Written Answers Nos. 340-359
340. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Education the way in which it is intended to finally end the pay inequality which affects new entrants to the teaching profession and honour the statement of intent issued to teacher unions on this matter in Easter 2019 by her predecessor. [41553/20]
View answerThe public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692.
Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for Public Expenditure and Reform] shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the cost of and a plan in dealing with pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.”
The report laid before the Oireachtas on foot of this provision by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform assesses the cost of a further change which would provide a two scale point adjustment to new entrants recruited since 2011. The total cost of such an adjustment across the public sector is of the order of €200 million, of which Education accounts for approximately €83 million. The report also acknowledges that, during the financial crisis, there were policy changes which affected remuneration in different occupations across the public sector (including education).
The matter of new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector alone. The Government supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.
The total year one cost of equalising the pay of new entrant teachers to the pre-2011 arrangements is estimated to be in the region of €59 million per annum in year one (€45 million for full resolution of pay scales and €14 million for re-instatement of the H.Dip allowance). The costs would rise in subsequent years as more new entrants join the system.
On 24 September 2018, an agreement was reached between the Government and the public services committee of ICTU in respect of new entrant pay.
This agreement is benefitting 18,000 teachers and nearly 5,000 SNAs within the education sector. The deal provides for a series of incremental jumps for new entrants.
I am fully aware that the teacher unions have outstanding issues of concern following the September 2018 agreement. These outstanding matters will be given full consideration. This will happen in the context of the next round of pay talks. The positions of each of the parties on these matters must be given due regard in endeavouring to reach a mutually agreed resolution.
The current series of restorative measures for new entrants have been achieved through continued engagement and collective bargaining between the Government and the public service unions and shows the benefits that such engagement can bring.
341. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if she will report on the acquisition of a site for a school (details supplied) for its new school building. [41554/20]
View answerI can confirm a potential permanent site option has been identified and discussions are ongoing with the landowner with a view to acquiring this site. I can assure the Deputy that the acquisition of a suitable site for the school in question is very active on the programme of site acquisitions and every effort is being made to secure the suitable site for the school as expeditiously as possible.
Due to the nature of an ongoing negotiation, and the level of commercial sensitivity involved, it will not be possible disclose any further information at this stage. The Department, however, is committed to keeping all parties up to date with progress, as it becomes possible to make further announcements.
342. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education the planning position in regard to the new post-primary ETSS school for south Drogheda, County Louth; if she will provide other relevant updates on the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41568/20]
View answerMy Department is committed to providing permanent accommodation to meet the needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. A number of potential site options have been identified and officials from my Department are currently appraising same. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further at this time.
343. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education the measures she is taking to address the pay gaps within the teaching profession; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41589/20]
View answerThe public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692.
Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for Public Expenditure and Reform] shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the cost of and a plan in dealing with pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.”
The report laid before the Oireachtas on foot of this provision by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform assesses the cost of a further change which would provide a two scale point adjustment to new entrants recruited since 2011. The total cost of such an adjustment across the public sector is of the order of €200 million, of which Education accounts for approximately €83 million. The report also acknowledges that, during the financial crisis, there were policy changes which affected remuneration in different occupations across the public sector (including education).
The matter of new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector alone. The Government supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.
The total year one cost of equalising the pay of new entrant teachers to the pre-2011 arrangements is estimated to be in the region of €59 million per annum in year one (€45 million for full resolution of pay scales and €14 million for re-instatement of the H.Dip allowance). The costs would rise in subsequent years as more new entrants join the system.
On 24 September 2018, an agreement was reached between the Government and the public services committee of ICTU in respect of new entrant pay.
This agreement is benefitting 18,000 teachers and nearly 5,000 SNAs within the education sector. The deal provides for a series of incremental jumps for new entrants.
I am fully aware that the teacher unions have outstanding issues of concern following the September 2018 agreement. These outstanding matters will be given full consideration. This will happen in the context of the next round of pay talks. The positions of each of the parties on these matters must be given due regard in endeavouring to reach a mutually agreed resolution.
The current series of restorative measures for new entrants have been achieved through continued engagement and collective bargaining between the Government and the public service unions and shows the benefits that such engagement can bring.
344. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education the way in which she plans to avoid over assessment of leaving certificate students who are due to sit written exams in 2021 but may be subject to calculated grades in the event of an outbreak of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41590/20]
View answerIt is my firm intention to operate the conventional 2021 state examinations, with appropriate contingency built in, in line with prevailing public health advice. This is shared by the SEC, which has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and which led the decision not to run the state examinations this summer.
In the context of the return to schools of students for the 2020/21 academic year my Department published a range of documentation and support material as part of the Roadmap for the Full Return to School, which is available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool. That schools have remained open throughout level 5 restrictions has been very encouraging.
Specific guidance was provided to post-primary schools in the Returning to School: Guidance on learning and school programmes for post-primary school leaders and teachers. In the guidance on in-school assessment advised that:
It is, however, important that over-assessment is avoided and that an appropriate balance is achieved between formative and summative assessment. The provision of timely feedback to students will be particularly important in this school year given the context where, during the school closure period, the opportunities for and quality of feedback to students on their work varied from school to school and sometimes from subject to subject.
The assessment of students’ learning should reflect the aims and learning outcomes of specifications, priority learning units and syllabuses as relevant, ensuring accessibility to the mode of assessment for all students. In planning for assessment, the use of self- assessment by learners of their own progress, as well as peer assessment could be usefully included as a strategy to support assessment activities.
On 21 August, I announced a series of changes that would be made to assessment arrangements for both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations for 2021. This announcement was accompanied by a published document detailing these changes, Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021, and forms part of the Roadmap for the Full Return to School.
These arrangements are designed to take account of the disrupted learning experienced by students during the 2019/20 school year and to factor in for some further possible loss of learning time in the 2020/21 school year as a contingency measure. As the loss of learning through school closures will have affected students’ engagement with their course of study in different ways, the adjustments put in place will play to students’ strengths by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations, while incorporating additional choice. The adjustments were arrived at through discussions between my Department, the State Examinations Commission (SEC), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and key stakeholders.
As schools have significant autonomy in determining how to sequence and pace learning for students in their schools, no centrally prescribed adjustment of the curriculum and courses of study would have been effective for students taking the certificate examinations in 2021. Consequently, the most appropriate way to reflect and take account of the challenges for students that have occurred in 2019/20 and may occur in 2020/21 was to incorporate adjustments to the certificate examinations in 2021.
These changes to the national assessment arrangements were made with due regard for the principles of equity, fairness and integrity, as these principles apply to assessment and examinations and refer to student to-student, subject-to-subject, and year-to-year comparisons over time. The changes provide reassurance to students, their parents/guardians, teachers and schools.
Further clarification on the assessment arrangements for 2021 for certain subjects will issue shortly.
The SEC has valuable learning from the experience of running the 2020 November examinations, notwithstanding that the numbers taking these examinations is significantly lower than the number due to sit examinations in 2021. The measures relating to COVID-19 that have been put in place for the November examinations will be considered as part of the planning for examinations in 2021.
The SEC has commenced its contingency planning for the 2021 examinations, recognising that a flexible and agile approach is necessary in light of the continuing fast-moving environment linked to COVID-19. It is not intended that there would be any change to the length of the written examinations. Project briefs for relevant subjects have issued earlier than usual and practical coursework will be submitted two weeks earlier than normal as a contingency measure. Teachers are being encouraged to plan and undertake these projects as early as possible in the programme of study. These changes to the Leaving Certificate assessment arrangements for 2021 are deigned to provide reassurance to students, their parents/guardians, teachers and schools.
In addition, an advisory group of key stakeholders, which advised on altered arrangements for the 2020 state examinations, was reconvened on 25 November in an online meeting to perform a similar role in respect of the 2021 examinations. The advisory group includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the SEC, the NCCA and the Department, including the National Educational Psychological Service. Representatives from the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are also represented on the advisory group to ensure liaison with the third level sector.
Other documents published by my Department to support the return to school include Guidance for Practical Subjects in Post-Primary Schools and Centres for Education and Returning to school: Guidance on learning and school programmes for post primary school leaders and teachers. These documents provide guidance for teachers and schools that is specific to each practical subject area, so that students can be facilitated to actively engage with their learning. All documentation published is available on www.gov.ie/backtoschool.
345. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education if approval will be granted as a matter of urgency for a major building project at a school (details supplied) to include funding to cover all of the extra costs relative to the conditions attached to the planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála; if a positive and early response will be expedited given the existing building and prefabs are leaking and not fit for purpose; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41683/20]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that the school referred to has been approved for a project under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2015. This project will provide for one mainstream classrooms with en-suite, a WC for assisted user and one SET room.
This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. This project was approved to go to Planning in June 2019. The planning received had onerous conditions attached which were outside the remit of the additional accommodation scheme and the school were informed to appeal to An Bord Pleanála. The planning decision was upheld following this appeal and the matter is currently with the Department for review. Officials in my Department will be in contact with the school shortly with a view to progressing this project.
346. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if the minor works grant for primary schools is being brought forward from 2021; and if this means there will be no minor works grant in 2021. [41700/20]
View answerAs you are aware I announced an additional €55 million in minor works grants for primary and post-primary schools to be paid in early December, 2020.
The €55 million payments involves:
- bringing forward from 2021 the standard €30m minor works grant at primary level
- an additional €25m funding for Covid-19 related Minor Works at post-primary level;
This payment of these grants has now issued in December 2020. In this regard, the payment of these grants have been paid in advance to allow schools a good lead-in period to plan and undertake works that support the operation of the school in the current school year and assist in catering for capacity and other requirements going into the 2021/22 school year. The continuation of the approach of providing schools with a good lead-in period to plan and undertake works with future tranches of minor works funding in 2021 and beyond will be kept under review by my Department having regard also to the overall availability of financial resources.
347. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education her views on the proliferation of non-curricular publications from Irish and international private interests (details supplied) seeking to target primary school children; the action she plans to take to protect the integrity of the education system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41702/20]
View answerThe current policy within the Department of Education is to not endorse any particular product, programme, or publication. The Department of Education does not have a role in approving, commissioning, sponsoring or endorsing any content in any private programme delivered in schools.
The requirement from my Department, is that schools follow the curriculum as set out by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). Additional resources may be used in order to enhance a school’s delivery of this curriculum, however that is a decision that rests entirely within the school itself. Our schools have the autonomy to determine the resources that they use, should they wish to use any. Teachers and principals are best placed to determine the suitability of a resource for the children that they teach.
348. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education when the publication of the review of out of school settings will take place; if the review will inform future policy in this area; and the status of the review. [41725/20]
View answerAction 88 of the DEIS Plan provides for a review of current out of school education provision. This review has been carried out by a Working Group chaired by my Department and including representatives from Tusla and the Education and Training Board sector. This review has been informed through the use of questionnaires, submissions from stakeholders and a public consultation process, including consultation with students.
A draft report is currently being compiled; it is intended to publish this report once the work has been finalised. It is envisaged that the report will inform future policy in this area.
349. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the communication between her Department and a school (details supplied) regarding a new school build over the past two years; the date of each communication; if it originated from her Department or the school; if the communication was via email, phone, post or another format; and if a summary of the communications will be provided. [41736/20]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department wrote to the school in June 2019 in response to its proposal to construct a new school on an alternative site in the ownership of the patron. There has been frequent telephone engagement between Department officials and school principal since then relating to the school's accommodation needs. The most recent contact was by telephone on 4th December last.
As I indicated to the Deputy in response to Parliamentary Question 59 on 1st December, my Department will be making further contact with the school authority to determine if any new information is available relating to the the alternative site that has not already been provided to the Department. The matter can be considered further in this context.
I wish to also advise the Deputy that my Department approved funding to provide significant additional interim accommodation for the school which includes 4 general classrooms, 2 Special Education Teaching rooms, 2 Special Education Needs classrooms, 1 Science Lab with Preparation Area and circulation space. I understand from my Department's recent telephone conversation with the principal that this accommodation is now in place.
In addition, my Department has recently received a further application for additional interim accommodation from the school for the 2021/22 school year and this is currently being considered. A decision on the application will issue to the school authority when this process has been completed.
350. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education when guidance will be issued on leaving certificate 2021; and if contingency plans are in place to avoid a repeat of the 2020 examinations. [41763/20]
View answerMy Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and which led the decision not to run the state examinations this summer.
In the context of the return to schools of students for the 2020/21 academic year my Department published a range of documentation and support material as part of the Roadmap for the Full Return to School, which is available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool. That schools have remained open throughout level 5 restrictions has been very encouraging.
On 21 August, I announced a series of changes that would be made to assessment arrangements for both Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate examinations for 2021. This announcement was accompanied by a published document detailing these changes, Assessment Arrangements for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021, and forms part of the Roadmap for the Full Return to School.
These arrangements are designed to take account of the disrupted learning experienced by students during the 2019/20 school year and to factor in for some further possible loss of learning time in the 2020/21 school year as a contingency measure. As the loss of learning through school closures will have affected students’ engagement with their course of study in different ways, the adjustments put in place will play to students’ strengths by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations, while incorporating additional choice. The adjustments were arrived at through discussions between my Department, the State Examinations Commission (SEC), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and key stakeholders.
As schools have significant autonomy in determining how to sequence and pace learning for students in their schools, no centrally prescribed adjustment of the curriculum and courses of study would have been effective for students taking the certificate examinations in 2021. Consequently, the most appropriate way to reflect and take account of the challenges for students that have occurred in 2019/20 and may occur in 2020/21 was to incorporate adjustments to the certificate examinations in 2021.
These changes to the national assessment arrangements were made with due regard for the principles of equity, fairness and integrity, as these principles apply to assessment and examinations and refer to student to-student, subject-to-subject, and year-to-year comparisons over time. The changes provide reassurance to students, their parents/guardians, teachers and schools.
Further clarification on the assessment arrangements for 2021 for certain subjects will issue shortly.
It is my firm intention to operate the conventional 2021 state examinations, with appropriate contingency built in, in line with prevailing public health advice. This is shared by the SEC, which has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations
The SEC has valuable learning from the experience of running the 2020 November examinations, notwithstanding that the numbers taking these examinations is significantly lower than the number due to sit examinations in 2021. The measures relating to COVID-19 that have been put in place for the November examinations will be considered as part of the planning for examinations in 2021.
The SEC has commenced its contingency planning for the 2021 examinations, recognising that a flexible and agile approach is necessary in light of the continuing fast-moving environment linked to COVID-19. It is not intended that there would be any change to the length of the written examinations. Project briefs for relevant subjects have issued earlier than usual and practical coursework will be submitted two weeks earlier than normal as a contingency measure. Teachers are being encouraged to plan and undertake these projects as early as possible in the programme of study. These changes to the Leaving Certificate assessment arrangements for 2021 are deigned to provide reassurance to students, their parents/guardians, teachers and schools.
In addition, an advisory group of key stakeholders, which advised on altered arrangements for the 2020 state examinations, was reconvened on 25 November in an online meeting to perform a similar role in respect of the 2021 examinations. The advisory group includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the SEC, the NCCA and the Department, including the National Educational Psychological Service. Representatives from the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are also represented on the advisory group to ensure liaison with the third level sector.
Other documents published by my Department to support the return to school include Guidance for Practical Subjects in Post-Primary Schools and Centres for Education and Returning to school: Guidance on learning and school programmes for post primary school leaders and teachers. These documents provide guidance for teachers and schools that is specific to each practical subject area, so that students can be facilitated to actively engage with their learning. All documentation published is available on www.gov.ie/backtoschool.
351. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education her views on the CAPPS process and the limit to only apply to one school in the deanery; the recourse available to students who fail to receive a school placement through the deanery process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41778/20]
View answerThe question of enrolment in individual schools, including central application processes, such as the one referred to by the Deputy, are the responsibility of the school authorities and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. It is the responsibility of the school authorities of schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary.
This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, it may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in their school of first choice. In this regard, school authorities may find it necessary to prioritise enrolment of children from particular areas or on the basis of some other criterion.
Where a board of management makes a decision to refuse admission, a parent/guardian can appeal that decision under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, and an independent appeals committee will be appointed to consider the appeal. It is important to note that if a child have been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, and a parent/guardian wishes to appeal this decision they must firstly make a written request to the school seeking a review of the board of management’s decision.
Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on the Department's website at the following link: https://www.education.ie/en/Parents/Services/Appeal-against-Permanent-Exclusion-Suspension-or-Refusal-to-Enrol/.
The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS can be contacted at 01-7718500 for assistance. More information on school attendance is available on their website on the following link: https://www.tusla.ie/tess/tess-ews/.
For ease of reference a link has been provided to the relevant phone numbers for the Education Welfare Officers assigned to various areas around the country https://www.tusla.ie/get-in-touch/local-area-offices.
352. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education when official recognition will be given to a centre (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41835/20]
View answer353. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if funding will be provided to a centre (details supplied) for 12 full-time staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41836/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 352 and 353 together.
The centre referred to by the Deputy is not a recognised school, but provides education outside of the mainstream school setting for children who have become disengaged from mainstream education.
While my Department primarily supports recognised schools, my Department does provide funding for a small number of alternative settings which provide education for the small number of young people who do not complete mainstream education.
The centre in question currently receives non-pay funding from the Department of €77,500 per annum. My Department also provided funding to the centre to assist with it's reopening in September in the context of Covid-19.
In addition Cork Education and Training Board (CETB) fund teaching hours, known as cooperation hours, for the centre. Overall responsibility for the funding of cooperation hours arrangement that supports the centre is under SOLAS, the agency responsible for Further Education and Training, which is under the remit of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science.
Officials in my Department have been in contact with officials in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science who have made enquiries with Cork ETB on the matters arising. Cork ETB have indicated that they are engaging with SOLAS and Cork Life Centre to address the funding and support request from the Centre under this arrangement.
My Department has committed to a review of out alternative settings and this review will inform future policy in this area.
354. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 128 of 26 November 2013, 240 of 3 December 2019 and 182 of 17 December 2019, if she will carry out a review in her Department to ascertain the reason the information sought on the surplus profit of Bus Éireann as determined by the auditors and credited to the profit and loss accounts of Bus Éireann made from school transport was withheld and not given in the responses. [41863/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2018/2019 school year over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 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 €200m in 2018.
The 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements form the basis of the payment to Bus Éireann for the operation of the School Transport Scheme. In this regard, the Department reimburses Bus Éireann for a range of costs incurred in the operation and administration of the scheme. Re-imbursement to Bus Éireann is on a cost recovery basis only and the Department of Education does not pay any profit to Bus Éireann relating to the School Transport Scheme.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) carried out an examination of the provision of school transport and completed its report in August 2017 – the C&AG Special Report 98. The C&AG report referenced a surplus in the Transport Management Charge element of the costs. This amount was held by way of an uncommitted reserve by Bus Éireann to be used solely for the purposes of the School Transport Scheme. The uncommitted reserve was repaid fully to the Department in December 2018.
The school transport scheme is a demand-led service based on the number of eligible children who apply to avail of transport. My Department works with Bus Éireann to analyse costs to the scheme on an on-going basis while each year the company produces an audited statement of account. This ensures that the financial information provided by Bus Éireann is in accordance with the relevant summary of accounting arrangements.
Bus Éireann provides the Department with an annual projected cost of school transport services together with a provisional spread of payments. These figures are incorporated into the Department’s annual profile of expenditure and are monitored on a monthly basis both in terms of the Department’s monthly profile of expenditure and Bus Éireann information based on actual costs versus projected costs. Expenditure headings and profiles are discussed at monthly meetings held between the Department and Bus Éireann. Where changes in projected expenditure occur a new year-end forecast is submitted by Bus Éireann and reflected in a revised spread of payments.
Actual expenditure is finalised in the Bus Éireann annual statement of account which is independently audited by the Bus Éireann auditors in accordance with the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. Balances, where they occur, are accounted for in the following year’s projected cost.
355. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education the number of extra personal vacation days which are allowed for a teacher to take at the present time with the provision of a substitute teacher to cover the leave if the five days normally allowed have been reduced; and if there are plans to restore this number of days. [41869/20]
View answerA Primary teacher who attends and completes a Summer Course approved by my Department is entitled to Extra Personal Vacation (EPV) Leave. My Department’s Circular Letter 37/97 details the EPV Leave entitlement and Circular Letter 35/2009 details the employee’s requirement to provide a certificate of completion to the employer as evidence of EPV Leave entitlement.
The Summer Course programme forms part of the overall Continuous Professional Development (CPD) provision for Primary teachers who, upon undertaking up to three approved summer courses, are awarded a maximum of five EPV days, to be taken during the school year, ‘subject to the prior approval of the manager’ and a number of conditions. In considering an application for non-statutory leave (including EPV Leave), the welfare and educational needs of the pupils must take precedence over all other considerations.
My Department’s Information-Note-0008-2020 titled ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): Revised arrangements for Primary Schools in respect of Substitution and Extra Personal Vacation (EPV) Leave for the 2020/21 School Year’ published on 12th August, 2020 caters for amendments to the Supervision Scheme and the provision of substitute cover for certain leave types for the 2020/21 school year, to deal with the Covid-19 emergency situation.
In relation to substitute cover for EPV Leave, the Information Note states the following at paragraph 4.1:-
'i. Currently, substitute cover is not paid by the Department for EPV Leave.
ii. For the 2020/21 school year, the Department/ETB will provide substitute cover for the first day of EPV Leave taken by a teacher in the school year.
iii. Subsequent EPV Leave may be taken only where the effect on the school’s operation, including its COVID-19 Response Plan, is minimal and where this can be enabled without disruption to the teaching of the class and without the division of the class group between other classes.
iv. For the avoidance of doubt, substitute cover will not be provided by the Department/ETB beyond the first day of EPV Leave taken by the teacher in the 2020/21 school year.’
In relation to carryover of EPV Leave, the Information Note states the following at paragraph 4.2:-
'i. Where, due to the provisions above, it is not possible for a teacher to take their total EPV Leave during the 2020/21 school year, accumulated untaken EPV Leave will be carried over to be taken in the 2021/22 school year.
ii. This carryover will be subject to an individual teacher having a maximum EPV Leave entitlement in the 2021/22 school year of 5 days.
iii. The requirements for the approval of EPV days by the managerial authority does not change under this circular.’
356. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education the required pupil teacher ratio for a junior co-educational school with nine teachers. [41873/20]
View answerThe staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. Primary schools are currently provided with class teachers on the basis of one teacher for every 26 pupils which is at its historically lowest level.
Under the current staffing schedule, a non-DEIS Urban Band 1 school with an enrolment, on the previous 30th September, between 226 and 250 pupils would have a mainstream staffing of Administrative Principal and 9 class teachers.
Budget 2021 will implement a further 1 point reduction for the 2021/22 school year so that primary schools will be allocated teaching posts on an average basis of 1 classroom teacher for every 25 pupils. In addition, there has been a three point reduction in the retention schedule. This measure will help ensure better teacher retention in primary schools while also ensuring that less pupils are required to retain or recruit a teacher. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally, irrespective of location.
The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. The Department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account (e.g. classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment etc.).
357. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if she will set out the procedures a primary school must follow in respect of making changes to its admissions policy of new pupils; and if she will detail the obligations of a school to communicate to parents a change in admissions policy in view of the fact that if notice is not given it may impact on a parents options to enrol further pupils. [41919/20]
View answerUnder the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools must have drafted new school admission policies for publication on or after the 1st October this year.
These new admission policies have been approved by respective Patrons following consultation with school staff and parents of children attending the school, and are now published on individual school websites. These policies will apply for admission to school from September 2021 onwards. Should the school wish to alter or review these polices at any point in the future they must consult with the school ,staff parents of children attending the school and their patron body.
The act requires schools to clearly set out their selection criteria in their admission policies. Schools and their Patrons have discretion in relation to their admission criteria and how they are applied, once it is non-discriminatory and fair.
358. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education if she will consider for the school year 2021-2022 allocating nine posts under the small schools allocation in view of the fact that there are nine small secondary schools under the aegis of the GRETB in counties Galway and Roscommon and only four full-time extra equivalent teachers are given to the GRETB particularly as there are three island schools and six Gaeltacht schools included in these schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41927/20]
View answerThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website.
The Department provides a staffing allocation to each ETB and the distribution of this staffing allocation is a matter for the Chief Executive of each ETB scheme.
Galway Roscommon ETB receives an allocation of 16.5 posts in respect of small schools, island schools and Gaeltacht schools. In addition, an allocation of 4 posts is provided to Galway Roscommon ETB for co-educational schools in single catchment areas. It is a matter for the Chief Executive of the ETB to determine how this allocation is distributed across the schools.
359. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if her Department will start to compile information on the compliance rates by year and county of whether schools are including in their admission policies detailed arrangements for those not attending religious instruction as required by section 62(7)(n) of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 and put in place and announce statutory guidelines and sanctions for schools that are not complying with this legal requirement consistently with her duties under section 6(a) and section 30(2)(e) of the Act. [41928/20]
View answerUnder Article 44 of the Constitution and in accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act, 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religious instruction classes if they so wish. It is expected that this right will be upheld by schools on foot of a parental request.
In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Acts, 1998-2018.
On 14th January 2020 a number of sections of the Admission to Schools act were commenced introducing new laws around admission to schools which became operational on 1 February 2020. These provisions including the requirement for schools to set out arrangements for students that do not wish to attend religious instruction, apply to the admission processes for the 2021/2022 school year onwards. Circular 7/2020, (Commencement of Certain Sections of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018) requires each school authority to familiarise themselves with the requirements of the act and to have in place the necessary policy, procedures and practices to ensure compliance with it.
Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools are required to have drafted new admissions policies, which have been approved by the patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending the school. The newly revised school’s admissions policy is published on the schools website.
The manner in which any school ensures that the right to opt out of religion classes is upheld is a matter for the school concerned. Each individual school must determine the particular arrangements which are most appropriate in its individual circumstances having regard to local issues such as available space, supervision requirements and how the school concerned organises classes etc.
