Written Answers Nos. 521-542
521. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an Educate Together school in the Drumcondra and Marino area of Dublin 3, her views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding this matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44844/15]
View answerMy Department takes the decision to establish new schools (primary and post-primary) in order to meet demographic need. When the demographics of an area require the establishment of a new school, a separate process is then conducted to allow for patrons, patron bodies and prospective patrons to be considered as patron of the new school. Parental preferences are central to this process and applicants are required to provide evidence of demand for their particular type of school as part of their application under this process. My Department publicises school patronage determination processes and provides guidance to prospective applicants on the requirements to be fulfilled. It is envisaged that the patronage determination process for the new primary school which will open in September 2016 to serve the Drumcondra/Marino/Dublin 1 area will commence in early 2016. It will be open to all patrons, patron bodies and prospective patrons to apply for patronage of this school under this process.
522. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow, when the permanent site will be purchased; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44914/15]
View answerOfficials in my Department have been working closely with Wicklow County Council in relation to the identification and acquisition of a site to accommodate both the school referred to by the Deputy as well as a Gaelcholáiste. A site has been identified and the acquisition process is currently being progressed. Whilst I am aware that the school in question has raised some concerns about the site, my Department considers that a shared campus arrangement will benefit both schools and serve the entire community. It is my Department's intention to liaise with both schools in this regard in due course.
523. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 1004 of 3 November 2015, if resource hours or additional special needs assistant hours will be allocated to person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44922/15]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating Resource Teaching hours or Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, which in relation to SNA support is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, and in relation to Resource Teaching support is set out in DES Circular 02/05. As the Deputy's question of 3rd November 2015 referred to an application for support in relation to an individual child, this issue was referred to the NCSE for its attention and direct reply to the Deputy.
The NCSE has advised that it replied directly to the Deputy in relation to this matter on 8th December, 2015.
524. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to provide school transport in a case (details supplied) in County Cork. [44932/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that Special Schools funded by my Department are intended to cater for children and young persons with special educational needs from 4 years until the end of the school year in which they reach their 18th year. At that point, the Department of Health/Health Service Executive assumes direct responsibility for young adults with special educational needs who are over 18 years. My Department, at that stage, may allocate resources towards an education component of such provision. Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for transport where they are attending the nearest recognised school that is or can be resourced to meet their special educational needs. Eligible children retain their transport eligibility while they remain enrolled in the special school. As the training centres referred to by the Deputy do not come within the scope of the Department's school transport scheme for children with special educational needs the provision of school transport cannot be considered.
525. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in County Dublin will receive the correct level of increment, given that other colleagues who the person taught with in Tripoli in Libya have received their increments according to their service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44949/15]
View answer526. Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an incremental form for a person (details supplied) in County Dublin that was signed by a school in Tripoli in Libya as a result of the outbreak of political unrest there and that resulted in the person having to flee that country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44950/15]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 526 together. The criteria for the award of incremental credit to recognised teachers under Circulars 29/2007 and 29/2010 was agreed in the first instance, by the Teacher Conciliation Council. This Council is comprised of representatives of the teacher unions, school management bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education and Skills chaired by an official of the Labour Relations Commission. These Circulars are available on my Department's website at the following link - http://www.education.ie/en/Education-Staff/Services/Payroll-Financial/Incremental-Credit/Information.html.
I understand from the Deputy, that the teacher, to whom she refers, has not submitted an application to my Department in order to apply for incremental credit for their teaching service in Libya. They should complete an application form which is available on my Department's website at the following link - http://www.education.ie/en/Education-Staff/Services/Payroll-Financial/Payroll-Documents-and-Forms/Incremental_Credit_App_Form.pdf paying particular attention to the instructions for completion which can be found on page 8. Once received the application will be assessed by officials in my Department and a decision relayed to the teacher.
527. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the ground rents she or agencies under the remit of her Department pay, by named property, by name of landlord and by amount payable in 2015 and in 2016 in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45053/15]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy in respect of ground rents paid to date by my Department in 2015 is contained in the following table. Information with regard to ground rents payable in 2016 is currently not available. With regard to payment by agencies under my remit, the matters raised by the Deputy are dealt with at local level by the agencies rather than centrally within my Department. The detailed information requested by the Deputy is not therefore available within my Department.
|
SCHOOLS/CENTRES |
Amount Paid in 2015 (to date) |
Paid to |
|
St. Brigid's NS, The Coombe, Dublin 8 |
€106.00 |
Dublin City Council |
|
Athlone Education Centre, Athlone, Co. Westmeath |
€31.74 |
IDA Ireland Ltd. |
|
Monaghan Education Centre, Monaghan, Co. Monaghan |
€31.74 |
IDA Ireland Ltd. |
528. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) in respect of a school bus that serves a school in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45063/15]
View answerBus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, has confirmed that from a safety perspective there is not a suitable turning point at the school in question. Bus Éireann has advised that some of the school transport services pass the school each morning and depending on the direction that the bus is coming from, children are set down at their school. In the evening all children must travel to meet the services at a central point. Central drop off and collection points are a common feature of the school transport scheme and the level of service available to the children in question is considered reasonable in the context of the scheme nationally.
529. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views regarding correspondence in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford, the reason for the decision regarding school transport arrangements, if she will investigate why the queries raised in this case were not adequately dealt with or answered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45084/15]
View answerBus Éireann, which operates the Post Primary School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that payment details for this family were not submitted until three weeks after the closing date of 31st July; at this stage all tickets had been allocated and the service is now operating to capacity.
Should there be any change in the current position Bus Éireann will contact the family directly.
532. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills to advise on the emergency funding for a school (details supplied) in County Louth; when a decision will issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45155/15]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers submitted three applications under the Emergency Works Scheme in the past 12 months. The first of these was received on the 22 December 2014 seeking €11,644 to replace leaking pipes and carry out electrical repairs. This application was approved and the grant has been paid in full. The second application was received on the 22nd December 2014 seeking funding to replace the fire alarm system but this application was refused as it was outside the scope of works that would qualify for funding under the terms of the Emergency Works Scheme. The third application was received on the 9th June 2015 seeking €39,000 to replace the roof of the school building. This application was refused as it was also outside the scope of the Emergency Works Scheme. Following an appeal by the school in November, a grant of €7,730 was allocated to carry out repairs to the roof and the school was advised to apply under the Summer Works Scheme to have the roof replaced.
533. Deputy Joe Costello asked the Minister for Education and Skills the mental health services available for children and young persons, particularly those with special education needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45165/15]
View answerMy Department is strongly supportive of the promotion of positive mental health awareness in both primary and post-primary schools and provides support and resources in this area. The Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health and to supporting those with a broad range of problems, behavioural emotional and social.
The process spans the curriculum in schools, whole-school ethos, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, student support and pastoral care and the provision of professional development for teachers. It also involves other supports such as educational psychological services and guidance and counselling services, and the interface with other agencies, both nationally and locally. Schools are assisted by the Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention (2013) and the Well-Being in Primary Schools Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion (2015) which have been developed by my Department to provide a framework and bring coherence to this area of work, and build upon the multitude of practices that are already in place to promote well-being and mental health in schools. Copies of the Guidelines have been circulated to all schools. The Guidelines emphasise the need to integrate all elements by using a coordinated whole-school approach in the promotion of social emotional well-being/mental health. This includes developing and integrating the Health Promoting Schools process, the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, and the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support. The Special Education Support Service (SESS) has a particular remit for provision of training in regards students with special needs. Building effective inter-agency relationships is also essential. The Well-Being Guidelines provide information for schools on the supports services that are currently available. Schools are advised to seek this support when developing the whole school approach. It is important that this support is well co-ordinated and that schools are clear about the responsibilities of the support agencies. The guidelines advise that in the event of pupils presenting with mental health difficulties which are above and beyond the school's capacity and ability to support, school authorities should identify and access the referral pathways for the various primary and secondary healthcare services in their particular area. My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) is available to advise schools on the matter. Referrals should, of course, be undertaken with parental or guardian consent and collaboration, except in an exceptional situation where there may be child protection issues. In normal circumstances referral to Clinical Psychology Services and to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is made through the student's G.P.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
534. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proposed start and completion dates for the pending redevelopment of a college (details supplied) in County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45170/15]
View answerThe major building project for the school to which the Deputy refers was recently authorised to proceed to advanced architectural planning – Stage 2b, detailed design. This stage includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. As the Deputy is aware, on Tuesday 17th November 2015 I announced details of the major school building projects where construction is expected to commence over the next 6 years. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the project to which he refers is included in this plan to proceed to construction in 2017. Information in respect of all projects on this 6 year plan is available on my Department's website www.education.ie.
535. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Education and Skills why Student Universal Support Ireland will not accept a sworn affidavit when an applicant's parents are separated and there is no legal separation agreement (details supplied). [45197/15]
View answerAn affidavit in isolation is not considered acceptable as sole proof of separation, however, it may be considered as evidence of separation if accompanied by other supporting documentation. The type of other supporting documentation might include a separation agreement, divorce decree, evidence from the Department of Social Protection that either of the applicant's parents is currently in receipt of a payment for a one-parent family situation, such as one-parent family payment or deserted wife's allowance. Ultimately, the applicant has to establish to the satisfaction of the awarding authority that the parents are separated. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, 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 Grant Appeals Board.
536. Deputy John Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the system of degree courses being offered by private colleges which cost large amounts of money to complete but which are not recognised in countries outside our own; the steps she will take to ensure that certain private colleges which offer and actively encourage participation in such costly degree courses will make prospective course participants aware that the courses being offered may not be recognised abroad; the steps she will take to bring about a situation where a degree course in psychology provided by a private third level college (details supplied) will be recognised abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45214/15]
View answerThe college referred to by the Deputy is a private third level college. Private colleges in Ireland are non-State aided institutions and do not come under the remit of my Department. My Department therefore has no role in relation to the fees charged, or the courses provided, by private colleges. Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the State agency with statutory responsibility for the quality assurance of further and higher education and training in Ireland. QQI is responsible for maintaining the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The NFQ is a system of ten levels which aims to make the qualifications system in Ireland easier to understand, thus facilitating the recognition of Irish qualifications both at home and abroad. The course referred to by the Deputy is recognised at level 8 of the NFQ. QQI also hosts the Irish centre of the European Network of Information Centres/National Academic Recognition Information Centre (ENIC-NARIC). This service comprises a network of centres that facilitates the recognition of academic qualifications throughout Europe and further afield including Australia. Further details are available at: www.qualrec.ie.
537. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will remove the current rule 68 for primary schools and replace it with another rule maintaining an integrated curriculum or requiring separate religious instruction and the teaching of the curriculum in a manner not informed by any particular religious denomination; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45215/15]
View answerThe Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector was published in April 2012. The Report recommended a review and updating of the Rules for National Schools and in particular, Rule 68. I believe that the language and tone of Rule 68 is archaic and does not reflect the reality of today's primary education sector. I am currently engaged in a series of meetings with the different education bodies involved in implementing the recommendations of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism. I have already met with the Education and Training Boards, and with representatives of the Catholic Church am meeting with Educate Together and the Church of Ireland this week. The key objective of these meetings is to make further advance progress on the recommendations of the Forum and along. Following those meetings in the New Year I will outline a number of actions to advance the recommendations which arose from the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism, and these actions will include the immediate repeal of rule 68. Separately, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is developing a curriculum in Education about Religions and Beliefs (ERB) and Ethics. An important part of a child's education involves learning about and understanding the lives, values and traditions of friends, classmates and members of the wider community. Much of this learning already takes place in Irish classrooms where a child's sense of their own identity and belonging is nurtured and valued. It is intended that the new ERB curriculum will ensure that every child has the opportunity for such learning, and that the good practices which already take place in schools are recognised. The consultation on the proposals for this new curriculum is now open and will continue into spring 2016. The NCCA will be engaging with a range of audiences, including: teachers, schools, parents, children, educational partners, patrons, children's advocacy groups and other members of the general public. As part of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, the NCCA has already been tasked with looking at the suggested time framework for subjects contained within the primary school curriculum and advice on this is due in 2016. The NCCA also plans to begin a general consultation on the primary curriculum in 2016. Curricular change does not require reliance on the Rules.
538. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills given reports on 8 December 2015 of her view on religious discrimination in school admissions, if she will bring forward changes to section 7(3)(c) of the Equal Status Act 2000; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45216/15]
View answerUnder the Equal Status Act, schools are not permitted to discriminate in admission on any of the grounds set out in the Act. However the Act contains an exemption which permits schools in which the objective is to provide education that promotes certain religious values, to admit a student of a particular religion in preference to others. The Deputy will be aware of the many positive elements contained in the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015, which was published in April of this year, and introduced a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent. The issue of the need to amend the Equal Status Act was not a feature of the consultation paper published in advance of the Admission to Schools Bill. When the Oireachtas committee considered this matter, it simply noted that "there is a potential tension between Articles 42 (Education) and 44 (Religion) of Bunreacht na hÉireann, and this poses a particular difficulty when legislating in this policy area." No amendment to the Equal Status Act has been included in the published Admission to Schools Bill.
I have subsequently made clear my view that this is a matter that does need to be reviewed and addressed, and considering the time constraints involved it will need to be a priority for the next Government.
539. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will bring forward changes to the Education Act 1998 to enable the teaching of the curriculum in an objective and pluralist manner and not informed by religious ethos; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45217/15]
View answerThe Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the primary school sector, which issued its report in 2012, recommended steps that could be taken to ensure that the education system can provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools to cater for children of all religions and none. A follow-up paper to the Forum Report entitled "Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector: Progress to Date and Future Directions" was published in July 2014. This paper outlined the progress made to date on implementing the Forum's recommendations with a particular focus on the issue of inclusion and diversity in schools. Last month the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment launched a consultation process on proposals for a curriculum in Education about Religions and Beliefs (ERB) and Ethics, in line with the recommendations of the Forum. The consultation will run until spring 2016 and the NCCA aims to engage with as many stakeholders as possible to ensure balance in the development of a curriculum for ERB and Ethics.
540. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will clarify a matter in relation to a teacher's degree allowance and salary (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45228/15]
View answerUnder an agreement reached between my Department and the Teachers Union of Ireland (TUI) in 2014, it was agreed that three grades of staff would be recognised as appropriate for employment in the Youthreach sector i.e. Teacher, Youthreach Resource Person and Youthreach Co-ordinator. As an element of this, it was agreed that Tutors who were employed in Youthreach would have their posts converted to either Teacher or Youthreach Resource Person. From the date of conversion, the person would be subject to the normal terms and conditions of employment of their new grade in terms of salary, working hours etc. It was a matter for each ETB to determine whether a particular tutor would be deemed to be a qualified teacher on conversion of their post. Where a Tutor post was converted to a qualified Teacher post, the Teacher would be entitled to incremental progression on the Teachers' Common Basic Scale. This represents a significant benefit to the individual in the long-term as Tutors did not generally have access to an incremental salary scale. Each ETB implemented the conversion process in respect of Youthreach Tutors in its employment and notified its staff of their new grade. Future recruitment to Youthreach will be to Teacher or Youthreach Resource person posts. Any query in relation to this conversion process should be addressed to Waterford Wexford ETB.
541. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a pupil (details supplied) in County Louth will be reassessed for provision of special needs assistant or resource hours; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45232/15]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, while the criteria for the allocation of resource teaching support is set out in DES Circular 02/05. All schools were asked to apply for SNA or resource teaching support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed. The NCSE has published details of SNA allocations for schools for the current school year on its website. All schools have the contact details of their local SENO, while 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. It should be noted that all mainstream Primary schools have been allocated significant additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model (GAM) to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs, including pupils with a Mild Learning Disability. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgment to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such pupils. Schools are supported in this regard by the National Educational Psychological Services. Schools are not required to apply directly to my Department for such learning support. Schools should 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. My Departments Circular SP ED 02/05 provides guidelines for primary schools in relation to the utilisation of additional teaching resources which have been allocated to them for pupils with special educational needs. As the allocation of support for pupils is managed locally by schools, a parent who feels that their child requires additional learning support in school should raise this matter directly with their school Principal in the first instance, or with the Board of Management of the school. Where a parent or school wishes to appeal a decision in relation to the allocation of SNA or resource teaching support for a child, details of the manner in which they may appeal such a decision in relation to support for a child in school, to the NCSE, is set out at www.ncse.ie.
542. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding sign language; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45233/15]
View answerA new course in Irish Sign Language (ISL) has been prepared by the Post-Primary Languages Initiative (PPLI), a project of my Department. This 100 hour course is based on the Generic Short Course in Modern Languages, which was in turn developed by the PPLI using the new Framework for Junior Cycle and the Junior Cycle Short Courses Draft Handbook 'Developing Short Courses in Junior Cycle'. The course provides the 'learning statements' and key skills which all short courses are based upon. In this course, the emphasis is on developing communication skills in ISL at level A1 (Council of Europe scale called CEFR).
