Written Answers Nos. 525-546
525. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the plans in place for junior cycle 2021 students who plan to leave school after this school year; and the certification they will be provided with to allow them to progress with their chosen apprenticeships and careers. [10446/21]
View answerFollowing a Government decision on 17 February, I confirmed that the Junior Cycle examinations will not be run in 2021. Schools will be provided with guidance on continuing to engage this year group in online learning and assessment during the period of school closure and through in-person learning when schools re-open.
This guidance and further information relating to the Junior Cycle of 2021 will be published by my Department shortly.
This decision follows intensive engagement with education stakeholders bilaterally and through the Planning for State Examinations 2021 Advisory Group and sub-group. The Advisory Group, which was initially constituted in April 2020, includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the State Examinations Commission, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, the Higher Education Authority and my Department, including the National Educational Psychological Service.
526. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the way in which out-of-school learners will be provided with SEC-accredited grades; and if all students will be facilitated with the choice between SEC-accredited grades and written exams, including those who are home-schooled and-or studying subjects outside of school. [10447/21]
View answerOn 17 February, I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will proceed and students will also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades.
This decision follows intensive engagement with education stakeholders bilaterally and through the Planning for State Examinations 2021 Advisory Group and sub-group.
Putting in place both the examination and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having regard to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic and the loss of learning that has occurred for this group of students due to the interruption of in-person teaching and learning during the periods of school closure.
Under the SEC-Accredited Grades process, students will have the opportunity to opt to receive an SEC-Accredited Grade. They can also opt to sit the Leaving Certificate Examination. Students will opt into these processes on a subject by subject basis. Where students opt for SEC-Accredited Grades and the examinations they will be credited with the better of their results from the two processes, on a subject by subject basis.
The SEC Accredited Grades process will seek to make accredited grades available to as many students as possible, including to the greatest extent possible students who are studying one or more subjects outside of school and those studying entirely out of school. Further details of the processes to enable these candidates to seek an SEC Accredited Grade will be provided as soon as possible.
531. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the standardisation process for the SEC-accredited grades; if a student's junior certificate results will form part of this process; and if the previous history of the school a student attends will form part of same. [10456/21]
View answerOn 17 February, I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will proceed and students will also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades.
This decision follows intensive engagement with education stakeholders bilaterally and through the Planning for State Examinations 2021 Advisory Group and sub-group.
This decision ensures for every student a method to assess their learning and attainment at the end of their post-primary education and to progress to higher and further education, and the world of work.
Putting in place both the examination and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having regard to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic and the loss of learning that has occurred for this group of students due to the interruption of in-person teaching and learning during the periods of school closure.
Under the SEC-Accredited Grades process, students will have the opportunity to opt to receive an SEC-Accredited Grade. They can also opt to sit the Leaving Certificate Examination. Students will opt into these processes on a subject by subject basis. Where students opt for SEC-Accredited Grades and the examinations they will be credited with the better of their results from the two processes, on a subject by subject basis.
A process of national standardisation will form a key part of the SEC-Accredited Grades process. The standardisation process will not use historical school by school data on past performance in Leaving Certificate Examinations. Data on the Junior Cycle performance of the Leaving Certificate class of 2021, recent national Leaving Certificate results data and the national distribution of students’ results may form part of this process. Further details of the process will be determined, taking account of advice from the State Examinations Commission.
Though the prior performance of the class group in junior cycle will be used in this process, the individual performance of the student at junior cycle is not a determinant of his/her performance at Leaving Certificate.
532. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the amount her Department has expended to date regarding awareness raising campaigns on Covid-19 in national newspapers, regional newspapers, national radio, regional and local radio stations and across social media platforms; and the amount committed to expend under any current contracts or agreements with same, in tabular form. [10468/21]
View answerMy Department has prioritised clear communication with all stakeholders since the start of the pandemic and the closure of school buildings to pupils on 12 March 2020.
The focus has been on providing public health information and resources and age-appropriate materials for children, parents and school communities in appropriate and accessible formats, including multilingual communication and communication using ISL.
The two main campaigns have been the communications campaign with regard to the safe re-opening and ongoing safe sustaining of operation of schools in term 1, for which amount of €207,631.17 was expended, and the communications arising from the postponement of the examinations for Leaving Certificate 2020 and the establishment and operation of the Calculated Grades process, for which an amount of €207,750.36 was expended.
533. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the approximate length of time for the appraisal of possible school sites when there is active engagement with a local council; the length of time that negotiations for site acquisition usually take once a site has been identified; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10482/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the site acquisition process is very complex and subject to completion of successful negotiation and many conveyancing processes. Each acquisition is also very unique and dependant on multiple factors many which may be outside of the control of my Department.
As per my Department's published technical guidance documents, a criteria is used to identify and evaluate the suitability of potential sites including zoning, existing services, site orientation, topography, transport and access. In this regard, my Department makes use of its own in-house professional and technical staff in relation to the technical assessment of sites, to ensure the suitability of a given site for the development of a school building. Each potential site also requires the consideration of complex technical issues in conjunction with the local authority. The Deputy will appreciate the importance of conducting a thorough appraisal of site options before proceeding with an acquisition in order to obtain best value for the Exchequer.
Once a site has been evaluated and identified as suitable, negotiations can begin with the appropriate landowner. This stage can be equally challenging, and the conditions of each acquisition is very much dependent on the individual circumstances. Once negotiations are agreed in principle, it allows the conveyancing process to begin, where issue with property title may arise. Some acquisitions may, due to the planning risk attached to a particular site, be subject to a grant of planning permission which can further delay the acquisition of a site. In this regard, the Deputy will appreciate it is not possible to give a specific timeframe for the completion of site acquisitions.
536. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education the estimated cost of extending the Gaeltacht grant to students in a college (details supplied) in 2021; the estimated cost if the grant was extended to the 800 second-year students in the college; the estimated cost if it was extended to both first and second-year students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10507/21]
View answerThe current requirements for Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes takes the form of 2 x 2 week placements, which are outlined in the Teaching Council’s Céim: Standards for Initial Teacher Education.
A number of GLPs due to take place in 2020 were postponed due to public health restrictions. Also, due to the uncertainties of how GLPs would happen, any scheduled placements were put on hold for the 2020/2021 academic year.
My Department has been working for some time with stakeholders, including the Teaching Council, the Higher Education Institutes (including the College referred to by the Deputy), the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and CONCOS (umbrella body for Gaeltacht Colleges), to develop contingency arrangements to allow for the completion of GLPs in the current academic year. An agreement has now been reached to proceed with the delivery of an online version of the course in 2021.
These contingency plans allow for all placements scheduled to take place this year, related to the 2020/21 academic year, along with those postponed from 2020. It will also ensure that any final year students have the opportunity to graduate as scheduled in summer 2021.
Budget 2020 provided for the re-instatement of the grant to cover the full cost of the Gaeltacht Learning Periods (GLPs) for undergraduate and post-graduate students in State-funded primary ITE programmes, with effect from the 2020/2021 academic year. The grant was previously funded by my Department up to the 2012/2013 academic year, when it was ceased due to financial constraints. The rate of the re-introduced student grant for 2021 has been set at an average of €650. This will cover the cost of the undertaking the fortnightly online course in 2021. The re-introduced grant will be made available for undergraduate and post-graduate students in State-funded primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. This is in line with normal practice for other grant payments per students qualifying requirements.
In recent years, it is understood that students had paid an average of €750 for undertaking a fortnightly GLP in the Gaeltacht. This average cost has been in place for many years and included a contribution to cover accommodation costs associated with attending the course in the Gaeltacht. While the accommodation costs do not arise this year, it is acknowledged that Gaeltacht College providers do face a number of additional costs associated with the preparation, design and delivery of a new online programme. It should be noted that in normal circumstances, Gaeltacht householders who provide accommodation to trainee teachers attending recognised courses in Gaeltacht regions also qualify for a daily grant of €10 per night under the terms of Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge which is administered by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.
It is the shared aim of all of the stakeholders involved that students experience a quality online programme. HEIs are currently working directly with their Gaeltacht College providers on implementing the practical and administrative arrangements for delivery of the GLP.
An allowance has been made for 2nd year Professional Masters in Education (PME) students (including students in the College referred to by the Deputy). Those 2nd year PME students who have not completed any GLP will now complete a 3 week online programme (had previously been required to complete 4 weeks). 2nd year PME students who have completed some of their required GLP will now be required to complete the remaining balance (up to a total requirement of 3 weeks) online. This particular allowance, approved by the Teaching Council's Education Committee, recognised the significant timetabling issues facing 2nd year PME students in respect of school placement, the GLP and normal course work.
The College referred to by the Deputy is an independent private provider of ITE programmes. In relation to the cost of the online programme for students in the College referred to by the Deputy, my Department has recently responded to a proposal from that College confirming that both my Department and the Teaching Council has no issue with that College, working in collaboration with a Gaeltacht College(s) to provide an online programme based on the agreed syllabus for their own students and to negotiate and set the cost for undertaking that programme for their own students.
The estimated cost of extending the grant to cover all cohorts in the College referred to by the Deputy due to attend the GLPs in 2021 is €1.19m. This is estimated using a variety of average costs due to the duration of the GLP ranging from one to three weeks. The estimated costs of extending the grant to those in their final year only is €0.53m.
537. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education the safety measures being put in place in schools, for example, ventilation and air purification systems, in order for them to re-open safely; the sourcing, installation and costing of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10508/21]
View answerSchools have put in place significant mitigation measures to reduce the risk of coronavirus within the school environment. Minor works funding of €160m has been put in place to support these measures.
Practical steps for the deployment of good ventilation practices was provided to the school system in the context of re-opening for September 2020. This guidance was reviewed and updated on 30 November.
In summary, the overall approach for schools should be to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (e.g. during break-times or lunch-times (assuming not in use) and also at the end of each school day) and partially open when classrooms are in use. It is worth noting that windows do not need to be open as wide in windy/colder weather in order to achieve the same level of airflow into the classroom. This will assist in managing comfort levels in classrooms. Managing comfort levels will be easier for schools now than during the winter period.
In updating the guidance in November, the Department's Planning and Building Unit reviewed the HPSC guidance that consideration be given to installing an indoor air quality monitor in classrooms. The updated guidance sets out that in the main windows are likely to be required to be open at a frequency and level in the classroom irrespective of whether the opening of windows is prompted through the indoor air quality monitor (re-active approach) or through the pro-active approach outlined in the Department's guidance and that therefore it is not considered necessary to install such monitors in classrooms. However, the updated guidance indicates that it is a matter for individual schools to consider whether they wish to use some of their minor works grant funding for this purpose or alternatively schools may wish to use some of their minor works grant funding for provision of permanent background ventilation, where required, as referenced in the guidance.
This guidance is one of a number of prevention and control measures in place to ensure schools are very safe.
An expert group on ventilation has recently been formed to advise the national public health emergency team (NPHET) across a range of settings. The work of this group will help guide whether any further update on the Department's guidance is required.
542. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education if supplementary tuition will be sanctioned for a student (details supplied) in a school setting for medical reasons. [10559/21]
View answerMy Department is conscious of the fact that closing schools has hugely adverse consequences at individual, family and societal level and that the effect on children with special educational needs can be even greater. I am particularly conscious of the impact that school closures have on children with special needs.
I am particularity conscious of the impact school closures have on children with special educational needs.
Building on the return to school in recent weeks of children in special schools and in special classes at primary and post-primary level, the Government has decided on a phased return of students to in-school education.
These further phases have been developed in close collaboration with education stakeholders and follow ongoing engagement with the Department of Health and Public Health, HSE.
The Department of Health and the HSE have reaffirmed that schools in themselves are low risk environments and that a gradual phased reopening can occur at this time. Public health has reviewed the measures put in place to ensure safe operation of schools and is satisfied that these infection prevention and control measures, if rigorously adhered to, will keep the school community safe during this period. They emphasise that all measures must be followed carefully by students, staff and parents.
There will be a period of time between each phase to assess the impact of reopening on aspects of community transmission.
The phased return of students to in-school education and the associated target dates are as follows:
Monday 1 March
- the first four class groups at primary level – junior and senior infants, first and second class – and final year Leaving Certificate students will return to in-school provision. This phase will also see a return to full attendance for children in special schools, as well as children in early start pre-school classes and early intervention special classes for children with autism or hearing impairment.
Monday 15 March
- the return to in-school provision of the rest of primary school children – third to sixth class, and fifth year Leaving Certificate students. This date will be reviewed during the period following 1 March.
Monday 12 April
- the return to in-school education of the rest of post-primary students following the Easter – i.e. first to fourth year students.
My Department is anxious to further support those pupils/students with SEN who are unable to return to in-school teaching and learning under these phases.
At Primary level in recognition that not all primary pupils with special education needs will be back in school in this phase:
- Schools have been asked to prioritise deployment of their SET resources to facilitate the engagement of those pupils with SEN who are in 3rd to 6th class. This will necessitate further collaboration between the SETs and class teachers to establish current priority learning needs among those pupils.
- The supplementary programme for eligible pupils who are in 3rd to 6th class will be extended by a further two weeks.
At Post-Primary level in recognition that not all students with special education needs will be back in school in this phase:
- The supplementary programme for eligible students who have not yet returned to school will be extended by a further two weeks.
The supplementary programme is intended to supplement the teaching and learning provided by the student's school and alleviate the impact of this period of school closure through the provision of 5 hours per week in-person teaching or care support to be delivered in homes.
The programme must be delivered outside of the normal school day (i.e. evenings and weekends), so that the student can continue to engage as fully as possible with the teaching and learning provided by their school.
Any unused hours can be delivered to families at any time before 30 April 2021, including during the Easter holidays.
My Department has been contacted by schools and families who wish to access the supplementary programme in school settings. My Department is willing to engage with the education stakeholders, particularly the school management bodies on the logistical issues which may need to be considered in the running of this programme in school premises, particularly as this programme is intended to happen outside of school hours such as evenings and weekends.
I know that a phased re-opening is particularly challenging for many children with special educational needs who have not yet returned to school and their families.
The purpose of managing this cautious phased return is to continue to limit the mobility of the population and curb the spread of the virus.
The safe return and sustained safe re-opening of our schools is a key priority for Government.
544. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if the leaving certificate examination fee will be waived for 2021 given the extreme financial difficulties caused by Covid-19; if students who receive SEC-accredited grades will only be required to pay an examination fee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10572/21]
View answerOn 17 February, I confirmed that Leaving Certificate 2021 examinations will proceed and students will also have the alternative option of applying for grades accredited by the State Examinations Commission (SEC), to be known as SEC-Accredited Grades.
This decision follows intensive engagement with education stakeholders bilaterally and through the Planning for State Examinations 2021 Advisory Group and sub-group.
This decision ensures for every student a method to assess their learning and attainment at the end of their post-primary education and to progress to higher and further education, and the world of work.
Putting in place both the examination and a corresponding measure of SEC-Accredited Grades is essential to ensuring a fair system, having regard to the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic and the loss of learning that has occurred for this group of students due to the interruption of in-person teaching and learning during the periods of school closure.
Under the SEC-Accredited Grades process, students will have the opportunity to opt to receive an SEC-Accredited Grade. They can also opt to sit the Leaving Certificate Examination. Students will opt into these processes on a subject by subject basis.
In light of the ongoing pandemic, and the impact this has had on students due to take their examinations in 2021, I have directed that Leaving Certificate Examination fees should be waived and that there should be no fees for SEC-Accredited Grades.
545. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the fees paid for entry to the 2019 State examinations by leaving certificate, including the leaving certificate applied and junior certificate candidates, in tabular form. [10573/21]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission (SEC) has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded the query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to the Deputy.
546. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if all junior certificate students who were unable to complete their State examinations in 2020 due to Covid-19 have received their State certificate of completion; if this is not the cause for the delay, when students can expect to receive their certificates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10574/21]
View answerMy predecessor, as Minister for Education and Skills, announced revised arrangements for the Junior Cycle 2020 on 29 April last.
Under the revised arrangements and in light of the exceptional circumstances presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were asked as soon as possible after the end of the 2019/20 school year, to furnish students with a written school report on their learning achievements in each subject, short course and/or priority learning unit as appropriate.
The work and achievement of students who were in third year of Junior Cycle in the academic year 2019/20 would also be recognised with a State Certificate of Completion from the Department of Education.
Work is ongoing in the development of this certificate and my Department will contact schools shortly to verify the Junior Cycle data held regarding the subjects, short courses and priority learning units being taken by students, as appropriate. This data will inform the production of the State Certificate of Completion, which will issue in the weeks following the data verification period.
My Department is aware of some former Junior Cycle 2020 students who are seeking to commence apprenticeships. Following consultation with SOLAS, as an interim measure, for eligibility purposes and pending issue of the State Certificate of Completion, my Department is providing on request a letter of confirmation to those who are due to receive the State Certificate of Completion.
In order for the letter of confirmation to be prepared individuals or their parents/guardians are being advised to get in touch with my Department to provide permission for contact to be made with the student's school in order to obtain the relevant information.
All students who have responded to my department has been provided with a letter of confirmation.
It should be noted that the above interim measure only applies to individuals who were due to sit the Junior Cycle examinations in 2020.
