Written Answers Nos. 110-121
110. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans that are due to be implemented for the provision of defibrillator training in post-primary schools to familiarise children with the workings of this life-saving device; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12138/16]
View answerAny decision to install a defibrillator is made at local school level.
The question of the need for defibrillators to be made available in public places such as schools and any training needs arising is primarily a public health matter and would therefore be a matter for the Department of Health.
However, most second level schools have a defibrillator and training on the use of the machine is provided to a number of staff in the school.
It is not part of health and safety training for all school staff but there is usually a list of staff who have been trained in the use of the machine.
Some schools would have more than one machine, in the main building, the gym or in the pavilion near sports pitches.
111. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants currently employed by the State; the full year cost of employing these special needs assistants; the estimated cost of increasing the number of special needs assistants by 1,450; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12153/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that recent years have seen an increase in the number of SNAs from 10,575 posts in 2011, to 12,040 to June 2016. In the same period the number of children accessing SNA support has grown from approximately 22,000 to some 30,000 by the end of 2015.
This is a higher level of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support than ever before, which ensures that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.
Of the 12,040 posts available to the NCSE to allocate to schools for the 2015/16 school year, 11,973 whole time equivalent posts have been allocated to schools by the NCSE, while the NCSE continues to allocate posts to schools, where needed, to the end of the school year.
The increase in SNA numbers has been supported by a very significant increase in the Budget for SNAs, rising from €332 million in 2011, to €402 million at present.
The full year cost of providing an additional 1,450 SNA posts would be approximately €43.5m per year.
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 schools for special educational needs supports.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in making recommendations for support, which is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2016/17 school year by 29th February 2016.
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.
The NCSE is currently assessing demand for SNA support for the coming school year and will advise all schools of their allocations for SNA support for 2016/17, before the end of the current school year.
112. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the National Educational Psychological Service resources by 10%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12154/16]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.
My Department, over the course of recent economic difficulties, has not only maintained psychologists staffing levels within NEPS, but has increased them by some 10% since late 2008, to 165 whole time equivalent psychologists currently employed.
The Programme for a Partnership Government commits that we will invest additional resources in the National Educational Psychological Service to ensure earlier intervention and access for young children and teenagers and to offer immediate support to schools in cases of critical incidents. The Programme commits to bring the total number of NEPS psychologists to 238 from the current sanctioned limit of 173.
In common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS has adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution oriented consultative approach to maximise positive outcomes for these pupils. NEPS encourages schools to use a continuum based assessment and intervention process whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and remedial intervention for pupils with learning, emotional or behavioural difficulties. Teachers may consult their NEPS psychologist should they need to at this stage in the process. Only in the event of a failure to make reasonable progress, in spite of the school's best efforts in consultation with NEPS, will the psychologist become involved with an individual child for intensive intervention or assessment.
This system allows psychologists to give early attention to urgent cases and also to help many more children indirectly than could be seen individually. It also ensures that children are not referred unnecessarily for psychological intervention.
In answer to the direct question posed by the Deputy I can inform him that the NEPS budget for 2016 stand at €18.25m which provides for the support of a national structure of regional and local offices and a targeted complement of some 173 w.t.e. educational psychologists. To increase this number by a further 10% (or 17 w.t.e. psychologists) would demand a direct investment of some €1.2m. per annum.
113. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the number of resource teaching hours to children with special needs by 15%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12155/16]
View answer154. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the number of resource teaching hours to children with special needs by 15%; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 154 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that spending on provision for children with Special Educational Needs has been prioritised in recent years, despite the enormous pressures on all public spending.
Funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to some €1.4 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training. It has increased by 10% in the past two years.
This funding provides for a range of supports and services, including additional learning and resource teaching support.
There are currently over 11,800 Learning Support and Resource Teacher posts in mainstream primary and post primary schools, providing additional teaching support to pupils with special educational needs.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has allocated 6,832 Resource Teaching posts to mainstream schools this year, which is an increase of 29% over the numbers allocated since 2011, which was 5265 posts.
The additional cost of increasing the existing allocation rate by an additional 15%, based on the existing NCSE resource teaching allocation of 6832 posts, would be €72.M per full year, based on the current allocation levels. This could be greater in further years, or in future, if the demand of allocation increases.
A total of 7452 resource teaching posts is available to the NCSE to allocate to schools for the coming 2016/17 school year, which is an increase of over 600 posts on the current years allocation, and an increase of 41% over the numbers allocated since 2011, which was 5265 posts.
The Deputy will be aware that the NCSE has a statutory role under the Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs Act to provide me with policy advice in relation to matters concerning the education of persons with special educational needs.
The NCSE has proposed a new resource teaching allocation model for schools and a pilot of the model is taking place across a number of schools in advance of implementation in the school system generally.
The pilot has been developed in order to test the model and to allow for the practical effect of the application of the new model in the 47 pilot schools to be evaluated.
A review of the pilot has now commenced. This will also allow us to take into account the learning experiences of schools, principals, pupils and the views of parents over the course of the pilot.
On conclusion of the review a decision will be taken on the timeframe for the full implementation of the proposed new allocation model.
I do not therefore, intend to review the existing allocation system, pending the conclusion of this review.
As committed to in the Programme for a Partnership Government, I also plan to examine the adequacy of the present policies and provision, and their scope for improvement, particularly in relation to speech and language difficulties and early intervention.
114. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of extending funding supports for persons with disabilities in higher education to part-time students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12156/16]
View answerSupports provided by my Department for students with disabilities in higher education include the Student Grant Scheme, the Free Fees Scheme, the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities.
The cost of funding undergraduate and post-graduate part-time students with disabilities for one academic year has been estimated at €5.67m. The AHEAD survey of 2014/15 identified the percentage of part-time students with disabilities to be circa 1% for Post Graduates and 1.5% for Undergraduates. This percentage figure has been applied to the latest HEA enrolment data for part-time students (2014/15 academic year) to estimate the cost.
The HEA estimate that it would cost an additional €172,000 per year to extend the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) to students participating part-time in higher education.
115. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of providing all unemployed persons with low or no qualifications with access to an intensive basic education course leading to a level three or junior certificate qualification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12161/16]
View answer116. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of providing all adults with less than a level four or leaving certificate qualification with access to an intensive basic education course that enables them to move up one level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12162/16]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 116 together.
My Department does not have details of the number of unemployed persons with low or no qualifications or the number of adults with less than Level 4 or a Leaving Certificate qualification therefore it is not possible to provide a costing as requested by the Deputy.
The Intensive Tuition in Adult Basic Education (ITABE) programme is operated locally by Education and Training Boards and provides six hours of tuition per week instead of the two hours generally available through the mainstream adult literacy programme. Learners are offered a place on the programme by the Literacy service where this is deemed to be the most beneficial provision for them.
Over 3,800 people availed of this intensive tuition in 2015 at a cost of €1.7 million.
117. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of a national building programme of infrastructure investment designed to provide kitchen facilities to all fee-paying schools which currently do not have them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12163/16]
View answerMy Department has in place detailed design guidelines for primary and post-primary schools. These guidelines, which are available on my Departments web-site, currently provide for a standard range of servery and eating facilities in the design of new Primary and Post Primary schools. In new Primary schools a servery of 8.0m² in area is provided. At Post Primary level a kitchenette, 25m² in area, is provided off the General Purpose/Dining Area. These facilities are not intended to be full commercial type canteens where food is prepared or cooked.
There are currently 52 fee charging schools. In respect of identifying fee charging schools that currently do not have kitchen facilities, the Deputy will appreciate that this information is not readily available.
118. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of reintroducing qualification allowances for teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12164/16]
View answerThe estimated cost of restoring qualification allowances to teachers, including the cost of Employers' PRSI, is approximately €16 million per annum. This is based on the assumption that teachers employed since 2012 would qualify for an allowance at the rate applicable to a honours Primary Degree.
New teachers are appointed each year to replace teachers retiring and leaving teaching as well as filling new additional posts that arise in schools. This happens annually and accordingly the cost of restoring qualification allowances would continue to increase on an annual basis.
As the Deputy may be aware, teachers employed since 2012 are paid on an incremental salary scale that has been adjusted to provide some alleviation of the effects of the removal of qualification allowances. This has been taken into account in the figure above.
119. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of ensuring that newly qualified teachers recruited post-2011 are paid on the pre-2011 rate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12165/16]
View answerThe cost of paying post-2011 entrants at the pre-2011 rates consists of two elements:
1. restoration of qualification allowances to post-1 February 2012 entrant teachers to put that cohort into the same position as teachers who entered teaching between 1 January 2011 and 31 January 2012; and
2. restoring all post-1 January 2011 entrants (including the post-1 February 2012 entrant cohort) to the pre-2011 pay scale arrangements.
The estimated cost of restoring qualification allowances to post-1 February 2012 entrant teachers, including the cost of Employers' PRSI, is approximately €16 million per annum. As the Deputy may be aware, teachers employed since 1 February 2012 are paid on an incremental salary scale that has been adjusted to provide some alleviation of the effects of the removal of qualification allowances. This has been taken into account in the figure above.
In addition, the estimated cost of restoring all post-1 January 2011 entrants (including the post-1 February 2012 entrant cohort) to the pre-2011 pay scale arrangements, including the cost of Employers' PRSI, is approximately €27 million per annum.
The figures are based on the assumption that such teachers would qualify for an allowance at the rate applicable to a honours Primary Degree.
New teachers are appointed each year to replace teachers retiring and leaving teaching as well as filling new additional posts that arise in schools. This happens annually and accordingly the cost of restoring qualification allowances would continue to increase on an annual basis.
120. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of lifting the moratorium on posts of responsibility in schools in order that they are at pre-2011 levels proportional to any necessary increase given increasing demographics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12166/16]
View answerThere are limited alleviation arrangements in place for schools that are acutely affected by the impact of the moratorium at Assistant Principal level. These arrangements are mainly focused at post-primary level. However, it is fair to say that before the moratorium, notwithstanding the fact that one out of every two teachers held a management allowance the workload issue and the pressures on Principals and Deputy Principals existed.
School leaders have a key role to play in determining the shape of our schools and student outcomes. Leading on curricular change and change management are key challenges for every school leader. The challenge for schools and the Department is therefore to build a leadership partnership that is fit for 21st century Ireland and school context.
We have reviewed 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.
As part of the 2,260 additional teaching posts announced in Budget 2016, 250 of these posts are being provided to second level schools to enable Deputy Principals to be freed up from teaching time and be more fully available to assist the school principal with the leadership of the school. Up to now only schools with at least with over 500 students received an allocation to free up the Deputy Principal.
With effect from 01 September 2016, second level schools with over 400 students will receive an allocation that will bring those schools in line with the schools that have over 500 pupils where the Deputy Principal is fully freed up. A pro rata allocation of additional hours to support school leadership will also be provided to the schools with 400 or fewer students enrolled. At primary level Budget 2016 provides for additional release days for teaching principals to range between 15 and 25 days depending on the size of the school and effective from the start of the 2016/17 school year.
The estimated cost of lifting the moratorium on posts of responsibility and restoring them to pre-moratorium levels would be in the order of €50m.
121. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of full implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 per annum until full implementation is reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12167/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that, Section 2 of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004, providing for the inclusive education of children with special educational needs, certain sections which placed duties on schools and the sections of the Act which placed the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) on a statutory footing, were commenced in 2005.
The remaining sections of the EPSEN Act have yet to be commenced. Legal advice indicates that the EPSEN Act, as it is currently constituted, may not be implemented on a phased, or age cohort, basis.
The NCSE has published a Plan for the Implementation of the EPSEN Act. This report, which was published in 2006, made recommendations which suggested that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235m per annum, across the education and health sectors, would be required to fully implement the EPSEN Act.
My Department's opinion is that the level of investment required could be significantly greater than that envisaged in the NCSE report. However, a total estimate of this amount has not been quantified.
Revised estimates of the amount of additional expenditure required to fully implement remaining sectors of the EPSEN Act have not recently been conducted. The level of additional expenditure required would have to take into account annual demographic growth and service developments in the area of special educational needs, pricing adjustments and salary cost differentials on an ongoing basis.
Estimates would also have to be made as to the number of pupils who might qualify for the statutory service provisions envisaged by the EPSEN Act.
While awaiting the full implementation of the EPSEN Act, the NCSE has published a number of policy advice papers which make recommendations aimed at developing a better or more effective alternative to the current resource allocation model, and which aims to move the system towards ultimate implementation of the EPSEN Act.
These reports include the NCSE policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools, published in 2013, and the Report of the Working Group on a Proposed New Model for Allocating Teaching Resources for pupils with Special Educational Needs, published in 2014.
The alternative model is currently being piloted in 47 schools and the effectiveness of the pilot is being reviewed. This review will allow us to take into account the learning experiences of schools, principals, pupils and the views of parents over the course of the pilot.
It is therefore intended to bring into effect many of the good ideas contained in the EPSEN Act, on a non-statutory basis initially, through policy developments across a range of areas, in conjunction with NCSE policy advice.
Under the Programme for a Partnership Government I have also committed to consulting with stakeholders to see how best to progress sections of the EPSEN Act that were introduced on a non-statutory basis.
