Written Answers Nos. 64-73
64. Deputy Margaret Murphy O'Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the introduction of a new model of in-school speech and language therapy will be established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35021/16]
View answerThe Programme for a Partnership Government states that a new model of In-School Speech and Language Therapy will be established. It commits to investing an extra €500 million in education by 2021, through measures including childcare subventions, HSE Speech and Language Therapists, to bring the number up to 1,102 (a 25% increase).
The Programme for a Partnership Government also contains a commitment 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.
As Speech and Language Therapists are currently employed by the Health Service Executive (HSE), officials at my Department are currently engaging with colleagues in the Department of Health and the HSE to develop a plan for the implementation of this commitment. The implementation plan will identify the actions to be taken and the specific timeframe for the delivery of this commitment.
In the interim my Department continues to provide an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD).
This includes provision for the establishment of special classes for pupils with SSLD in primary schools.
Applications to establish such classes are considered by the school's assigned Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) and those meeting the criteria for establishment are approved by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The criteria for enrolment in a Special Class for pupils with SSLD is set out in my Department's Circular 0038/2007.
Pupils who are not enrolled in a special class for SSLD and who meet the criteria for Specific Speech and Language Disorder, as outlined in my Department's Circular, may qualify for additional teaching support where he/she is enrolled in mainstream school.
Pupils with mild speech and language difficulties may qualify for supplementary teaching support from within the school's general allocation of learning support/teaching support. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgement 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.
65. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 165 of 8 November 2016, if his Department has considered the balance of schools of different ethoi in the Tallaght area; if his Department has considered the lack of an Educate Together secondary school in the Citywest area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35174/16]
View answerFurther to my response to the Deputy of 8 November 2016, Citywest is located within the Tallaght school planning area. There are currently six post-primary schools operating within this school planning area. Four are of a Catholic ethos and the remaining two are non-designated, multi-denominational, Community Colleges, one of which is the new Kingswood Community College which opened in September this year and which when fully developed will provide 1,000 student places. These schools serve the needs of the students in the school planning area, which includes the Citywest area.
There are six school planning areas adjoining Tallaght, with 30 post-primary schools in these adjoining areas:
- Dublin 6W (4)
- Dolphins Barn Dublin 2 (10)
- Firhouse/Oldbawn (3)
- Newcastle/Rathcoole (1)
- Clondalkin Dublin 22 (4)
- Rathfarnham (8)
Of these 30 schools, 25 have a Catholic ethos, one has a Church of Ireland ethos and four have a multi-denominational ethos.
In addition, among the 13 new schools (4 primary and 9 post-primary) announced to open in 2017 and 2018 to cater for increased demographic needs, is a new post-primary school which will open in 2018 in the Firhouse/Oldbawn school planning area, which is adjacent to the Tallaght school planning area. When fully developed, this school will provide 1,000 pupil places, supplementing provision in the greater Tallaght area. The patronage process for this school has recently been completed with Educate Together announced as patron.
As with the other school planning areas nationwide, the demographic data for the Tallaght school planning area is being kept under review by my Department to take account of updated enrolment data and capacity increases in this and adjoining school planning areas.
66. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the review of the pilot project for the new resource allocation model for children with special educational needs will be published. [34877/16]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department implemented a pilot of the proposed new Resource Teacher allocation model over the course of the 2015/2016 school year.
A review of this pilot has been completed and a report of the review is currently being finalised.
I understand that the review will indicate that the new model has been positively received by schools and parents.
Throughout the pilot my Department gathered information from the participating schools. This information was gathered using surveys, information and training days, self-reflective questionnaires and a formal review undertaken by my Department's Inspectorate.
Through these processes, schools indicated that they welcomed the increased flexibility and autonomy provided by the model to allocate resources based on need. Most schools believe the model allows more scope for team teaching, targeted interventions, mix of in-class and group work, with less focus on withdrawal and one to one teaching. Schools welcome the move away from the unnecessary labelling of children in order to secure resources. Schools also welcomed that they no longer need to wait for diagnosis and that this facilitates intervention at an earlier stage based on the schools identification of need.
In addition schools indicated a belief that they were broadly well supported in meeting the needs of children with Special Educational Needs.
When the full review has been finalised, I will consider its findings and will also consider when the report should be published.
As part of the recent Budget announcements, I announced that following development and piloting over the past number of years, a new model for the allocation of teaching resources for children with special educational needs will be implemented from September 2017.
Further details regarding implementation of the new model will be announced in the coming months.
67. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a progress report on negotiations to secure a site for the building of a new school (details supplied); when construction will commence and be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34885/16]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware the project in respect of the education campus in Buncrana was announced as part of the Six Year Capital Programme last year.
Officials in this Department have been liaising with officials in Donegal County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites with regard to the procurement of a suitable site for the campus. A significant number of potential site options were comprehensively technically assessed by officials from my Department in liaison with officials from the Local Authority.
The Deputy will appreciate the importance of a thorough appraisal of site options in order to ensure the achievement of value for money. In this particular case the complexity of the issues associated with the development of the site options under consideration, combined with competing demands on my Department's resources, resulted in a lengthier time for site appraisal than would generally have been the case.
Following on from the site assessment exercise, a preferred site option was identified and officials from Donegal County Council, on behalf of my Department, have engaged with the landowner in question with a view to its acquisition. These negotiations have not yielded a positive result to date but are currently ongoing.
At the request of my Department, Council officials have also engaged with the relevant landowners in respect of a second suitable site and this may provide an alternative option, if agreement can be reached on a purchase price.
Due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, it is not possible to provide any further information at this time regarding the negotiation process or the site options. Once a suitable site has been acquired my Department will be in a position to progress the project concerned into the architectural planning process.
68. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a report on the consultation process he has established on a new three-year strategy for education of skills, Strategy for Education and Skills 2016-2018; when he expects the consultation process to finish and the final report to be published; the key priority areas of the consultation process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34872/16]
View answerThe Government committed to producing a three year strategy for my Department in the first 100 days and a framework for measuring its progress in consultation with stakeholders. Accordingly, in May 2016, a stakeholder consultation was launched, the purpose of which was to gather views to inform the development of the new Action Plan and Statement of Strategy for Education.
Over 600 submissions were received from a range of stakeholders and the general public. A number of submissions are currently available on the Department’s website including stakeholder and Irish language submissions. Further returns will continue to be published in due course.
In September, I launched the first ever Action Plan for Education, covering the period 2016- 2019. The central vision of the Plan is that the Irish Education and Training System should become the best in Europe over the next decade. This will be achieved through focusing on five high level goals:
1. Improve the learning experience and the success of learners
2. Improve the progress of learners at risk of educational disadvantage or learners with special educational needs
3. Help those delivering education services to continuously improve
4. Build stronger bridges between education and wider community
5. Improve national planning and support services.
The high level goals will serve as the basis for my Department’s high level work programme for the next three years, the aim of which is to provide an education and training system that equips learners with the knowledge and skills that they need to achieve their potential and to participate fully in society and the economy through the delivery of high quality education and training experiences, which will make the best use of resources. It will work towards improving accountability for educational outcomes across the system.
In order to ensure that progress is made in all five of these areas, updated annual Action Plans will be published each year, covering the actions that will be implemented during the subsequent 12 months. Furthermore, my Department will publish progress reports each quarter that will evolve and improve from the experience of implementation.
69. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for seeking members of the public to undertake supervision and substitution at pay levels higher than existing teachers undertaking this work. [35180/16]
View answerASTI's decision to withdraw, with effect from 7 November, from supervising yards and corridors at breaktimes, lunchtimes and before and after school posed a serious risk for health and safety in schools.
In such circumstances, my Department had an obligation to do everything possible to put in place alternative arrangements for supervision and substitution so as to keep the maximum possible number of schools open.
My Department, in conjunction with the school management bodies – JMB, ETBI and ACCS, implemented contingency plans to support any schools that might have been in a position to remain open during the period when teachers withdrew from S&S duties.
The contingency plans involved schools recruiting external personnel to supervise pupils on the school premises, in classrooms and the school yard.
External Supervisors recruited prior to 1 January 2011 are paid at an hourly rate of €21.31 and those recruited on or after 1 January 2011 are paid an hourly rate of €19.18 - both of which are less than the hourly rate of a new entrant teacher recruited on or after 1 February 2012 who is subject to FEMPI legislation which is €42.19.
70. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will report on his Department's review of DEIS which began in 2015; when he will publish a new plan for educational inclusion which was expected to be before the end of 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34878/16]
View answerIt is my intention to publish a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion before the end of this year.
A process to review of the DEIS Programme which began last year is now nearing completion. The review is looking at all aspects of DEIS, including the range and impact of different elements of the DEIS School Support Programme, the potential for innovation within and between schools and its scope for increased integration of services provided by other Departments and Agencies, in order to improve effectiveness.
A new assessment framework is also being developed using centrally held CSO and DES data for the identification of new schools for inclusion. The number of schools to be included in the programme will be determined by this proposed new identification process which will assess all schools in the country.
Among the measures to be included in the plan are a series of pilot schemes aimed at introducing measures which have been shown to work well in improving results for disadvantaged children and students. The plan is expected to include targeted measures in the area of:
- School leadership
- School networks and clusters
- Teaching methodologies
- Integration of schools and other State supports within communities
- Greater use of Home School Community Liaison services
Implementation of actions arising from the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion will begin in the 2017/18 school year, and will be a continuing theme in our wider Annual Action Plan for Education.
Further information on the DEIS Review process is available on my Department’s website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Review-Process-Information-Note.pdf
71. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he is taking to address the ongoing serious issues which have led to industrial action by the ASTI trade union; when he expects to have these issues resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34879/16]
View answerMy Department has been engaging with ASTI bilaterally in relation to issues of concern over the last few months.
I welcome the decision by ASTI last week to suspend its two industrial actions i.e. their one day strikes and their withdrawal from Supervision and Substitution duties. I also welcome the fact that a process has started under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) aimed at finding a resolution to this dispute.
Discussions are taking place under the auspices of the TCC, to which the Department, school management and teacher unions are all party. As the proceedings of the TCC are confidential, it would not be appropriate for me to make any further comment.
I hope that this process will be successful in resolving all of the issues involved.
72. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will restore the qualification allowance for teachers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35179/16]
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. These included reductions to the pay of new entrant public servants, including teachers, since 2011.
Significant measures have been taken to reduce the gap between those who entered teaching since 2011 and those who entered before that date. The most recent of these is the agreement reached with TUI and INTO in September, which in effect reverses the decision to withdraw qualification allowances from post-1 February 2012 entrant teachers. This new arrangement will apply to members of the teacher unions which have accepted the Lansdowne Road Agreement i.e. TUI and INTO.
The agreement substantially addresses the current difference in pay between those recruited since 2011 and those recruited since 2012. It will result in increases of up to €2,000 per year for new teachers at the start of their careers. The increase varies depending on the point of scale that a teacher is on - the highest increase being €7,700 and the increase at the maximum of the scale being €4,300. It is estimated that over a teacher’s career the value of these increases will be €135,000.
The revised salary arrangement will be implemented in two phases on 1 January 2017 and 1 January 2018.
When other Lansdowne Road increases are also factored in, there will be a 15% increase in the starting pay of new entrant teachers between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €35,602). For an individual TUI/INTO member who started teaching in September 2015, they will see a 22% increase in their pay (including increment) between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €37,723). In terms of career earnings, this deal in addition to measures already agreed will restore approximately three quarters of the reductions for new entrants put in place since 2011.
The full text of the agreement is available on my Department’s website at the following address:
http://www.education.ie/en/Education-Staff/Information/Public-Service-Stability-Agreement-Haddington-Road/New-Entrant-Pay-Issue-and-Related-Commitments.pdf
The Government has also committed to establishing a Public Service Pay Commission to examine pay levels across the public service, including entry levels of pay. The Government also supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Acts, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.
73. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to restore funding for Traveller education to pre-2008 levels; the measures he has taken or planned to improve educational outcomes for members of the travelling community here, particularly in view of the high drop out rate from post-primary education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35028/16]
View answerMy Department's policy in relation to Traveller Education is informed by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy (2006), following wide ranging consultation with Traveller representative groups and other relevant stakeholders. The principle of inclusion is at the core of the Strategy. In keeping with this principle, additional resources provided in the education system for all children, including Travellers, are allocated on the basis of identified individual educational need.
The funding for Traveller Education to which the Deputy refers relates to the reduction in funding for segregated Traveller specific programmes, which were phased out in line with the principle of inclusion in the Strategy. To support the transition to mainstream education of Traveller pupils, my Department continues to provide additional resources to schools. This funding currently involves an allocation of €10m.
The challenges faced by Traveller children in education regarding school attendance, participation and retention fall within the remit of the Educational Welfare Service (EWS) of TUSLA, who work directly with all families including Traveller families to address Early School Leaving. TUSLA is an agency under the remit of my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
