Written Answers Nos. 111-118
114. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress that has been made in respect of the National Skills Strategy 2025 with particular reference to meeting the skills requirements of industry ensuring continued economic growth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2208/17]
View answerThe National Skills Strategy was published in 2016. With over 120 Actions involving over 50 stakeholders, the Strategy sets out a vision for the period to 2025 of how Ireland can continue to develop relevant skills and ensure that our supply of skills is activated and effectively used in order to help drive Ireland’s growth both economically and societally over the next decade.
Implementation of the National Skills Strategy is not the sole responsibility of any one Government Department or agency; it is a cross-cutting strategy, which will require cooperation from many different stakeholders. Implementation of the strategy is ongoing and my Department is currently gathering updates on the various actions from internal and external stakeholders.
A number of the actions in the National Skills Strategy are also being tracked through the Action Plan for Education.
115. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which ongoing efforts continue to be made to combat school bullying within school premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2209/17]
View answerThe Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in January 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying and promoting an anti-bullying culture in schools. It recommended actions that focus on support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aim to ensure that all forms of bullying are addressed. Implementation of the actions is ongoing and good progress has been made across all areas of the plan.
As part of the implementation of the Action Plan my Department published new anti-bullying procedures for all primary and post primary schools at the beginning of the 2013/14 school year.
The procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils. They include specific requirements in relation to the use of prevention and education strategies and the consistent investigation, follow up and recording of bullying behaviour.
The procedures for schools include important oversight arrangements that involve the school principal reporting regularly to the Board of Management and a requirement for the Board to undertake an annual review of the school's anti-bullying policy and its implementation. Confirmation that the annual review has been completed must be provided to the Parents' Association and published on the school website.
In addition, my Department's Inspectorate, as part of its inspection work, places a stronger focus on the actions schools take to create a positive school culture and to prevent and tackle bullying.
Other actions being taken as part of the implementation of the Action Plan include support for anti-bullying awareness raising initiatives and the development and roll out of anti-bullying training materials for parents, teachers and Boards of Management. In addition, a new national anti-bullying website, www.tacklebullying.ie, was launched in November 2015 as a single point of information and support for young people, parents and teachers affected by bullying.
As outlined in the "Action Plan for Education 2016-2019”, my Department is committed to continuing implementation of the Anti-Bullying Action Plan through continued support for the development of anti-bullying training materials and awareness-raising initiatives.
116. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the pupil-teacher ratio at primary and second level throughout the country is a matter of concern; the extent to which he expects to be in a position to improve the situation in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2210/17]
View answer117. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the pupil-teacher ratio at primary and second level throughout County Kildare is a matter of concern; the extent to which he expects to be in a position to improve the situation in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2211/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together.
The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) is determined by the overall number of posts and enrolments as of the 30th September of the previous year.
The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location.
Reducing class sizes has been a target of successive Governments. Budget 2016 provided for an improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools by one point, from 1 teacher for every 28 pupils to 1 teacher for every 27 pupils for the 2016/17 school year. The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class sizes at primary level and it is my intention to make further improvements to class sizes over the life of the Government.
My focus in Budget 2017 was on obtaining additional funding to provide for demographic growth, additional special education and school leadership resources for our schools.
Budget 2017 sets out the resources available for schools for the 2017/18 school year. This Budget represents the start of a major reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade. The budget provides for over 2,400 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. The 2017/18 school year will see a significant increase in teacher numbers (almost 4,700) in our schools compared to the 2015/16 school year.
There is no change in relation to the staffing schedule of 27:1 that will apply to primary schools for the 2017/18 school year. However, it should be noted that the current staffing schedule of 27:1 for primary schools has restored it to the position it was at prior to the fiscal crisis.
In considering any approach to the restoration of posts, it is important that there is a fairness in the restoration and that a balance between primary and post primary is achieved in future budgets. At second level there is still a substantial degree of restoration to be made.
