Written Answers Nos. 501-520
501. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the steps she has taken to progress the enactment of the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 as committed to in the programme for Government. [24388/21]
View answerThe Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill 2019 completed all stages of the Seanad in late 2019. My Department is currently awaiting an order for Second Stage in the Dáil at which the Bill will be read a second time and continue through the legislative process in that House.
I wish to advise the Deputy that I fully support the overall aim of this legislation which is to improve the level of engagement within the school community by inviting feedback, comment and observations from students and parents and by further developing a listening culture in our schools.
This legislation will provide greater clarity for students and their parents on what they can expect from schools and will help ensure that schools and students and parents continue to work in partnership effectively together.
My officials will continue to work on progressing this important legislation.
502. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the steps she has taken to achieve the target of at least 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030 as committed to in the programme for Government. [24392/21]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to achieving a target of at least 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030 to improve parental choice. I fully support this commitment and am working with the Department to develop a number of different approaches in the context of an expanding population and an increasing demand for multi-denominational education. The Schools Reconfiguration process, along with approaches such as the patronage divesting process, voluntary reassignments of patronage under Section 8 of the Education Act 1998 and the patronage process for new schools, which includes consideration of parental preferences for different types of school patron, will contribute to the achievement of this target. In recent years there has been progress towards increasing the numbers of multi-denominational primary schools with the vast majority of new primary schools established to cater for demographic demand in the last decade having a multi-denominational ethos.
The Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity process, supporting transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local families, has been developed in order to accelerate the delivery of multi-/non-denominational schools across the country. This Reconfiguration process involves the transfer of existing live schools as opposed to the amalgamation and/or closure model of the patronage divesting process.
The initial identification phase of the process involved each of the 16 Education and Training Boards identifying an initial pilot area within their functional area where they considered there may be unmet oncoming demand for a multi-/non-denominational school and arranging for surveys of parents of pre-school children in these areas.
The Department has been engaging with representatives of the Irish Episcopal Conference with a view to developing an agreed approach to the next Phase of the process. The identification phase work provides useful learning and is informing the development of the process.
The “Early Movers” provision of the Schools Reconfiguration process enables school communities which have already decided to seek a transfer of patronage (independent of the survey process envisaged as part of the Reconfiguration process) to engage with their school patron on the matter. A patron may transfer patronage under section 8 of the Education Act 1998. A number of patronage changes have taken place in recent years in this context, resulting in the provision of an additional 11 multi-denominational Community National Schools. In addition, an Irish-medium Gaelscoil has recently changed patronage from its Catholic patron to An Foras Pátrúnachta. From September 2021, this school will offer parents of junior infants the choice of undertaking an Ethics and Morality Program and, for parents who so chose, a Catholic programme will be provided.
School communities who wish to explore the potential to transfer patronage should contact their school patron in the first instance.
In parallel with the Reconfiguration process, my Department is continuing to work with stakeholders to progress delivery of diversity in areas already identified as part of the 2012 and 2013 patronage divesting process surveys. 12 schools have been established under this process, all of which have a multi-denominational ethos. In two of the Patronage Divesting Areas the demographics increased sufficiently to warrant the establishment of new schools for demographic purposes outside of the divesting process and new multi-denominational schools have been established in these areas.
503. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the primary schools in County Kerry that are due to lose a mainstream teacher or teachers for the 2021-2022 academic year compared to their 2020-2021 staffing complement; if she will prevent such losses given the additional challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic is presenting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24403/21]
View answerThe 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 30th September.
For the 2021/22 school year, an improvement of one point in the appointment threshold in primary schools has been introduced and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 25 pupils which is a historical low ratio. In addition, a three point reduction in the retention scale has also been introduced for September 2021. These measures will help to ensure that less pupils are required to recruit or retain a teacher.
The staffing process also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria. The final staffing position will be confirmed in October once the staffing appeals process has been completed.
504. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Education if contingency plans are in place for the 2021 summer provision programme given the continued prevalence of Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24415/21]
View answerA significantly expanded Summer Programme was provided in 2020 for children with the complex needs as a discrete response to Covid-19.
The programme provided either in-school, or home-based supports by teachers and special needs assistants (SNAs) during the summer holidays to help to prevent regression among children with SEN.
The programme's aim was to support children to reintegrate/transition into their planned education setting for the 2020/21 school year with their peers.
Over 14,000 children participated in the special education summer programmes developed by the Department including 3,881 in the school based programme, 9,716 in the home based programme and 450 families in the HSE programme.
My Department is progressing work on proposals to run an expanded summer programme again this year with more schools involved. The scheme will be influenced by the current public health emergency.
These proposals are being developed based on engagement and consultation with the education partners.
A further announcement on this will be made shortly.
505. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education the number of persons employed by her Department; and the collective total salary received by employees of her Department. [24438/21]
View answerThe number of staff currently employed in my Department is 1376 full-time equivalent staff and the 2021 payroll allocation for my Department’s staff is *€84,789,000.
*Includes overtime
506. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education if she or her Department employ persons or firms to deal with public relations; if so, the number of persons employed by her Department to deal with public relations; the names of any firms involved; and the total amount spent on public relations by her Department. [24439/21]
View answerThe Department has a communications unit to support with effective communications with stakeholders and the public. There is no external person or firm currently engaged to provide public relations advice.
507. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the progress to date in developing an inclusive relationships and sexuality education curriculum; the steps taken to enact legislative changes in this regard; and her views on a programme (details supplied) that was recently publicised. [24478/21]
View answerAccess to sexual and health education is an important right for students. Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) is a mandatory curriculum subject in all primary schools and in post-primary Junior Cycle. Relationships and Sexuality Education (or RSE) is required at all levels, from primary through to Senior Cycle. My Department has set out the content for each of these programmes in SPHE syllabuses and guidelines.
All schools are required to have an RSE policy that is developed in consultation with the school community, including school management, parents, teachers and students as appropriate. The school’s programme for Relationship and Sexuality Education is developed and taught in the context of the school’s RSE policy. Schools are required to teach all aspects of the RSE programme, including family planning, sexually transmitted infections and sexual orientation. It is important to note that the ethos of the school should never preclude learners from acquiring the knowledge about the issues, but ethos may influence how that content is treated.
The Programme for Government states that ‘this Government will develop inclusive and age appropriate curricula for Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) and Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) across primary and post-primary schools, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ relationships and make appropriate legislative changes, if necessary’.
In April 2018, then Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Richard Bruton, asked the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) to undertake a major review of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in schools across all stages of education to ensure that it is fit for purpose and meets the needs of young people today in modern Ireland. The NCCA advises the Department and Minister in relation to the curriculum to be taught in schools.
The Report on the Review of Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) in primary and post-primary schools was published by the NCCA in December, 2019.
The NCCA was asked to look at a number of specific issues in respect of RSE and the curriculum. These included but were not limited to consent; developments in relation to contraception; healthy positive, sexual expression and relationships; safe use of the Internet and social media and its effects on relationships and self-esteem; and LGBTQ+ matters.
The NCCA has established two development groups, one for primary and one for post-primary, to oversee the work in this area and support the development of guidance material for schools. Both the primary and post primary SPHE/RSE Development Groups have been meeting virtually on a monthly basis since the groups were convened in October 2020.
The immediate focus of the work is on creating support materials for teachers for publication online as part of the Interim Guidance Toolkit. The toolkit's purpose is to support effective teaching and learning of SPHE/RSE linked to the current curriculum. This work is progressing well and with sections of the toolkit (a portal repository of teaching and learning resources linked to the Primary SPHE Curriculum, the SPHE Junior Cycle Short Course and Senior Cycle SPHE Framework).
Further sections of the toolkit will be added over the coming weeks/months. To visit the recently updated primary toolkit go to this link https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Primary/Curriculum-Areas/Social,-Personal-and-Health-Education/Junior-and-Senior-Infants/?lang=en-ie
To visit the Junior Cycle toolkit go to this link https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Junior-cycle/Short-Courses/SPHE/SPHE-RSE-toolkit/?lang=en-ie/
To visit the Senior Cycle toolkit go to this link https://www.curriculumonline.ie/Senior-cycle/SPHE-(1)/SPHE-Toolkit/?lang=en-ie
In tandem with the development of the online Toolkit, preparation for the broader redeveloping and updating of the SPHE curriculum as recommended in the NCCA Report has begun, with an initial focus on Junior Cycle. The review of the current Junior Cycle SPHE course has been completed and will be considered by the NCCA Council in June. This review contains a brief which will inform the work of the subject development groups in formulating an updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification, which will begin in September. A draft of the updated Junior Cycle SPHE specification will be available for public consultation in Q1 of 2022.
My Department continues to work closely with the NCCA to determine the approach to best give effect to the commitment in the Programme for Government to develop an inclusive and age-appropriate RSE and SPHE curricula across primary and post-primary levels, including an inclusive programme on LGBTI+ relationships. Should any legislative changes be required I am committed to making such changes, as set out in the programme for Government.
508. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if she is satisfied that the anti-bullying procedures in schools are robust enough; if these procedures are effective; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24482/21]
View answer509. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if consideration has been given to compiling a database to record all incidents of bullying in a school setting similar to the addressing bullying in schools Act that is going to be introduced in Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24483/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 508 and 509 together.
Under my Department’s Action Plan on Bullying, new Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools were published at the beginning of the 2013/2014 school year, following consultation with the relevant education partners.
The procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its students.
Under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 all schools are required to have in place a code of behaviour that accords with Developing a Code of Behaviour: Guidelines for Schools as published by the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB), now referred to as the Educational Welfare Service (EWS). Each school is required to have an anti-bullying policy within its overall code of behaviour. The anti-bullying procedures are underpinned by this legal framework and all schools are required to comply with them.
Under the procedures, all school boards of management are required to adopt and implement an anti-bullying policy which fully complies with the requirements of these procedures. A template anti-bullying policy which must be used by all schools for this purpose is included in the procedures.
The procedures for schools outline key principles of best practice for both preventing and tackling bullying and require all schools to commit to these principles in their anti-bullying policy. In particular, they emphasise that a cornerstone in the prevention of bullying is a positive school culture and climate. In that regard, the procedures set out the need for schools to encourage and strengthen open dialogue between all school staff and students to ensure that they provide appropriate opportunities for pupils to raise their concerns in an environment that is comfortable for the student.
The Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 provide that in cases of serious instances of bullying where the behaviour is regarded as possibly abusive, a referral may need to be made by the school to Tusla or An Garda Síochána as appropriate. Where school personnel have concerns about a child arising from alleged bullying behaviour but are not sure whether to report the matter to Tusla, the school designated liaison person should seek advice from Tusla.
In accordance with the Anti-Bullying Procedures, where a parent is not satisfied that a school has dealt with a bullying case in accordance with the procedures the parents must be referred, as appropriate to the schools complaint procedures.
Also in accordance with the procedures, in the event that the parent has exhausted the schools complaints procedures and is still not satisfied, the school must advise the parents of their right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children. The Ombudsman for Children provides an independent and impartial complaints handling service. The Ombudsman can investigate complaints relating to the administrative actions of a school provided the complainant has firstly and fully followed the school’s complaints procedures. The key criterion for any intervention by the Ombudsman for Children is that the action complained of has or may have adversely affected the child.
The procedures for schools include important oversight arrangements at board of management level and by my Department’s Inspectorate.
The specific arrangements require that the school principal reports regularly to the board of management in relation to the overall numbers of bullying cases and provides confirmation that they are being dealt with in accordance with the anti-bullying procedures. The board of management is also required to undertake an annual review of the school's anti-bullying policy and its implementation by the school. Written confirmation that the annual review has been completed must be made available to the Parents' Association and published on the school website.
My Department's Inspectorate, as part of its inspection work, monitors the anti-bullying policies of schools. In this regard there is a focus on the actions schools take to create a positive school culture and to prevent and tackle bullying. During whole school evaluations (WSE), schools are required to provide evidence that their anti-bullying procedures are in accordance with the Department’s Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools (2013).
Inspectors administer surveys to pupils, parents and teachers and include questions seeking the views of the respondents with regard to bullying and the school’s anti-bullying procedures. Curriculum evaluations (CE) in primary schools and subject inspections (SI) of SPHE in post-primary schools also provide opportunities to evaluate schools’ implementation of anti-bullying measures. One of the checks carried out in Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspections (CPSI) relates to confirming that the minutes of board of management meetings contain a record of a Child Protection Oversight report being provided in line with the requirements of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-primary Schools 2017. As part of this check, inspectors clarify whether the board has been provided with the relevant documents relating to child protection concerns arising from alleged bullying behaviour amongst pupils. Where the Inspectorate encounters non-compliance with the requirement to publish a policy in line with the procedures, relevant findings are included in published reports.
The Anti-Bullying Procedures already provide that the board of management of each school, in developing its anti-bullying policy, must formulate the policy in co-operation with both teaching and non-teaching school staff under the leadership of the principal and in consultation with parents and pupils. The need to consult with parents will be further underpinned in law once the Education (Student and Parent Charter Bill) 2019 is enacted. Under the legislation, each school will be required to prepare, publish and implement a Student and Parent Charter in accordance with national guidelines to be published following consultation with the education partners, including those bodies representing parents. The overall aim of the legislation is to improve the level of engagement between schools and students and their parents by inviting feedback, comment and observations from students and parents and by developing a listening culture in the school.
In this context one of the key concepts of the Bill is the need for a school to consult with students and their parents on individual school plans, policies and activities. This approach will help ensure that the various views of students and parents will be heard and responded to by schools on issues or policies including a school’s Anti-Bullying Policy.
510. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education her views on matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) in respect of Irish Sign Language in post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24522/21]
View answerThe Irish Sign Language Act 2017 provides inter alia that the Minister will establish a scheme for the provision of Irish Sign Language (ISL) classes for the family of deaf children and education and support for children whose primary language is ISL attending recognised schools; and training for teachers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. Many pupils who are Deaf or hard of hearing are integrated into mainstream classes at primary and post-primary level, while other children may attend special schools or classes.
I wish to advise that, in line with the Act, my Department provides for an extensive range of supports to assist pupils and young persons with special educational needs, including children who are Deaf or hard of hearing, to ensure that children can have access to an education appropriate to their needs.
The NCSE’s Visiting Teacher Service for children who are Hearing Impaired, works in partnership with parents to advise and offer guidance in matters pertaining to the child’s education and overall development. The NCSE also provides funding for individual teachers and whole school staff in mainstream schools, special schools, and special classes to undertake courses in Irish Sign Language. The Department provides funding to schools for assistive technology, special transport arrangements and enhanced levels of capitation in special schools and in special classes. The Department also provides funding for a weekly home tuition service to provide training in ISL for deaf and hard of hearing children, their siblings and parents.
As regards the curriculum at post primary school level, The Post-Primary Languages Ireland (PPLI) has developed a specification for a short course in Irish Sign Language (ISL) which is available as part of the new Junior Cycle. The emphasis is on developing communication skills in ISL at level A1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This course develops students' ability to understand ISL in live, and in recorded situations, to produce the language and to interact with other signers on familiar topics. A link to the course is available at http://languagesinitiative.ie/images/ISL/MFL_Gen_Spec_ISL_28_May__Short_Course.pdf.
Currently, there are four modules on Sign Language available as part of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme. This course introduces students to Irish Sign Language and aims to develop their expressive and receptive communication skills. The course also develops awareness and appreciation of the Irish deaf community and its culture. There are four modules in this course. Deaf students may take all four modules instead of the Gaeilge and Modern Language courses. The first two modules of this course may be taken as elective modules by all students.
There is also an opportunity for students to learn sign language in the course of Transition Year. Each school designs its own Transition Year programme, within set guidelines, to suit the needs and interests of its students. In establishing its own distinctive programme content, the school takes into account the possibilities offered by local community interests.
Working along with other Government Departments and agencies, my Department is fully committed to the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and is contributing to completion of Ireland’s Initial State Report, which will be submitted to the UN later this year. The policy of my Department is to ensure that all children with special education needs are provided with an education appropriate to their needs and where possible within mainstream placements with additional supports provided.
511. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to setting up an additional special language class in a school (details supplied). [24524/21]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. The Department of Education will spend approximately €2 billion or over 20% of its total educational budget in 2021 on making additional provision for children with special educational needs this year.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for co-ordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. It has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents. NCSE seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special education placements.
NCSE is planning a further expansion of special class and special school places nationally, to meet identified need. This process is ongoing.
It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.
Notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.
Through better planning at both national and local level, it is my objective that specialist education places should come on stream to meet emerging demand on a timely basis. However, the active collaboration of school communities is essential in this regard.
Through ongoing consultation at local level the NCSE is aware of those parents whose children are seeking placement for the 2021/22 academic year, including mainstream placement with appropriate support, special class placement, Early Intervention and special school placement. The NCSE continues to work at local level to identify any and all relevant suitable placements.
I can reassure the Deputy that the local SENOs continue to be available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs.
Information on the list of schools with special classes together with SENO contact details is available at www.ncse.ie.
512. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education if she will consider CHO1 as one of the pilot areas to be included in the extension of the pilot of the school Inclusion model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24536/21]
View answerThe School Inclusion Model (SIM) is based on policy advice from the National Council for Special Education based on the principle of providing the right support at the right time delivered by a range of personnel with relevant qualifications and skill-sets. Its purpose is to help students achieve better outcomes and test a model of tailored therapeutic supports that allows for early intervention in terms of providing speech and language and occupational therapy within educational settings.
This project will bring together therapists and educational professionals to work together to plan, collaborate, and share their professional knowledge and expertise to more efficiently support greater numbers of pupils in school environments, where there are often large concentrations of need.
In February 2019, the Government approved the trialling of the Model for the 2019/20 school year. Initially designed as a one year pilot involving up to 75 participating schools in the CHO 7 region, it was interrupted by Covid-19 with the closure of schools. It was then extended to the 2020/21 school year which has also been interrupted by Covid.
Progress has been made on aspects of the Model but much remains to be done in terms of in-school implementation and evaluation.
As part of the 2021 Budget measures, funding is being made available to extend the School Inclusion Model to two other areas in 2021.
Planning is underway on the arrangements for the continuation, evaluation and expansion of SIM and I will make an announcement on the matter as soon as possible.
513. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education the timeframe for the publication of the evaluation report of the pilot of the school inclusion model undertaken in CHO7; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24537/21]
View answerThe School Inclusion Model (SIM) is based on policy advice from the National Council for Special Education based on the principle of providing the right support at the right time delivered by a range of personnel with relevant qualifications and skill-sets. Its purpose is to help students achieve better outcomes and test a model of tailored therapeutic supports that allows for early intervention in terms of providing speech and language and occupational therapy within educational settings.
This project will bring together therapists and educational professionals to work together to plan, collaborate, and share their professional knowledge and expertise to more efficiently support greater numbers of pupils in school environments, where there are often large concentrations of need.
In February 2019, the Government approved the trialling of the Model for the 2019/20 school year. Initially designed as a one year pilot involving up to 75 participating schools in the CHO 7 region, it was interrupted by Covid-19 with the closure of schools and the redeployment of therapists to Covid-19 priority work in March 2020. It was then extended to the 2020/21 school year which has also been interrupted by Covid.
As part of the 2021 Budget measures, funding is being made available to extend the School Inclusion Model to two other areas in 2021.
Planning is underway on the arrangements for the continuation, evaluation and expansion of SIM and I will make an announcement on the matter as soon as possible.
514. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education the status of a building project to be completed at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24559/21]
View answerThe major building project for the school to which the Deputy refers, is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2(b) - (Detailed Design), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents.
The Stage 2(b) report for the project has been reviewed and the Design Team has carried out a final review of all tender documentation and provided my Department with Design Team confirmations that this final review has been carried out.
The pre-qualification process, to select a shortlist of candidates to whom the project will be tendered, is ongoing and upon completion, my Department will be in contact with DDLETB with regard to the further progression of this project to the next stage of architectural planning, Stage 3 (Tender Stage).
Subject to no issues arising, a tender stage normally takes between 6 and 8 months to complete.
515. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education the status of a building project to be completed at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24560/21]
View answerThis major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2b (Detailed Design).
The Stage 2(b) report has been reviewed by my Department and comments have issued to the Design Team who have been requested to carry out a final review of all of its tender documentation to ensure compliance with Department requirements and to submit written confirmation from each Design Team member when this work has been completed.
The pre-qualification process to select a shortlist of contractors in currently on-going.
Upon receipt of Design Team confirmations and completion of the pre-qualification process and subject to no issues arising, my Department will be in contact with the Design Team and school with regard to the further progression of this project to the next stage of architectural planning, Stage 3 (Tender Stage).
A tender stage normally takes between 7 and 8 months to complete.
516. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education the status of a building project to be completed at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24561/21]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application, for capital funding, under the 'Additional School Accommodation Scheme' from the school in question.
Officials from my Department have corresponded with the school authority on a number of occasions and await their response to a proposal which issued in February. On receipt of reply the application will be progressed and a final decision will issue to the school authority directly.
517. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education the future plans for a permanent site for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24562/21]
View answerI can confirm that the Department of Education and South Dublin County Council have reached agreement in principle on the transfer of a site within the Clonburris SDZ as a proposed permanent location for the school to which you refer. We presently await confirmation of necessary internal approvals from SDCC to dispose of the site after which we would expect legal conveyancing to commence. It would be our intention to advance the architectural planning process in tandem with said legal conveyancing.
Unfortunately, I am not in a position to divulge anything further at this point, but we are committed to making further public announcements, when appropriate.
518. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education her plans to recruit full-time PE teachers at primary school level. [24578/21]
View answerIt is my Department’s position that all fully registered Primary teachers are qualified to teach the full spectrum of the Primary Curriculum, including Physical Education (PE). Primary teachers undertake elements of PE as part of their initial teacher education.
Currently, PE is one of seven curriculum areas within the Primary School Curriculum, introduced in 1999. The PE curriculum seeks to satisfy the physical needs of the child through a consistent and comprehensive experience of movement and play that challenges the child to realise his or her individual physical potential. A minimum of one hour of PE per week is recommended for all primary school pupils. It provides a balanced range of activities for children through the six strands – athletics, dance, gymnastics, games, outdoor and adventure activities and aquatics. Within each of these a variety of activities is provided that can enable the school to plan a balanced physical experience appropriate to the needs and abilities of each child and to the circumstances and environment of the school.
Under the review of the curriculum at primary level there have been calls for increased time to be allocated to existing curriculum areas such as Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) and to PE. These are reflected within the draft Primary Curriculum Framework (PCF) which was published in February 2020 for public consultation until December 31st 2020. Phase 2 of the consultation on the PCF will commence in autumn 2021 when teachers, school leaders, parents and learners will be consulted.
519. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education if her Department will undertake an impact assessment on the effects of prolonged school closures in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24590/21]
View answerMy Department recognises that the move to online learning for some students with complex educational needs and for those most at risk of educational disadvantage has been particularly challenging. For that reason, my Department put a series of measures in place to assist schools in mitigating the impact of the school closures. During the period of school closure, schools were required to implement a plan of action to enable continuity of learning for all pupils. This involved teachers, including special education teachers, providing remote teaching and learning to all pupils in their class or on their caseload.
These measures also included enhanced ICT grants, updated guidance for teaching and learning in a remote context and an expanded supplementary programme of learning to take place in students’ homes or in schools over the summer of 2020. Guidance was also provided to teachers to ensure that when schools reopened one of the priorities is to provide rich and progressive teaching and learning experiences for all pupils and, in so doing, to ensure that those learners most impacted by the school closure period are enabled to reconnect with and progress in their learning. Teachers were encouraged to focus on enabling pupils to learn, on developing their learning readiness, and on promoting pupil confidence in and motivation for learning in this context.
With schools now fully reopen, my Department will continue to monitor and assess the impact of the school closures on pupils/students. The Department of Education is planning for an enhanced Summer Programme of learning for students at most risk of educational disadvantage or those with complex special educational needs. The aim of the 2021 Summer Programme is to mitigate, to the extent possible, the effects of prolonged school closures in 2021. My Department’s Inspectorate will engage with a sample of the schools providing the programme to evaluate the extent to which schools have been successful in meeting the aims of the programme.
My Department’s Inspectorate in undertaking online and face-to face advisory and inspection work in schools in the school year 2020-21, is regularly assessing the impact of prolonged schools closures on children’s learning and overall development within the education system. Ongoing professional conversations with teachers around their evaluation and support activities allow inspectors to report on any issues of concern.
520. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education the status of the review of DEIS status for primary schools; when the review will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24598/21]
View answerA detailed analysis of school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016, using the HP Deprivation Index, has been carried out by members of the DEIS Technical Group. This group contains representatives of the Department’s Statistics and Social Inclusion Units, the Inspectorate and the Educational Research Centre. My Department has commenced a consultation process with education stakeholder representatives on the technical aspects and implementation of the model, and work is ongoing on final elements of the model. It is envisaged that this will then provide the basis for development of a DEIS resource allocation system to match resources to identified need. Until this work is complete, it is not intended to extend the DEIS programme to any further schools.
