Written Answers Nos. 402-414
402. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that a person in a school (details supplied) will receive resource hours from 1 September 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8384/16]
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 teaching hours to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, which is set out in Spec Ed Circular 02/05.
All schools were asked to apply for SNA or resource teaching support for the 2016/17 school year by 29th February 2016. The NCSE will advise all schools of their allocations for resource teaching support for 2016/17, before the end of the current school year.The NCSE continues to accept applications in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed. The NCSE will consider these applications and make further allocations to schools in respect of valid applications which have been received to September.
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.
Details of the manner in which a school, or parent, may appeal a resource teaching allocation decision is also available at www.ncse.ie.
As the Deputy's question relates to the allocation of SNA support by the NCSE to an individual school, I have referred this question to the NCSE for their consideration and direct reply to the Deputy.
403. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the summer works scheme, as to when successful schools will be notified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8388/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that commensurate with the level of funding available for the Summer Works Scheme, applications are currently being assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the Scheme. This Circular Letter (0055/2015), is available on my Department's website www.education.ie. It is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants shortly.
404. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proportion of the 24 acre site in Claregalway, County Galway, purchased by her Department for a joint school campus which has been earmarked for a new school for Claregalway Educate Together; and the status of the tender process for this proposed new Educate Together national school. [8408/16]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that in 2014 my Department acquired 10 acres of land in the Claregalway area to provide for educational purposes. This is in addition to lands acquired in the area by the GRETB (Galway Roscommon Education and Training Board).
A project for the school referred to is included in the 6 year construction programme that I announced last November. I can confirm that options regarding the proposed school location are currently being appraised by my Department. Officials within my Department will be in contact with the school authorities in due course.
405. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 551 and 552 of 15 December 2015, if she will confirm the first time Bus Éireann informed her Department that it made no profit from school transport services for a particular financial year, and the dates for each year thereafter that it stated it made no profit from school transport since 2005; the date that her Department made any decisions in respect of procurement of school transport services, based on the fact that Bus Éireann stated in writing that it made no profit from school transport; and the meaning of the word "profit" outlined in her reply. [8410/16]
View answer406. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills if surplus revenue received by Bus Éireann for providing the school transport services was accounted for in the Bus Éireann Annual Report and Financial Statements; if it was stated or co-mingled with other information, as a net surplus or deficit and-or profit; if these sums form part of any surplus taken into account in the calculations for the annual balance sheet, and if so, for which years since 1997. [8411/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 405 and 406 together.
Bus Éireann has provided assurances to the Department that the Company does not make a profit on school transport and that any surplus that may arise in the operation of school transport services in any one year is ring-fenced exclusively for reinvestment in the school transport scheme.
The Department is satisfied that the financial accounting for Bus Éireann's operation of the School Transport Scheme, including the Bus Éireann Annual Report and the annual independently audited account of the school transport scheme is in full compliance with the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements and with all relevant accounting standards and guidelines.
407. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers in primary and secondary schools who were on unpaid leave for the years 2010 to 2015; the number who received payment for summer and other holidays periods, while they were on leave; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8414/16]
View answerThe detailed information sought by the Deputy is not available in the format requested. The information outlined relates to teachers paid on payrolls operated by my Department.
Teachers can avail of career breaks which are periods of special leave without pay of not less than one school year subject to compliance with the terms of the Career Break scheme as outlined in Circular 10/2011. There are currently 1,469 Primary teachers and 447 Post Primary teachers on career break. They do not receive any payment for summer or other holiday periods.
There are currently 780 Primary teachers and 279 Post Primary teachers on other unpaid leave types. The numbers on unpaid leave fluctuate throughout the year. The periods of absence of teachers on approved unpaid leave are without pay.
The terms and conditions applicable to the different types of unpaid leave such as unpaid maternity leave and parental leave are outlined in Circulars which can be accessed on my Department's website.
409. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that the education system caters for pupils with exceptional ability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8443/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the 1998 Education Act requires Boards of Management of each school to publish the policy of the school relating to participation by students with special educational needs, including students who are exceptionally able. The measures schools take in this regard are required to be stated in the school plan. It is the duty of the Board of Management to ensure that appropriate education services are made available to such students.
Schools at both primary and second level use strategies such as curriculum differentiation, curriculum enrichment and acceleration to facilitate the development of pupils who are exceptionally able.
The revised primary curriculum recognises the importance of developing the full potential of the child and caters for pupil diversity, including meeting the needs of exceptionally able pupils. Syllabi and curricula for second-level schools have been designed in such a way to enable teachers cater for the wide range of pupil ability.
Content is outlined in the curricula at both levels and process is also heavily emphasised. Enabling children to learn how to learn is stressed and facilitated. The development of language skills, investigatory and problem-solving skills, higher-order thinking skills and working individually, and as a member of a group, are all encouraged at both levels.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), in collaboration with its counterparts in Northern Ireland, the Council for Curriculum Examination and Assessment (CCEA), produced guidelines entitled "Exceptionally Able Students – Draft Guidelines for Teachers" which issued to all Primary and Post Primary schools in November 2007 along with a questionnaire for feedback.
The NCCA/CCEA guidelines are designed to raise awareness of the social, emotional and academic needs of exceptionally able students and to assist teachers in planning their teaching and learning. The guidelines provide advice to schools on identification of gifted children, set out profiles of students, and whole school and classroom strategies and case studies which demonstrate how schools can best meet the needs of such students. The general strategies include differentiated teaching, acceleration and enrichment approaches in the context of participation in mainstream schools.
Finally, I wish to explain that the Special Education Support Service (SESS) is a service under the management of my Department which provides support for teachers to assist them in meeting the needs of all pupils with special educational needs, including those pupils who are exceptionally able. The service is available to schools who may be seeking advice or support relating to a specific special education issue in the school. More information on the range of programmes offered by the SESS is available on www.sess.ie.
In addition, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), also under the management of my Department, provides training in differentiation, in terms of differentiating for all pupils, whether less able/more able. Issues around exceptional ability and giftedness are addressed as part of the school planning process which is facilitated by the PDST.
410. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans, if any, to ensure that new teachers receive the same rate of payment as their older colleagues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8445/16]
View answerAs a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. The previous Government decided to reduce the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale, which in the case of teachers had the effect of reducing their starting pay by a further 4-5%. Later in 2011, the Government placed a cap on the overall level of qualification allowances that could be earned by teachers.
Subsequently in 2012, following the public service-wide review of allowances, the Government withdrew qualification allowances for new teachers altogether. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale. Overall, the removal of qualification allowances had the effect of further reducing the pay of new entrant teachers by between 5 and 7 percent.
The measures above – which applied to new entrants only and which were in addition to the pay reductions imposed on public servants generally - were implemented at a time of extraordinarily difficult financial and budgetary circumstances for the State. It is estimated that some 6,700 teachers who entered the profession since 2011 have been affected by the measures.
The Haddington Road Agreement re-aligned the pay scale for teachers who entered teaching between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2012 with that of pre-2011 entrants. An improved pay scale for post-1 February 2012 entrants was also agreed and implemented under the terms of that Agreement. The Lansdowne Road Agreement will begin the process of restoring the reductions to public service pay which were implemented over recent years. The flat-rate increases contained in the Agreement are proportionately more favourable to new entrants to teaching (who are lower on the pay scale) than to longer serving teachers.
411. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that Irish sign language is taught in post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8451/16]
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).
Schools can choose to provide this short course as part of their Junior Cycle programme.
412. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 707 of 14 April 2016, if she will provide details of the vacant sites listed. [8460/16]
View answerThe detail requested by the Deputy in relation to vacant State properties and land in my ownership is as follows:
Properties in the Ownership of the Minister for Education & Skills in respect of which there are no immediate plans for development
|
Location |
County |
Size (Acres) |
Local Authority |
Type of Property |
|
Aghina |
Cork |
1.57 |
Cork County Council |
Former school |
|
Ballincollig |
Cork |
0.15 |
Cork County Council |
Site |
|
Garryvicleheen, Thurles |
Tipperary |
4 |
Tipperary County Council |
Site |
|
Rathcoole |
Dublin |
4 |
South Dublin County Council |
Site |
|
Rathcroghan |
Roscommon |
1.5 |
Roscommon County Council |
Site |
|
St. John’s Well, Fairhill |
Cork |
1.07 |
Cork City Council |
Site |
|
Carna |
Galway |
8.17 |
Galway County Council |
Former Convent |
|
Ashbourne |
Meath |
22.41 |
Meath County Council |
Site |
|
Colley St. |
Wicklow |
1.48 |
Wicklow County Council |
Site |
413. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 707 of 14 April 2016, when she expects plans for the vacant sites not listed to be implemented. [8461/16]
View answerThe Deputy will appreciate that the site acquisition programme is aimed predominantly at acquiring sites in areas experiencing a rapid growth in demand for school places. Specifically sites are acquired to provide permanent buildings for new school entities or for projects included in the 6 year school building programme that I announced in November 2015.
The vacant sites not listed in my response to the Deputy's previous Parliamentary Question are ones for which projects on the 6 year school building programme are planned. The timeline for when work is expected to proceed is outlined in the announcement. Each project is listed in the year when the commencement of construction works is anticipated.
