Pat Breen
Question:133. Deputy Pat Breen asked the Minister for Education and Skills to facilitate extra special needs assistant hours for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8658/16]
View answerSpecial Educational Needs Service Provision
Questions (133)
Written answers
I wish to advise the Deputy that The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of Special Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) support to mainstream Primary, Post Primary and Special Schools to assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimize disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.
Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website www.education.ie, sets out my Department's policy in relation to the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme. The Circular explains that SNA support is not provided to pre-school services which operate outside of the primary or special school provision, other than in early intervention classes in recognised primary schools, or special schools, where support is provided for as part of the schools total quantum of SNA support.
The vast majority of supports for childcare, including pre-school education, are provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The principal vehicle for the delivery of pre-school education is the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for early learning in a formal setting to children in the year before they commence primary school.
Questions relating to provision of such services should be addressed my colleague, the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs.
School Transport Data
Questions (134)
Billy Kelleher
Question:134. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a value for money review on school transport found that Bus Éireann's costs are 21% higher than the equivalent costs of the private school bus contractors per kilometre on large buses for school routes when the inspection costs are excluded and approximately 19% higher when the inspection costs are included; the total kilometres travelled by Bus Éireann's large buses and the total kilometres travelled by equivalent private bus operators' buses of the same size in each of the years 2008 to 2015, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8662/16]
View answerWritten answers
As previously advised, the specific figures referred to by the Deputy are contained in the Report of the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme. The full report is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
Bus Éireann has advised that the approximate mileage for the large bus cohort only, rounded to the nearest half million kilometres, is as follows:
|
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
|
|
Bus Éireann |
13.0 |
13.0 |
11.5 |
12.0 |
12.0 |
11.5 |
11.5 |
10.5 |
|
Contractor |
15.5 |
15.0 |
15.0 |
15.5 |
15.5 |
17.0 |
13.5 |
14.0 |
Schools Building Projects Status
Questions (135)
Michael Healy-Rae
Question:135. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8705/16]
View answerWritten answers
The Deputy will be aware that a building project for the school to which he refers was included in my Department's 6 Year Capital Programme which I announced last November.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. In this regard, my Department is currently reviewing the demographic demand in the area serviced by the school referred to. This review will advise on the appropriate level of accommodation required for the proposed building project.
Special Educational Needs Service Provision
Questions (136)
Martin Heydon
Question:136. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of a reader for a person (details supplied); if she will review this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8708/16]
View answerWritten answers
The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate Examinations. Full details of the scheme are available from their website: www.examinations.ie/candidates/reasonableaccommodations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
Schools Building Projects Status
Questions (137)
Seán Fleming
Question:137. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school project (details supplied) in County Laois; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8711/16]
View answerWritten answers
I am please to advise the Deputy that my Department has recently conveyed a decision in principle to the school in question for the approval of additional accommodation.
Question No. 138 withdrawn.