Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 November 2018
80. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to reports on the use of reduced timetables in schools for children with behavioural issues; his views on whether the lack of funding for disadvantaged schools may be contributing to this policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49509/18]
View answerThe position of my Department is that all pupils who are enrolled in a school should attend school for the full day, unless exempted from doing so for exceptional circumstances, such as medical reasons.
Reduced timetables should not be used as a behavioural management technique, or as a de facto suspension or expulsion.
Where schools apply a shorter school day in relation to a child, such arrangements should only be put in place in exceptional circumstances in order to assist a pupil to return to a school, where a pupil has been experiencing an absence due to a medical or behavioural related condition.
Any such arrangement should be a transitionary arrangement, which is designed to assist the reintegration of a pupil to a school environment.
In making any such arrangements, school authorities should be mindful of the best interests of the child and of the child's right to a full day in school. Schools should seek the advice of the National Educational Psychology Service before implementing such arrangements.
The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 requires a school principal to inform an educational welfare officer in writing where a student is suspended from a recognised school for a period of not less than 6 days. The school is also obliged to record and maintain attendance records and to report to Tusla, unauthorised non-attendance above the threshold of 20 days, or where the school principal is of the opinion that a student is not attending school regularly. This is done currently through the School Returns mechanism to TUSLA Educational Welfare Services.
Developing a Code of Behaviour: Guidelines for Schools (NEWB, 2008) states that “Exclusion of a student for part of the school day, as a sanction, or asking parents to keep a child from school, as a sanction, is a suspension. Any exclusion imposed by a school is a suspension, and should follow the guidelines relating to a suspension”.
Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 makes provision for a parent to take an appeal against a school in relation to suspension of a student. In certain circumstances reduced timetables could be appealed by a parent under this provision.
It is also important to note that all schools, have available to them a range of supports provided by the Department to meet the identified additional educational needs of their pupil cohort. These include additional teaching and other resources to meet special educational needs, language and behavioural supports and educational psychological supports. Further services provided by the Professional Development Service for Teachers are also available to support teachers and school leaders in the delivery of teaching and learning in their schools.
The range of supports offered by the National Educational Psychological service includes support to teachers in schools to develop and implement behavioural management plans for individual pupils with behavioural and emotional regulation difficulties. DEIS schools have an enhanced time allocation for NEPS services.
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is engaging with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and TUSLA Educational Welfare Service on the matter of reduced timetables, with a view to examining options which can be taken to address the issue.
