Written Answers Nos. 129-148
129. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Education the timeline for the publication of the terms of reference of the recently announced independent review of the leaving certificate calculated grades process; the timeline for the commencement of the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35560/20]
View answerOn 3 October I announced that I had asked that a comprehensive independent review of the design and implementation of the Calculated Grades process should take place when the process is complete.
I want the independent comprehensive review to consider key aspects of the Calculated Grades process. This will include: the initial decision to adopt the calculated grades model; whether the process met its objectives; how effective the process was; how that process worked in terms of design and implementation; and how effective were the governance and oversight procedures. Very importantly, I also want the review to include what lessons can be learned for the future.
Some initial scoping of the review has taken place to date and the full scope of the review will be clearly set out in advance.
130. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 759 of 3 November 2020, if she will address further queries raised in correspondence. [35572/20]
View answerAs outlined in the previous response in relation to school enrolment, it is a matter for the parents to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupils should be admitted. It is the responsibility of the school authorities to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Acts, 1998 -2018.
The measures provided for in the Act do make the admissions process transparent and consistent for all. The Act creates confidence for parents that the admission criteria laid down by schools and the procedures used by them are visible and fair. One of the key provisions in the act is that schools must accept all applicants that seek to be enrolled, unless the school is oversubscribed. Where schools are oversubscribed a selection process will be necessary.
The act does not introduce a selection criteria or a priority in admission for categories of applicants, such as those working overseas, or those who relocate within the country due to work or for other reasons. The criteria to be applied by schools and the order of priority are a matter for the schools themselves. My Department does not seek to influence or manage the admission processes of individual schools. It is open to parents under the act to take a section 29 appeal where the school refuses to admit an applicant for reasons of the school being oversubscribed.
Should a parent be experiencing a difficulty in obtaining a placement, the Education Welfare Act covers all children between 6 to 16 years of age. Therefore, if any parent is in a position where they cannot secure a school place for their child they may wish to call TUSLA Education Support Service (TESS) which is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. TESS can be contacted at 01-7718500. www.tusla.ie/get-in-touch/education-and-welfare/
131. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education the cost of renting office space, including for public bodies, from a company (details supplied) in 2019 and to date in 2020, in tabular form. [35607/20]
View answerThe renting/leasing of Government offices is the responsibility of Property Management Services in the Office of Public Works, which acts as an agent for all Government Departments. The number, terms and cost of the leases is a matter for the OPW.
The information requested by the Deputy concerning the cost of rental of office space from the company in question in regard to my Department’s aegis bodies is not readily available in the time available. Officials in my Department are in contact with the aegis bodies and I will arrange to have the material forwarded to the Deputy should any such contracts exist.
132. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education the status of the new primary school building in Charlesland, Greystones, County Wicklow (details supplied); and the stage discussions are at with her Department and the contractor regarding the handover of the new school building. [35624/20]
View answerOn the specific matters that have impacted the handover of the building, my Department is taking the appropriate steps to ensure it is completely satisfied that the building is fit for handover prior to accepting it. My Department is engaging with the contractor in this regard under the appropriate terms of the public works contract. Some communication was received from the contractor on 30 September and was reviewed and assessed. That communication was deemed inadequate and a further notice issued to the contractor in October. A response was received at the end of October and this is being considered. While this process is underway, my Department will not make any further comment other than to say that we are expediting this as quickly as possible
133. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education when it is anticipated that students of schools (details supplied) will be in a position to move into their new school building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35625/20]
View answerOn the specific matters that have impacted the handover of the building, my Department is taking the appropriate steps to ensure it is completely satisfied that the building is fit for handover prior to accepting it. My Department is engaging with the contractor in this regard under the appropriate terms of the public works contract. Some communication was received from the contractor on 30 September and was reviewed and assessed. That communication was deemed inadequate and a further notice issued to the contractor in October. A response was received at the end of October and this is being considered.
While this process is underway, it will not be possible to provide definitive timelines for occupation of the building. However, as this process develops my Department officials will keep the ETB and the school managements informed of developments.
134. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education her plans to relocate a school (details supplied) to meet its need to expand from its current two classes to have additional classes as the new school grows before the date of September 2021, at which point its current lease arrangement will no longer suffice; the way in which the school will meet the needs of the area the school is supposed to serve; the proposed relocation options identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35641/20]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers opened in 2019 in interim accommodation in a premises on Kill Lane, Deansgrange, County Dublin. As the accommodation at the current location is at full capacity the school will need to move to alternative interim accommodation for September 2021 and work is ongoing in that regard.
In relation to the permanent school site, a number of site options have been identified which are now being comprehensively assessed. Once a preferred site option has been identified, negotiations with the landowner in respect of the proposed acquisition of this site will commence.
135. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to put in place a greater number of second level substitute teachers for certain subjects for which there is a shortage of substitutes - for example, biology, maths, physics and home economics - in order that students currently in sixth year are not at a disadvantage when they take the leaving certificate in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35650/20]
View answerPost primary management bodies and schools have, in recent years, reported difficulties in recruiting teachers of particular subjects (e.g. STEM, modern foreign languages, Irish, Home Economics) as well as substitute teachers.
The Steering Group on Teacher Supply was established in my Department in 2018. The Steering Group is leading on the identification of issues, the development of a programme of actions on teacher supply and the oversight of its implementation.
The Teacher Supply Action Plan was published in November 2018. The Plan contains a range of actions in four policy areas identified through the work of the Steering Group and engagement with stakeholders.
A number of additional measures have recently been put in place to support the supply of substitute teachers. These include, for the 2020/21 school year, suspending the restriction on the number of days that teachers on career break may be employed and, for the first time, allowing teachers who are job sharing to work additional hours.
The Teaching Council has also worked on a range of measures to increase the supply of registered teachers. These include, at the start of the school year, contacting the estimated 6,000 registered teachers who were not teaching in schools to encourage their participation to support the return to school by making themselves available to fill substitute or other posts. Following from the Teaching Council’s campaign, and also awareness raising by the Irish Primary Principals’ Network (IPPN), the number of post primary teachers registered with Sub Seeker, the online substitute teacher recruitment portal developed by IPPN and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD), increased from 475 in March 2020 to approximately 1,600 currently. The development of Sub Seeker follows from an action in the Teacher Supply Action Plan.
In addition, following engagement with the Teaching Council, higher education institutions providing post-primary Professional Master of Education (PME) programmes introduced flexibility in their course delivery to increase the amount of time which student teachers on school placement can provide for supervision and substitution, outside of their placement hours.
The Teaching Council also made regulations which allow, on an exceptional and once-off basis, teachers who have qualified outside of Ireland but who have not completed the required period of induction in the country in which they have qualified, to complete their induction in Ireland. This measure is particularly relevant to Irish citizens who have studied and qualified abroad and who may wish to return to the Irish education sector.
136. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education if a stay will be put for the rest of the academic year on a school (details supplied) due to the loss of a teacher. [35663/20]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. 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, 2019.
The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of school equally.
The staffing arrangements include an appeals mechanism for schools to appeal their staffing allocation under published criteria on the basis of projected enrolments for September 2020. The school referred to by the Deputy was provisionally approved a teaching post on appeal as the school projected an increase in enrolments. The actual enrolment of the school on 30th September 2020 was less than the enrolment in September 2019 and the teaching post was suppressed at the end of October.
The school appealed the suppression of the post to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board which refused the appeal on the basis that the grounds of the appeal does not warrant the allocation of an additional post under the published staffing arrangements.
The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
137. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 778 of 3 November 2020, the number of those eligible for school transport applicants by county who have not yet secured a place on a bus due to late payment of fees in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35669/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Bus Éireann has confirmed the number of eligible pupils by county who applied late for school transport and have not yet secured a place on a service, and these figures are provided in the attached document. Please note that the figures are at a given point in time and are subject to change as Bus Éireann continue to offer tickets where capacity may exist.
|
County |
The number of those eligible for school transport applicants by county that have not yet secured a place on a bus due to late payment of fees. |
|
Carlow |
32 |
|
Cavan |
107 |
|
Clare |
60 |
|
Cork |
174 |
|
Donegal |
336 |
|
Dublin |
53 |
|
Galway |
211 |
|
Kerry |
147 |
|
Kildare |
73 |
|
Kilkenny |
39 |
|
Laois |
14 |
|
Leitrim |
50 |
|
Limerick |
132 |
|
Longford |
59 |
|
Louth |
59 |
|
Mayo |
168 |
|
Meath |
52 |
|
Monaghan |
82 |
|
Offaly |
35 |
|
Roscommon |
41 |
|
Sligo |
29 |
|
Tipperary |
110 |
|
Waterford |
59 |
|
Westmeath |
61 |
|
Wexford |
99 |
|
Wicklow |
61 |
|
Grand Total |
2343 |
138. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education when the permanent home for a school (details supplied) will be facilitated; the plans ongoing to achieve same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35684/20]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the school to which he refers opened in September 2020. The patron of the school has made arrangements to accommodate the school on the grounds of the existing post primary schools in this particular area. This will be the permanent location for the school.
139. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the breakdown of the funding allocation for her Department for 2021, by project. [35687/20]
View answerA summary of the Department of Education's funding allocation for 2021 is set out in Chapter 8 (pages 79 to 82) of the 2021 Expenditure Report that was published on 13 October 2020 as part of 2021 Budget day documentation. This sets out the main areas identified for funding in 2021. The full details on the 2021 allocations for each Departmental Vote will be set out, as usual, in the Revised Estimates Volume (REV) which is due to be published in December 2020.
The Expenditure Report sets out a gross allocation of €8.862 Billion for 2021 which is allocated to the areas of first, second and early years' education. The bulk of the expenditure relates to the pay costs associated with some 91,000 teaching and other staff and the pensions of some 43,000 retired staff. Significant other areas of expenditure include grants to schools, school transport and the capital funding expended under the School Building Programme.
Extensive information is available on my Department's website https://www.education.ie/en/School-Design/Building-Works/ regarding the School Building Programme.
140. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education when it is expected repair works will be carried out on the protected building on the grounds of a school (details supplied) due to the health and safety concerns it poses to students. [35688/20]
View answerI wish to inform the deputy that the school in question has not submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for any repairs to a protected building on its grounds.
141. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education if she will address a matter (details supplied) regarding school transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35695/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. Under the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8kms from and are attending their nearest Post Primary School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the 2020/21 school year where such services are in operation. The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020.
An application in respect of the pupil named by the Deputy who was successful in obtaining a ticket was received in 2019/20 school year and as a result, this rolled over to the 2020/21 school year.
An application for the sibling who was unsuccessful in obtaining a ticket was made on 14th August 2020 and is therefore a late application.
Bus Éireann has also confirmed that payment for school transport for the 2020/2021 school year was received from the family in question on 17th August 2020 and as such is a late payment.
Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2020/2021 school year. In addition, payments or submission of medical card details for Post-Primary seats completed or made after 4th August 2020 will be only considered when 50% capacity, required by new Covid19 public health guidelines, is achieved on each route.
Bus Éireann has advised that the application in respect of the pupil who did not receive a ticket, has since been closed as the parent informed the local office they were applying for a grant in lieu of transport. A full refund was made to the family on 2nd November, 2020. It should be noted that as the application for transport was not made within the prescribed application process timelines that the family can not be considered for a Remote Area Grant for the current school year.
Should the family wish to enquire about availing of the transport service they are advised to contact their local Bus Éireann office.
142. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 265 of 13 October 2020, if school transport will be provided to persons (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35701/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Under the terms of the Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest school as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally.
Where practicable, and subject to considerations of cost and logistics, routes are planned to avoid an eligible child having to travel more than 3.2 kms to or from a pick up/set down point or to have travel and waiting times in excess of 2.5 hours per day. Routes are planned on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible for school transport only.
Bus Éireann has advised that the pupils in question reside 1.4 km from their existing pickup and as such are within the distance guidelines outlined above.
Bus Éireann has also advised that service in question has been reviewed and changes have been implemented taking all pupils on route into consideration. To meet the request of the families highlighted by the Deputy would inconvenience other pupils on the service.
143. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education the status of arrangements currently in place regarding the right of way issue at a school (details supplied); if her Department is pursuing the agreed proposal outlined to the school board of management; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35704/20]
View answerA Right of Way exists over the land acquired for the new school development. This Right of Way cannot be altered or extinguished without the consent of the beneficiaries of the Right of Way.
I can confirm that discussions have taken place with the beneficiaries of the Right of Way and subsequently planning permission has been granted for the new school.
Officials in my Department have received a request for a meeting from the school. The Design Team have been requested to provide a report in advance of a meeting. Following receipt and review of this report, the meeting will be arranged between Department officials and the school in the coming weeks.
144. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education the meetings that have taken place between her Department and an organisation (details supplied) in 2019 and to date in 2020 to discuss an issue at a school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35705/20]
View answerA meeting was convened on 15th November 2019 between my Department and the organisation referred to by the Deputy. There have been no meetings with the organisation in 2020.
145. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Education if she will address a request from the board of management of a school (details supplied) to facilitate a meeting between the stakeholders involved; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35706/20]
View answerI can confirm that officials in my Department have received a request from a meeting from the School. The Design Team for the new school project have been requested to provide a report in advance of a meeting. Following receipt and review of this report a meeting will be arranged between Department officials and the school in the coming weeks.
146. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education if her Department or bodies under the aegis of her Department rent office space from a company (details supplied) or an Irish subsidiary; the number of employees who work out of such office space; the length of time they have been working from the offices; the cost to date of renting such offices; the tender process by which it was decided to make use of the services of the company; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35710/20]
View answerThe renting / leasing of Government offices is the responsibility of the Property Management Services in the Office of Public Works, which acts as an agent for all Government Departments. The number, terms and cost of the leases is a matter for the OPW.
The information requested by the Deputy concerning the cost of rental of office space from the company in question in regard to my Department’s aegis bodies is not readily available in the time available. Officials in my Department are in contact with the aegis bodies and I will arrange to have the material forwarded to the Deputy should any such contracts exist.
147. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education if he will address concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) about the urgent need for a teacher supply panel in Drogheda and south County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35756/20]
View answerThe Roadmap for the Full Return to School provides for comprehensive supports across a range of areas to allow for the safe reopening of schools. Among the supports provided is the extension of the Substitute Teacher Supply Panel.
My Department has worked closely with our Partners on expanding teacher supply panels. The base schools were first identified in collaboration with the INTO and Primary Management Bodies. The INTO and Primary Management Bodies made contact with these schools with a view to being a base for that location.
In forming the Supply Panel Clusters, the Department’s Geographical Information System (GIS) identified the receiving schools based on distance from the base school. The Supply Panel Teaching posts were allocated to each Supply Panel based on the number of schools in the cluster and the number of permanent teaching positions to be serviced by the scheme.
Currently, there are 115 Substitute Teacher Supply Panels nationwide, with almost 330 newly appointed Supply Panel teachers employed, providing substitute cover to almost 2,300 schools across the country. In relation to Co. Louth there are 2 Supply Panels (Dundalk and Drogheda) in this county operating in almost 40 schools.
These substitute Supply Panels are not the sole means whereby schools source substitutes but are set up to work alongside the existing methods of sourcing substitute teachers whether through a school’s own panel of regular substitutes or the National Substitution portal service as outlined in the Department Circular 45/2020.
The proficiencies of the Supply panels will be monitored and will be reviewed by my Department at the end of the current academic year.
148. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of applications for PPS numbers at a company (details supplied); his plans to reduce the waiting times on these applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35473/20]
View answerI can confirm that the individuals referred to by the Deputy have been contacted regarding their applications for a Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) by officials of my Department so that we may proceed to progress their applications.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
