Written Answers Nos. 263-279
263. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made to address the discrepancies which exist in the rates of pay and benefits paid to school secretaries and caretakers; the action he is taking to ensure that these workers have pay equality; the efforts being made to end precarious employment in respect of these professions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30740/18]
View answerTo answer the Deputy, the majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services. Capitation related grants are issued to the majority of primary and post-primary schools to employ such staff. Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs.
Where a school uses the capitation grant funding to employ a secretary or caretaker, such staff are employees of individual schools. My Department has no plans to develop an alternative scheme for schools to employ school secretaries or caretakers separate to the current system of capitation grant assistance.
Notwithstanding that, in 2015 my Department agreed to engage with the union side in relation to the pay of school secretaries and caretakers (and cleaners) who are employed using grant funding, and to enter an arbitration process in respect of same. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 for school secretaries and caretakers comprehended by the terms of the arbitration process and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 for such staff be phased in over the period 2016 to 2019. Grant funding used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff is also being improved on a phased basis between 2016 and 2019 following the arbitration process. These increases are in order to enable schools implement the arbitration outcome for grant funded secretaries and caretakers (and cleaners).
In December 2017, my Department published circular letter 0078/2017 for primary schools and circular letter 0079/2017 for voluntary secondary schools, setting out the application of the third phase increases of the Arbitrator’s recommendations. The circulars are available at:
Circular 0078/2017: https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0078_2017.pdf
Circular 0079/2017: http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0079_2017.pdf
The increases recommended by the Arbitrator are binding and must be applied by all schools who employ staff to whom the Arbitrator's recommendation applies.
264. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a proposed new primary school in Kanturk, County Cork; when this project will progress to construction stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30755/18]
View answerThe project to which the Deputy refers is being delivered by the Office of Public Works (OPW). The OPW recently finalised work with ESBI on the undergrounding of electrical cables. The OPW tendered these works and have now issued a letter of intent to award a contract to the preferred bidder. The works are expected to commence in the coming weeks and will take six months. On this basis, it is anticipated that the main construction project will commence in quarter one of 2019.
265. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if possession of a building (details supplied) scheduled for demolition will be secured; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30775/18]
View answerMy Department understands that the demolition of the HSE building in question is unlikely to be halted.
The school referred to by the Deputy has recently advised my Department that an alternative area of land which is under the ownership of the HSE may be available. I understand that the school is exploring this directly with the HSE and that they will keep my Department updated with any developments.
266. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to change the terms and conditions for school secretaries (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30777/18]
View answerTo answer the Deputy, the majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme receive capitation grant assistance to provide for secretarial, caretaking and cleaning services. Capitation related grants are issued to the majority of primary and post-primary schools to employ such staff. Within the capitation grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs.
Where a school uses the capitation grant funding to employ a secretary, such staff are employees of individual schools. My Department has no plans to develop an alternative scheme for schools to employ school secretaries separate to the current system of capitation grant assistance.
Notwithstanding that, in 2015 my Department agreed to engage with the union side in relation to the pay of school secretaries who are employed using grant funding, and to enter an arbitration process. The Arbitrator recommended a cumulative pay increase of 10% between 2016 and 2019 for school secretaries (and caretakers and cleaners) comprehended by the terms of the arbitration process and that a minimum hourly pay rate of €13 for such staff be phased in over the period 2016 to 2019. Grant funding used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff is also being improved on a phased basis between 2016 and 2019 following the arbitration process. These increases are in order to enable schools implement the arbitration outcome for grant funded secretaries (and caretakers and cleaners).
In December 2017, my Department published circular letter 0078/2017 for primary schools and circular letter 0079/2017 for voluntary secondary schools, setting out the application of the third phase increases of the Arbitrator’s recommendations. The circulars are available at:
Circular 0078/2017: https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0078_2017.pdf
Circular 0079/2017: http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0079_2017.pdf
The increases recommended by the Arbitrator are binding and must be applied by all schools who employ staff to whom the Arbitrator's recommendation applies.
267. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) will be allowed to travel in transport provided for their sibling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30790/18]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 116,000 children, including over 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.
The purpose of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.
Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers. Applications for transport provision, under the terms of this scheme, should only be completed in circumstances where children are not in a position to avail of standard school transport services.
The Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the specialised nature of transport provision for children with special educational needs. This is reflected in the standard of dedicated service provided and the fact that these services are generally planned and timetabled to operate on a door-to-door basis.
In certain cases, the Department also provides funding to schools for the employment of escorts to accompany children whose care and safety needs require this level of support while they travel to and from school.
Bus Éireann is currently processing applications for school transport services for the 2018/19 school year and has advised that an application for school transport has not been made for the child referred to by the Deputy.
The terms of the School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.
268. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the identification and acquisition of a site for a proposed new school (details supplied) in County Limerick that is due to open in September 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30922/18]
View answerA building project for the new post-primary school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s current 6 year construction programme.
As the Deputy is aware, officials from my Department have been working closely with Limerick City and County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites in order to identify and procure a suitable site for the school.
A number of potential site options were identified, have been short-listed and appraised and negotiations are being progressed.
While a site acquisition process is underway, given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to comment further at this time. However, the school patron will be informed of the location as soon as it is possible to do so.
269. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether an organisation (details supplied) is fit to continue as a trustee of a school in view of its failure to do so at a location; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30945/18]
View answer271. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he has taken to address the disparity in educational provision provided by an organisation (details supplied) compared to another school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30947/18]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 269 and 271 together.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with special educational needs in special schools, in accordance with the policies of my Department.
Enhanced pupil teacher and SNA ratios are provided to special schools to support them in dealing with pupils' educational and care needs.
Since 2012, special schools are staffed on the basis of the pupil population and the disability categorisation of those pupils, as opposed to being based principally on school designation, in accordance with my Department's Circular 0042/2011.
My Departments policy in relation to the provision of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) is set out in DES Circular 30/2014, which notes that the extent of SNA support provided to a school will be dependent of the assessed care needs of pupils attending the school.
School staffing schedules are reviewed and updated each year by the NCSE and schools are staffed on the basis of each years school enrolments.
My Department is not aware of any disparity in educational provision in relation to educational staffing in the school, which would conclude that the trusteeship of the school is unable to continue to fulfil its function.
The Deputy will be aware that the provision of Health Services, including the provision of therapy services is a matter for the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive.
The deputy will also be aware, however, that I recently announced that a demonstration project to provide in-school and pre-school therapy services will be introduced for the 2018/19 school year.
The purpose of the project is to test a model of tailored therapeutic supports that allows for early intervention in terms of providing speech and language and occupational therapy within ‘educational settings’. This innovative pilot will complement existing HSE funded provision of essential therapy services.
75 schools, including a representative sample of primary, post primary, and special schools will take part in the project. 75 pre-schools will also participate, giving 150 settings.
The project is taking place in Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) 7 Region of South West Dublin, Kildare and West Wicklow and the schools selected will therefore be from this region.
As only one of the schools referred to in the Deputy’s question is in the CHO 7 region, only this school could be considered for inclusion, and be included in the demonstration project. Decisions in relation to the extension of the service to other areas will be taken following a full evaluation of the existing pilot phase.
270. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he has taken to prevent an organisation (details supplied) charging for the use of a swimming pool built by a school in 1973; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30946/18]
View answerIn relation to the issue of the charging of fees by schools, the position is that apart from those recognised fee-charging second level schools, recognised primary and post primary schools are precluded from charging school fees.
Voluntary contributions by parents are, however, permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition.
The manner in which voluntary contributions are sought and collected is a matter for school management, however their collection should be such as not to create a situation where either parents or pupils could reasonably infer that the contributions take on a compulsory character.
No charge may be made, in respect of instruction in any subject of the school curriculum or for recreation or other activities where all pupils are expected to take part.
However, it is permissible for a school to seek payments in respect of extra-curricular activities, provided such activities are not obligatory and individual pupils can choose whether or not to participate.
Guidelines on the use of School Buildings outside of School Hours were published by my Department in October 2017; these can be viewed on my Department's website.
The purpose of these guidelines is to provide guidance for schools in relation to the use of school buildings outside of school hours and for those schools who are considering putting such arrangements in place.
In general, the management of school premises at local level is a matter for the relevant school authorities, and if a community group is interested in using school facilities contact should be made with the school in the first instance.
272. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will request the board of management of a school (details supplied) to withdraw its threat of legal action against the parents' association and to co-operate fully with the association; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30953/18]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school.
Accordingly, any legal proceedings taken by a board of management are a matter for the board in question.
273. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education and Skills when work will resume on a pitch (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30957/18]
View answerThe school building for the project referred to by the Deputy was handed over for occupation on 1 September 2017. However, as part of the contract for this project, there remain some outstanding works at the adjacent GAA Club including completion of the all-weather pitch and reinstatement work to the car park. There are also a number of snags to be resolved in the school building including issues relating to the heating system.
The Department has terminated the contract with the building contractor under Clause 12 of the Public Works Contract.
There is a Performance Bond in place for this project and the Design Team is liaising with the Bondsman with the intention of calling on the Bond to cover the costs of finishing out the works.
The design team is currently finalising a detailed scope of works which are outstanding, and the Bondsman will be requested to have the works completed without the need for a public tender process. This is the most expeditious way of completing the works. If the Bondsman is not prepared to complete the works, the Design Team will tender for a completion contractor to carry out the works and the remediation of the outstanding snags, and the costs will be presented to the Bondsman.
The Department is committed to getting all of the outstanding works completed as soon as possible.
274. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an application by a school (details supplied) for a special needs assistant will be expedited. [30977/18]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
In considering applications for SNA support for individual pupils, the NCSE take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its current level of resources.
SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource.
SNA allocations to all schools can change from year to year as children with care needs leave the school, as new children with care needs enrol in a school and as children develop more independent living skills and their care needs diminish over time.
My Department’s policy is to ensure that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such support. In line with this policy, I announced in May 2018 that 800 additional SNAs will be allocated for the beginning of the next school year, with a further 140 expected to be allocated by the end of the year.
By the end of this year, there will be a total of 15,000 Special Needs Assistants working in our schools, a 42% increase on 2011.
The NCSE Appeals Process may be invoked by a parent or a school where it is considered that a child was not granted access to SNA support on the grounds that Department policy was not met in accordance with Circular 0030/2014.
Schools may also appeal a decision, where the school considers that the NCSE, in applying Department policy, has not allocated the appropriate level of SNA support to the school to meet the special educational and/or care needs of the children concerned.
Where a school has received its allocation of SNA support for 2018/19, but wishes new enrolments or assessments to be considered, which were not taken into account when the initial allocation was made, they may continue to make applications to the NCSE. The closing date for receipt of any appeals in regard to SNA allocations is Friday, 28th September 2018.
As this question relates to a particular child, I have referred the question to the NCSE for their direct reply.
275. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an application by a school (details supplied) for a new building will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30991/18]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the school was advised in August 2016 that my Department is not in a position to provide funding for a school hall due to the necessity to prioritise funding for essential classroom accommodation to meet demographic need.
The Deputy will be aware that under the National Development Plan (NDP), increased funding has been provided for the school sector capital investment programme. This funding allows for a continued focus on the provision of new permanent school places to keep pace with demographic demand and also provides for an additional focus on the refurbishment of existing school buildings to include the building and modernisation of PE facilities in primary and post-primary schools.
Under the Ireland Project 2040, we will invest €8.4 billion (compared to €4.9 billion in the previous decade) in primary and post primary school buildings. This will include the provision of 50 large scale school building projects and 20,000 school places in state of the art new buildings.
The immediate priority of my Department is providing 20,000 new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place. The government will focus in the medium term on the provision of PE facilities in schools.
I also wish to advise the Deputy that my Department recently approved grant to the school for a mainstream classroom and 2 special needs rooms.
276. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied); the contact which has been had with the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31023/18]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that a building project for the school to which he refers is included in my Department's Capital Programme.
My Department is currently finalising the project brief with the aim of progressing the project into the architectural planning process. My Department will be in direct contact with the school's patron in this regard.
277. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied); the contact which has been had with the school to progress the development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31027/18]
View answerIn April, 2015, my Department approved an all-in-devolved grant for the provision of 2 mainstream classrooms and a WC for assisted users for the school in question. The additional accommodation was to be provided on a stand-alone basis.
The project proceeded to tender without reverting to my Department as required under the terms and conditions of the Scheme. In addition, the Board of Management had tendered for an unapproved scope of works.
In June 2018 the Board was advised that it was required to revert to the original works approved. It is now a matter for the Board of Management to progress the project accordingly.
278. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied) for a classroom extension; the contact that has been had with the school; and if his attention has been drawn to the increasing pupil numbers in the school. [31028/18]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question recently wrote to my Department advising that it expects enrolments to increase in the coming academic year 2018/2019.
My Department contacted the school and advised the principal that should the enrolment increase to a level that would warrant the appointment of an additional teacher, it is then open to the school to re-activate its application for additional accommodation, should the school's existing accommodation not be capable of accommodating the additional teacher.
279. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the development of a school (details supplied) in view of An Bord Pleanála approval; if a contract for the new works has been awarded; if so, when it is expected that work will begin; the target date for the school reopening; the substantial improvements that will be made compared to the previous school; if playing fields will be part of the new school; if the legalities in this regard have been completed; if the patronage and management of the new school will be maintained based on the previous school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31029/18]
View answerThe building project referred to by the Deputy will consist of the construction of a new part single storey, part two storey and part three storey post-primary school of 6,786sqm to provide general classrooms, specialised classrooms, PE Hall, general purpose area, a unit for pupils with multiple disability visual impairment, ancillary teaching and staff accommodation. The development will include 3 new hard play courts.
Playing fields are not part of the brief for this project.
The project is currently at Stage 2B of Architectural Planning. A third party planning appeal to An Bord Pleanála has significantly delayed the project from progressing to the next stage which is tender stage. A decision to grant permission was received in early June with a number of conditions that are being followed up by the Design Team.
On satisfactory completion of Stage 2B and providing no other issues arise the Department will be in a position to authorise the project to proceed to pre-qualification of contractors. In March, my Department wrote to the school outlining the projected timeframe for progression of this project to tender and construction stages in Quarter 4 of 2018.
The patronage and management of the school will not be affected by the school building project.
