examination subject; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39088/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

A short course for Junior Cycle in Physical Education (P.E.) is currently available to schools. This short course has been designed for 100 hours duration. The P.E. short course is part of the new Framework for Junior Cycle which recognises the importance of physical education and physical activity in schools, particularly in the context of the 'Wellbeing' principle. Under the new Framework, schools may choose to incorporate the new short course in P.E. into their junior cycle programme. The new short course in P.E. aims to develop students as knowledgeable, skilful and creative participants who are confident and competent to perform in a range of activities safely. The course aims to build students' appreciation of the importance of health-enhancing and inclusive physical activity and a commitment to it now and in the future. A draft Senior Cycle P.E. framework has been designed by the NCCA to provide schools with a framework within which they can design a P.E. programme for those students who do not choose to take P.E. as part of their Leaving Certificate. Schools will be given the flexibility in selecting which activities their students will study, including aquatics. Leaving Certificate P.E. is currently being developed by the NCCA as a full subject which will be available for certification as a Leaving Certificate subject in a manner similar to other subjects such as Maths and Irish.

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (476, 477)

Seamus Kirk

Question:

476. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an extension of a school (details supplied) in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39101/15]

Seamus Kirk

Question:

477. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Education and Skills given the increase in the number of pupils in a school (details supplied) in County Louth, why it is not on her Department's five-year programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39102/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 476 and 477 together.

I wish to advise the Deputy that the major building project for the school to which he refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning.

All statutory approvals including planning permission, fire and disability access certificates have been secured and tender documents have been prepared.

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 programme that I intend to announce in the coming weeks.

Schools Building Projects Expenditure

Questions (478)

Seamus Kirk

Question:

478. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Education and Skills the current capital spend on school building in County Louth, by cost per school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39103/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Jan O'Sullivan)

Capital expenditure incurred in the primary and post-primary sectors in the years 2011 to date in 2015 in County Louth is as follows:2011 - €19.8m2012 - €16m2013 - €12.3m2014 - €15.7m2015 - €17.2m It is not possible to provide the data/information requested in respect of all schools 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.

Schools Building Projects Expenditure

Questions (479)

Seamus Kirk

Question:

479. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Education and Skills for a breakdown on the five-year building programme, with a progress report and costing report on each school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39104/15]

Written answers

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Jan O'Sullivan)

In March 2012 a total of 275 large scale school projects were announced as part of the capital investment programme introduced the previous November. Under the "Investing in Infrastructure and Jobs" package announced in June 2013 a further 28 large scale school projects were approved and in December 2014 under the annual announcement a further 16 large scale school projects were included.

Details in respect of progress on all these projects is available on my Department's website. The website is updated as appropriate on a monthly basis. Due to commercially sensitive and operational reasons, financial data are not included on the website.