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Tuesday, 23 Oct 2018

Written Answers Nos. 254-271

School Enrolments Data

Questions (254, 287)

Pat Deering

Question:

254. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of infant boys' schools catering for pupils from junior infants to first class by county; the schools which have DEIS status; and if such schools have amalgamated in recent years. [43223/18]

View answer

Pat Deering

Question:

287. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of infant boys schools here, that are, catering for pupils from junior infants to first class; the breakdown by county; the number of these that have DEIS status; if such schools have amalgamated in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43714/18]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 287 together.

The information requested by the Deputy is available in the following table. The information given is for the 2017/2018 academic year, which is the latest available. 

Roll Number

Official Name

County Description

DEIS (Y/N)

Enrolments in Ordinary Classes

Enrolments in Special Classes

01285A

TIPPERARY JNR BN S

Tipperary

N

101

0

11776C

ST LAURENCE O TOOLE JUNIOR BOYS*

Dublin

Y

48

0

15816I

ST VINCENTS INF BOYS

Dublin

Y

117

0

16344V

ST MARYS JNR B N S

Tipperary

N

142

18

18424G

SCOIL NAIS IOSEF NAOFA

Carlow

N

162

12

18632N

S N EOIN BOSCO NAI BUAC

Dublin

N

224

6

*Amalgamated with St Laurence O'Toole Girls School in September 2018 to form St Laurence O Toole National School (20507W)

Roll Number

Official Name

County Description

DEIS (Y/N)

Status

Notes

12372G

MICHAEL ST N S

Wexford

N

Amalgamated September 2016

Amalgamated with the junior pupils from Scoil na mBraithre (16741I) and St Josephs NS (17457Q) to form Bunscoil Nic Amhlaidh (20481H)

15383D

ST PETERS INFTS

Wicklow

N

Amalgamated September 2015

Amalgamated with the junior pupils from St Michaels Girls National School (13932A) to form St Michaels and St Peters Junior School (20470C)

16901E

S N PADRAIG NAOFA N B

Cork

N

Amalgamated September 2015

Amalgamated with St Patrick Boys Senior School (16900C) to form St Patricks Boys National School (20477Q)

18171D

OUR LADY ASSUMPTION BNS

Dublin

N

Amalgamated September 2014

Amalgamated with our Lady of Assumption (18455R) to form Assumption Junior School (20450T)

School Accommodation Provision

Questions (255)

Eoin Ó Broin

Question:

255. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the funding for the development of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin; the point at which the application is; and the timeline for the release of funding for the project. [43259/18]

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Written answers

I can confirm an application for additional school accommodation for the school in question has been received by my Department. As soon as the application is assessed a decision will be conveyed to the school authorities. 

I can also confirm my Department is presently finalising the acquisition of addition land for this school, the acquisition of which will serve to enhance the facilities currently available to the school while also supporting any potential options for the future development of the school going forward.

School Staff

Questions (256)

John McGuinness

Question:

256. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 268 of 7 September 2018, if a response to the appeal now lodged will be expedited in view of the circumstances (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43263/18]

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Written answers

The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2018/2019 school year is set out in Circular 0010/2018, which is available on the Department website. 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 30 September 2017.

The school referred to by the Deputy had an enrolment of 167 pupils on 30 September 2017, which allows for an allocation of 6 classroom teachers in the current school year. The school also has 2 Special Education teachers, one which is full-time and another that is shared with neighbouring schools.

The staffing arrangements include an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board.

The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for consideration at the October meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal was refused by the Appeals Board on the basis that the grounds of the appeal did not warrant the allocation of an additional post under Circular 0010/2018.

The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final. 

DEIS Eligibility

Questions (257)

John McGuinness

Question:

257. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an application by a school (details supplied) will be expedited; if the review committee is scheduled to meet to deal with pending appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43264/18]

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Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware, my Department has introduced an objective, statistics based model for assessing which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage.

There is no application process for DEIS and therefore no appeals process. The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include not only single parent rate, but those related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools. This data is applied uniformly to all schools in the country in a fair and objective way, to identify the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in each school.

DEIS Plan 2017 provides for a verification process with which schools can engage to ensure the accuracy of the data being used. It is envisaged that this process will involve a re-examination of the school data used and of the application of the data by the Department, to ensure that no administrative errors occurred.

A detailed document explaining the methodology used in the Identification process is available on the Department’s website at www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Identification-Process.pdf.

DEIS Plan 2017 states that the improved data on the socio-demographic of schools resulting from the new identification model will have an impact not only on the assessment of schools for inclusion in the programme but also on the scaling of resources to allow for more graduated levels of support. This in turn allows for the ultimate objective of allocating resources to best meet the identified need of individual schools.

In order to achieve this, the current identification model needs to be as accurate as possible and this will be facilitated by the use of Eircode to ensure correct inputting of addresses. Further analysis is also required to examine other variables known to be strong predictors of educational disadvantage in the context of resource allocation.

Therefore, in order to ensure the quality of the address data and conduct further analysis, it has been decided to conduct further quality assurance on the model before extending these envisaged uses of the model. Consequently, it is not intended to extend the DEIS programme to any further schools until this work is complete.

Teacher Supply

Questions (258)

Thomas Byrne

Question:

258. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken to make it easier for retired teachers to act as substitutes in the short-term but ensure this in no way interferes with the normal teaching labour market; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43287/18]

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Written answers

It is schools that employ teachers and not my Department. The policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the Managerial Authorities of Primary and Post Primary schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts.

Therefore and in accordance with Department Circular 31/2011 issued by my Department, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers. In the event that an appropriately qualified and registered teacher is not available the circular outlines that schools must give priority to retired teachers over the employment of people who are not registered as teachers by the Teaching Council.

In addition the Teaching Council draws to the attention of teachers who indicate they are not continuing their registration that if they wish to continue to work as a teacher following retirement in a substitute or other capacity they should maintain their registration with the Teaching Council. 

Teaching Qualifications

Questions (259)

Thomas Byrne

Question:

259. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken to reconsider the need for a second year in Professional Masters of Education, PME, programmes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43288/18]

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Written answers

Changes to the duration and content of all initial teacher education programmes were made in response to recommendations in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020 and were incorporated into the Teaching Council’s Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher Education and Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers. Both were published in 2011. 

Improvements which were made to initial teacher education courses include the reconfiguration of the content and duration of courses, with the duration of concurrent (undergraduate) ITE programmes set at a minimum of four years while the consecutive (postgraduate) programmes of teacher education are set at two years, thereby facilitating an innovative reconceptualisation of programmes.

The lengthened and reconfigured programmes include substantial periods of school placement as central to student teacher development and a number of mandatory elements including literacy and numeracy, teaching, learning and assessment including school and classroom planning, differentiation, behaviour management, inclusive education (special education, multiculturalism, disadvantage, etc) and ICT in teaching and learning. These reforms are focused on improving the quality of teaching in our schools, which is central to the educational outcomes of our children. 

The Teaching Council is currently undertaking a review of the impact of the reconfigured ITE programmes and of the Criteria and Guidelines for accreditation, which will feed into an update of the procedures and criteria documentation. 

The Deputy may wish to note that, recognising the concerns that have been raised around teacher supply in recent times, a new Teacher Supply Steering Group was convened by Minister Bruton in March 2018. The Steering Group is leading on the identification of the issues, the development of a programme of actions on teacher supply and overseeing its implementation. In undertaking its task, the Steering Group is cognisant of the requirement that all persons wishing to teach in recognised schools must meet the professional registration standards and criteria set by the Teaching Council, which is the professional regulatory body for the teaching profession. 

Teaching Council of Ireland

Questions (260)

Thomas Byrne

Question:

260. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken to ensure that teachers based in Northern Ireland can register to teach here in an efficient, economic and fair way; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43289/18]

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Written answers

The Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority to register teachers in this State, including those with qualifications gained in other jurisdictions.

The Teaching Council registers teachers from Northern Ireland under the EU Directive 2005/36/EC, as amended, which is transposed into Irish law by Statutory Instrument (SI) 8 of 2017.  

In line with this legislation, applicants for registration are required to submit a completed application form including a character reference and qualification documentation (i.e. transcripts and module descriptors). In addition applicants are required to complete the National Vetting Bureau vetting process and may be required to supply police clearance if they have lived outside the State. Teachers holding qualifications gained outside the State are required to complete the qualification assessment process. This process determines the equivalence and appropriateness of their qualifications as set out in the Directive. The registration process cannot be completed until all the required documentation has been received and both the qualification assessment process and the vetting disclosure /clearances have been completed.

Teacher Supply

Questions (261, 272)

Thomas Byrne

Question:

261. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken to establish a body within his Department working with education partners tasked with co-ordinating policy matters concerning teacher supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43290/18]

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Peadar Tóibín

Question:

272. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of times the teacher supply steering group has met since it was established; the decisions made by the group; if it plans to publish reports; and if so, the nature of the report and estimated date of publication. [43414/18]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 261 and 272 together.

The Steering Group on Teacher Supply was established in March 2018. The Steering Group is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills and it includes nominees of the Department, HEIs providing primary and post primary initial teacher education, the Teaching Council, the HEA, primary and post primary school management bodies, as well as an independent expert. The Steering Group has met on four occasions, most recently on September 10th.

The Group is considering the issues that impact on teacher supply, including: initial teacher education policy, provision, funding and support; data-research requirements; policies and arrangements for schools and teachers that impact on teacher mobility-supply; and promotion of the teaching profession. In undertaking its task, the Group is cognisant of the requirement that all persons wishing to teach in recognised schools must meet the professional registration standards and criteria set by the Teaching Council, which is the professional regulatory body for the teaching profession.

I am in the process of meeting officials across my Department and intend to meet shortly with the officials with responsibility in this area to review developments to date and plans for next steps.

Broadband Service Provision

Questions (262)

Eugene Murphy

Question:

262. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a contract to supply broadband to a school (details supplied) in County Galway; when the tenders will be released to allow progress to be made on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43305/18]

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Written answers

Through the Schools Broadband Access Programme the Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary and post primary schools, and some 98% of schools are included in this scheme. All post-primary schools and some special schools are now included in the 100Mbps programme.

The policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with the technical solutions available in the market and financial constraints. Broadband capacity can vary due to geographical location and local infrastructure, and thus impact on the service that can be provided.

Under the current primary schools programme the Department continually reviews the availability of services and upgrades schools where the opportunity arises, in line with contractual and budgetary requirements. A recent drawdown from the Framework of Providers of Broadband Services saw some 1,100 primary schools awarded download speeds of 30Mbps or greater (the baseline download speed required under the National Broadband Plan). Those schools have now been upgraded to that connectivity. This represents more than one third of all primary schools. This is a significant improvement over recent years, given that less than 100 primary schools were on those speeds in 2012. Further schools are likely to be upgraded to those speeds in 2018, through EIR's 300K Rural Deployment commitment.

The need to improve broadband connectivity to primary schools is recognised in the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020, and as noted access to high speed broadband is one of the indicators identified in the Digital Strategy Action Plan. An interdepartmental working group has been established to determine how best to address broadband connectivity to primary schools in collaboration with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, in the context of the National Broadband Plan and the Intervention Strategy, and proposed industry provision.

The school referred to by the Deputy was recently included in mini competition run by my Department and the service to that school has been awarded to a provider of high speed broadband.  The provider, is currently working to provide this service to the school. The school will be contacted by the provider in due course to arrange the installation.

Minor Works Scheme

Questions (263)

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

263. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the minor works grant will issue to schools for the 2018-2019 school year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43313/18]

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Written answers

On 14 September 2018, the announcement of the major package of investment in education under Project Ireland 2040 confirmed that, starting this year, all primary schools will receive the €29 million minor works grant in either December or early January of each school year. 

I expect to make an announcement shortly with regard to the timing of the payment of the Minor Works Grant for the current school year.

School Management

Questions (264)

Thomas Byrne

Question:

264. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a barrier to a member of a board of a community requesting the attendance records of staff; if so, the nature of the barriers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43330/18]

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Written answers

The Education Act, 1998 sets out the key roles and functions that are discharged by Patrons and Boards of Management in the running of schools. The Board of Management is the body of persons appointed by the Patron to manage the school on behalf of the patron and the functions of the Board are set out in Section 15 of the Act. 

Depending on the type of school it is either the Board of Management or the appropriate Education and Training board that is the employer of school staff.  Therefore, any queries in relation to staff should be taken up with the Board of Management or the relevant Education and Training Board of the school in question.

School Funding

Questions (265)

Charlie McConalogue

Question:

265. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding is available to install solar panels in schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43331/18]

View answer

Written answers

My Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are currently involved in an energy efficient retrofit pilot scheme for schools. The introduction of solar panels is being considered as part of this scheme, the longer-term outcome of which will be to create an accurate and scalable model for energy efficient retrofits of schools across the country. 

Schools Building Projects Status

Questions (266)

John Brady

Question:

266. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of plans for the proposed extension and special education unit for a school (details supplied); the timeframe from construction to completion for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43334/18]

View answer

Written answers

I wish to advise the Deputy that a building project for the school in question is included in my Department's 6-Year Construction Programme. The project will include accommodation for special needs purposes. In the context of progressing the building project, officials from my Department have undertaken a site visit to the school.

The building project for this school will be devolved to Kildare Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) for delivery and my Department is currently engaging with KWETB in this regard.

Junior Cycle Reform

Questions (267)

Eamon Scanlon

Question:

267. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the timeline for the completion of junior certificate reforms; the arrangements for provision of training to teachers in the implementation of the new junior certificate curriculum for the school year 2018-2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43364/18]

View answer

Written answers

The Junior Cycle Framework encompasses learning in all subjects or in a number of subjects and short courses. The new curriculum and assessment arrangements are being phased in to accommodate the development of new specifications for subjects as well as the provision of professional development for teachers and school planning. The first phase commenced with the introduction of the new specification for English for students entering 1st year in September 2014. New subject specifications have been introduced in each of the past 3 years with the final phase due to be introduced in September 2019 with all subjects under the framework examinable in June 2022.

Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) is a dedicated support service of the Department of Education and Skills and was established to support schools in implementing the Framework for Junior Cycle (2015). JCT has worked with schools, including school leaders and teachers annually since the 2014-2015 school year, and continues to do so.

In the 2018-2019 school year the following are the main continuing professional development supports being provided by JCT:

- Dedicated subject specific continuing professional development (CPD) workshops are being provided for teachers in local education centres nationwide between September and November 2018. These workshops are repeats of the subject workshops provided during the 2017-2018 school year and are aimed at those teachers who were unable to attend the 2017-2018 workshops due to their attendance at their other teaching subject workshop during that year, or if they simply missed the opportunity to attend the workshop during that year.

A new wave of subject CPD workshops for the 2018-2019 school year for all subject teachers will commence nationwide in November 2018 and will run until April 2019. These workshops are provided on a school clustering basis whereby between 6-10 post-primary schools in a geographical region will close on the same day to students while all of the teachers come together in their subject groupings for dedicated CPD.

- This arrangement is catered for in DES circular 0015/2017 and will take place on a continuing basis nationwide throughout the school year.

-  Two separate workshops are being provided for school leaders by JCT during 2018-2019. The first of these workshops is set to be rolled out nationwide during November and December 2018. The focus of this workshop will be the reforms taking place in the context of reporting on students’ progress to students themselves, and to their parents/guardians. The second workshop will be facilitated nationwide in March and April 2019 and the focus of this workshop will be determined by the needs of school leaders, Principals and Deputy Principals.

- JCT provides a wide range of elective CPD opportunities for teachers which take place in the evening times and at weekends, generally in education centres nationwide. These workshops focus on a range of topics including Subject Learning and Assessment Review meetings, utilisation of management resource hours by schools in supporting the embedding of junior cycle, STE(A)M, Arts in Junior Cycle, DesignSKILLS and much more. These elective workshops are proving very popular with teachers.

- JCT provides online supports for schools. The service provides a wide range of live and interactive webinars for teachers across all of the different subject areas, while all of their teaching and learning resources and materials are provided on their website for download by teachers, www.jct.ie.

JCT also works closely with various teacher associations and groupings and will regularly attend national conferences and other events to facilitate dedicated CPD workshops.

School Curriculum

Questions (268)

Eamon Scanlon

Question:

268. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to make history a compulsory subject for the junior certificate curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43365/18]

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Written answers

One of the key aims of Junior Cycle Reform was to move from a large number of subjects with heavy curricula examined in a traditional memory based way. After a very detailed consultation process the NCCA recommended a new approach:

- limited compulsory  subjects around basic literacy and numeracy 

- 24 statements of learning

 It is important to say that the 24 statements of learning include important elements which cultivate a historical perspective.

The new Junior Cycle Programme has also greatly enlivened subjects with a new emphasis on projects and self directed learning. This new approach is particularly evident in history which will encourage take up of this lively and attractive subject.

The new approach gives students more choice and options which will be very valuable in their personal development. There will be 21 subjects and numerous short courses when all subjects are rolled out.

When it comes to compulsion it should be said that history prior to the introduction of the Framework for Junior Cycle was only a core subject in voluntary secondary schools (52% of schools). However, it is important to note that currently some 90% of students across all school types choose to study History at Junior Cycle.

Education Welfare Service

Questions (269)

Fiona O'Loughlin

Question:

269. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills whether the case of a child (details supplied) who has received no supports to date will be examined. [43369/18]

View answer

Written answers

My Department understands that the Educational Welfare Service (EWS) of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) has been liaising with the mother of the child referred to by the Deputy with the aim of ensuring that the child returns to school as soon as possible.

The EWS is the statutory body that can provide assistance to parents of children seeking to secure a school place. As an interim measure, the EWS is also supporting the parent to make an application for home tuition support. The home tuition scheme operated by my Department provides funding for tuition support to children who are temporarily without a school place.

In addition, under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 a parent of a student can make an appeal to the Secretary General of my Department where a school board of management has decided to permanently exclude a student or decided to refuse to enrol a student.

Ministerial Meetings

Questions (270)

Mattie McGrath

Question:

270. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the details of engagements, meetings or correspondence that he has had with a person (details supplied) in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43391/18]

View answer

Written answers

I have not met with or had any correspondence with the individual named.

Student Grant Scheme Appeals

Questions (271)

Niamh Smyth

Question:

271. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an appeal in relation to a SUSI grant will be initiated in the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43410/18]

View answer

Written answers

I understand that the student to whom the Deputy refers, has made appeals to both the appeals officer in SUSI and to the statutory independent Student Grants Appeals Board. She has therefore exhausted the statutory based appeals process.

With regard to the general issue of assessment of income under the Student Grants Scheme, the rates of grant and the income thresholds for the Student Grant Scheme are published annually.

Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied nationally.

Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Information on the fund is available through the Access Office in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.

Also, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from the Revenue Commissioners at www.revenue.ie.

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