Written Answers Nos. 994-1013
994. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Education the number of first-year secondary school places in areas (details supplied); the number of children expected to apply for first-year entry in these areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40217/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, it is not possible for my Department to confirm the number of students that will be seeking to enrol in any given post primary school(s) as the question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the Board of Management on behalf of the school patron and my Department does not hold information in this regard. Parents are entitled to apply to enrol their child in any school and where a school has places available, applications for enrolment should be accepted. When the number of applications exceeds the number of places available at the school, the selection criteria as included in the school’s published admission policy will apply.
I can confirm that the number of pupils who were enrolled in sixth class in 2020/2021 and are now expected to apply for first year in post primary schools in each of the school planning areas in the Dublin 15 area in 2021 is set out below:
|
School Planning Area |
Number of Pupils |
|
Carpenterstown_D15 |
283 |
|
Castleknock_D15 |
232 |
|
Blanchardstown_WestD15 |
492 |
|
BlanchardstownVge_D15 |
542 |
|
Scribblestown_FinglasWest |
195 |
|
Mulhuddart_Tyrrelstown_D15 |
337 |
995. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Education the amount that has been spent on temporary accommodation works at schools (details supplied) since they were opened; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40218/21]
View answerSince 2016, the total spend on the provision of interim accommodation for the post primary school referred to by the Deputy is €5.3m including €1.5m of expenditure related to site works for the interim accommodation which will also facilitate the construction of the permanent school building.
The Invitation to Tender for the permanent post primary school issued on the 14th June 2021 as part of a bundle of projects issued to a newly established Framework of Design & Build Contractors.
Since 2019, the total spend on the provision of interim accommodation for the primary school referred to by the Deputy is €1.7m.
The planning application for the primary school on its permanent site is being progressed. A pre-planning meeting was held with the local authority on the 23rd June last which will inform the design for the school.
Pending delivery of the permanent school building projects, my Department will continue to address the interim accommodation needs of both schools and the school authorities will be kept informed of progress.
996. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education when an application for the school travel allowance will be processed and paid to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40220/21]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
In August 2020, due to the timing of the 50% capacity guidelines that were issued from NPHET with regard to post primary school transport services, the Department issued communications which was made available at gov.ie and circulated via an email from Bus Éireann to families with existing school transport accounts, advising that it was understood that for some parents and children this latest updated advice may have meant that some parents would not wish for their children to use post-primary school transport and may have wished to bring their own child or children to school for the 2020/2021 school year.
It was requested that if families chose not to use school transport that they inform the Department by emailing schooltransportrefunds2020@education.gov.ie by Friday 4th September 2020 and on receipt of this email a refund on the cost of the school bus ticket would be arranged. A grant would be provided to support the cost of transport arrangements for those families who were eligible for transport under the terms of the school transport scheme and whose parents had decided not to use transport for the 2020/2021 school year and had advised the Department as outlined above.
Bus Eireann have advised that the child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport and that an application for transport was received for the 2019/2020 school year. However, no payment/medical card details were received for the 2019/20 school year and no ticket issued. Bus Éireann also advise that this family closed the application for the child referred to on Bus Éireann's system in January 2020 and no application or payment was made for the 2020/2021 school year.
Since an application for the grant was not made for the child referred to by the Deputy by the date issued on the communications note to families, and no application or payment was made for school transport for the 2020/21 school year, the family referred in this case is not eligible for the grant in question.
997. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education if she will investigate reinstating the school library grant to primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40238/21]
View answerAn arrangement was made through An Chomhairle Leabharlanna in 1971, whereby the local authority librarians would provide services for Primary schools. At that time my Department made a grant available for this purpose based on the number of pupils enrolled in primary schools in the local authority areas.
The amount of the grant payable to each local authority was based on the number of primary pupils in the relevant area and amounted to €4.52 per pupil. The full year estimated cost of reinstating the library grant at a similar level is circa €2.5m.
As Minister for Education I am very conscious of the importance of library services and the value of these in the context of the supports available to children.
As the Deputies may be aware, local libraries provide a wide range of resources and activities which support primary schools in developing children’s literacy, numeracy, creativity and communication skills.
I am committed to investing in education and therefore, I have to prioritise provision of funding directly to schools. Regretfully I am not in a position to re-instate the library grant.
Responsibility for the support and provision of funding for library services rests with my colleague, Heather Humphries, TD Minister for Rural and Community Development.
998. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education when refurbishment works at a school (details supplied) will progress to the next stage of works; and the amount spent to date on this project. [40324/21]
View answerIn relation to the school to which the Deputy refers, the project to install additional interim accommodation for the academic year 2021/22 has commenced on site and there has been no spend to date in 2021 on this project.
In relation to the school's permanent project, the Letter of Acceptance for the successful contractor issued on the 14th June 2021 and the contractor (Rhatigan ABM Limited) has mobilised on site.
999. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Education when refurbishment works at a school (details supplied) will progress to the next stage of works; and the amount spent to date on this project. [40325/21]
View answerIn relation to the school to which the Deputy refers the project to install additional interim accommodation for the academic year 2021/22 is currently on site. The 2021 spend to date on this project is €731,000.
In relation to the school's permanent project, the Letter of Acceptance for the successful contractor issued on the 14th June 2021. This commences the school building contract, the contractor has mobilised on site. The contractor appointed is Rhatigan ABM Limited. The construction of the new 1000 pupil school will be phased to provide permanent accommodation as early as possible in the 2021/22 school year.
1000. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the position regarding an application for an extension by a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40417/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question.
It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)' which is available at www.education.ie.
1001. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the position regarding an application for an extension by a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40418/21]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for additional school accommodation from Killorglin Community College, County Kerry. Once the application has been assessed, the school authority will be contacted directly with a decision.
1002. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the position regarding an application for an extension by a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40419/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for additional accommodation from the school in question.
It is open to the school authority to make an application for additional accommodation through the 'Additional School Accommodation scheme (ASA)' which is available at www.education.ie.
1003. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the list of primary schools including the names and locations of each school in County Kerry that as it stands is due to lose a mainstream teacher for the 2021-2022 academic year; if she will intervene to prevent any such losses in the context of Covid-19 and the obvious difficulties that such losses would present to teacher and student safety; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40420/21]
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. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
Schools that may see an increase in their pupil enrolment for 2021/22 in September can submit an appeal to the October meeting of the Appeals Board with the updated enrolment.
The Department does not disclose staffing information pertaining to an individual school.
1004. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if she has a contingency plan for the return of schools in August and September 2021 in the event of continued high Covid-19 rates among under 18s; if she will provide details of any such plans; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40421/21]
View answerIt is planned that all schools will return fully at the end of August/early September in line with their normal planned reopening times. Public Health have stated that the new variants of the disease do not change the infection prevention and control measures required. Public Health advice is that compliance with these measures ensure that schools remain safe places for children and staff.
Schools have put significant measures in place to reduce the risk of coronavirus being transmitted to/within the school and significant funding has been provided to support schools in this respect.
The aim of all of the Covid-19 infection prevention and control measures that have been put in place for schools is to support schools to operate safely and prevent the introduction of Covid-19 and also the onward of transmission of Covid-19 among the school community. There is clear evidence from the operation of schools during the past year that schools are low risk environments in terms of the transmission of COVID-19 and that the infection prevention and control measures in place are highly effective in reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19. These measures protect pupils, their parents and school staff.
Schools have been advised that they should continue to operate with the current infection prevention and control measures in place to support their safe operation during COVID-19 when they reopen in the new term. Schools will continue to be supported in terms of the additional resources necessary to provide for these measures.
At this point in the pandemic and given the ongoing rollout and impact of the vaccination programme it is imperative that children’s education is prioritised and schools are fully reopened at the start of the academic year and remain open throughout the 2021/22 school year.
The Department will continue to work closely with all of the education partners and public health specialists so that schools will continue to be supported when they reopen for the 2021/2022 school year.
1005. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the number of CO2 monitors being provided to schools for the autumn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40422/21]
View answerManaging ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe.
The Department has updated its guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools.
This was done at the end of May and followed on from work done centrally by an Expert Group that was looking at the role of ventilation in managing Covid-19.
A copy of the guidance is published at www.gov.ie/en/publication/ad236-guidance-on-ventilation-in-schools/.
The over-arching approach in the guidance is for schools to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (e.g. during break-times or lunch-times and also at the end of each school day) and partially open when classrooms are in use.
The guidance outlines the role that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors can play a part in providing a useful general indication that areas/rooms may not be adequately ventilated and can enable occupants to become familiar with the impact of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on levels of good ventilation.
In this regard, the Department is procuring a number of portable monitors which will be distributed to all schools in August and September – between 2 and 20 at primary level and between 20 and 35 at post-primary level depending on school size. This will ensure that a CO2 monitor will be available for use in every classroom in Ireland.
1006. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the percentage of the overall number of classrooms nationwide she estimates her Department will provide with a CO2 monitor in the autumn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40423/21]
View answerManaging ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe.
The Department has updated its guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools.
This was done at the end of May and followed on from work done centrally by an Expert Group that was looking at the role of ventilation in managing Covid-19.
A copy of the guidance is published at www.gov.ie/en/publication/ad236-guidance-on-ventilation-in-schools/.
The over-arching approach in the guidance is for schools to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (e.g. during break-times or lunch-times and also at the end of each school day) and partially open when classrooms are in use.
The guidance outlines the role that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors can play a part in providing a useful general indication that areas/rooms may not be adequately ventilated and can enable occupants to become familiar with the impact of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on levels of good ventilation.
In this regard, the Department is procuring a number of portable monitors which will be distributed to all schools in August and September – between 2 and 20 at primary level and between 20 and 35 at post-primary level depending on school size. This will ensure that a CO2 monitor will be available for use in every classroom in Ireland.
1007. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the percentage of the overall number of classrooms in County Kerry she estimates her Department will provide with a CO2 monitor in the autumn; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40424/21]
View answerManaging ventilation is just one of a suite of public health measures in place to keep our schools safe.
The Department has updated its guidance for schools on Practical Steps for the Deployment of Good Ventilation Practices in Schools.
This was done at the end of May and followed on from work done centrally by an Expert Group that was looking at the role of ventilation in managing Covid-19.
A copy of the guidance is published at www.gov.ie/en/publication/ad236-guidance-on-ventilation-in-schools/.
The over-arching approach in the guidance is for schools to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (e.g. during break-times or lunch-times and also at the end of each school day) and partially open when classrooms are in use.
The guidance outlines the role that Carbon Dioxide (CO2) monitors can play a part in providing a useful general indication that areas/rooms may not be adequately ventilated and can enable occupants to become familiar with the impact of activities, outdoor weather and window openings on levels of good ventilation.
In this regard, the Department is procuring a number of portable monitors which will be distributed to all schools in August and September – between 2 and 20 at primary level and between 20 and 35 at post-primary level depending on school size. This will ensure that a CO2 monitor will be available for use in every classroom in Ireland, including those in Kerry.
1008. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the provision of a new school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40425/21]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application from the school in question for major capital works comprising of a new school building.
Under the National Development Plan (NDP), increased funding has been provided for the school sector capital investment programme. This funding allows for a continued focus on the provision of new permanent school places to keep pace with demographic demand and also provides for an additional focus on the refurbishment of existing school buildings.
Currently my Department has a significant existing pipeline of projects to be delivered over the coming years to meet capacity needs managed under the Large-Scale Capital Programme (LSCP) and the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA). This includes circa 1,200 school building projects across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction. The application from the school in question will be considered in due course.
Should the school authority consider that it does not have sufficient capacity, in terms of mainstream teaching accommodation, it is open to them to apply for accommodation under the Additional School Accommodation Scheme, details of which are available on my Department's website www.education.ie. The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
1009. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the provision of a new school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40426/21]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Department will be devolving the delivery of the project for the school to which he refers to the Joint Managerial Body (JMB).
The next step in that respect, is for the JMB to enter into a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with the Department. Once this is in place, the JMB will then proceed with the appointment of a design team to progress the project through design, planning and construction in due course.
As the project has not yet commenced architectural planning, it is too early in the process to provide a timeline for completion of the works.
1010. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if additional time allowances will be provided for participants in State exams who have been diagnosed with low processing speed; if her attention has been drawn to the relative difficulties that such participants encounter in attempting to communicate their knowledge of a subject in the allotted time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40427/21]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
1011. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education the steps being taken to resolve the issue of medical cards not being accepted for payment on school transport routes due to the recent cyberattack on the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40478/21]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Owing to the cybersecurity attack on the HSE systems recently, Bus Éireann have been unable to offer the Medical Card verification system as part of the school transport payment and are working closely with the HSE team to find a resolution to this.
In the meantime Bus Éireann will roll forward the medical card details used successfully for payment last year as payment for 21/22 school transport tickets, where children continue to be eligible for transport.
This means the following for families:
- Families are not required to enter their medical card as payment where the same medical card was used successfully last year. The child’s existing medical card will be processed as payment for the school transport ticket for the 2021/22 school year. A ticket will issue automatically in the coming weeks.
- Families can access their account and view the details that have been applied.
- Where families have other children without a medical card, they will need to pay the charges due before Friday 30th July. Families account balances will be updated to reflect the medical card applied.
- Should a family have a new application for a child for the 2021/22 school year, and did not use a medical card last year, they can enter the medical card for this child and it will be validated later.
More information is available at buseireann.ie/schooltransport.
The closing date for payment for School Transport tickets for the 2021/22 school year is Friday 30th July 2021. The Bus Éireann payment portal will then close and families will not be able to apply or pay for a ticket until it reopens on the 20th August. This is to allow for planning of services for the new school year. Applications or payments made after the deadline date will be deemed late and families may not be guaranteed a seat at that stage.
1012. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education the supports and information made available to schools to deal with suspected and confirmed cases of domestic abuse; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40480/21]
View answerThe Department of Education’s Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017 are intended to give clear direction and guidance to school authorities and to school personnel in relation to meeting the statutory obligations under the Children First Act, 2015 and in the continued implementation within the school setting of the best practice guidance set out in the updated Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children 2017.
The Department of Education’s Inspectorate monitors compliance with aspects of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools 2017 during all inspections.
The procedures apply to all recognised primary and post-primary schools and to all members of school personnel.
These procedures set out the responsibility on all school staff, including registered teachers as mandated persons within the meaning of the Children First Act 2015, to report allegations of or suspicions that a child has been, is being or is at risk of being neglected or abused.
The Child and Family Agency, Tusla have responsibility for all child protection concerns and the Children First National Guidance 2017 requires that Tusla should always be informed where a person has reasonable grounds for concern that a child may have been, is being, or is at risk of being abused or neglected.
In addition my Department has a representative on the Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence monitoring committee and the Thomas O’Malley implementation group.
Similarly my Department leads on a number of Actions for the Second National Strategy on Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SNDSGBV).
There are also number of programmes available to schools that address crimes related to sexual violence.
At primary level, the Stay Safe Programme is a mandatory part of the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme. The Stay Safe programme is a personal safety skills programme for use with primary school children from Junior Infants through to 6th class. The programme seeks to enhance children’s skills by participation in lessons on safe and unsafe situations, bullying, inappropriate touch, secrets, telling and stranger danger. The programme aims to give children the skills necessary to enable them to recognise and resist abuse/victimisation and teaches them that they should always tell (an adult that can help) about any situation which they find unsafe, upsetting, threatening, dangerous or abusive.
At post primary level, two programmes are in place which come under the heading of Personal Safety. One of these programmes is for junior cycle which addresses personal safety in relationships and explores topics such as healthy and unhealthy relationships, consent and domestic gender-based and sexual violence. The other programme, which is for senior cycle, addresses topics such as domestic violence, sexual harassment, dating violence and rape. Both of these programmes were designed by the Professional Development Support Service (PDST) and are intended to be taught as part of the wider Social Personal and Health Education /Relationships and Sexuality Education curriculum. Professional development support is available to teachers, directly linked to these resources.
1013. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education if she plans to have calculated grades in 2022 as well as an examination in view of the enormous disruption to students' school life in the senior cycle and in view of the two year nature of the leaving certificate course; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40481/21]
View answerMy Department is very aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021, all students, including students who were in fifth year and who are due to sit the Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools. Students in fifth year were prioritised for a return to school following the return of sixth year students.
The public health restrictions which resulted in the closure of schools in March 2020 highlighted the absolute necessity for schools to be agile in providing for continuity of schooling in the future. As a contingency measure against the possibility of partial or full school closures, my Department provided a suite of guidance materials, agreed with the education partners, to enable schools to mediate the curriculum safely for all pupils/students in a COVID-19 context.
The nature of distance learning, which was necessitated during the unprecedented closure of schools last year and early this year, required educators to take on a range of approaches to support their pupils’ continuity of learning during that period. Assisted by Department-funded resources and supports, schools and teachers demonstrated great innovation in adapting to the unprecedented situation including the use of digital technologies and online learning platforms for teaching and learning.
Extensive guidance and supports have been and continue to be made available by my Department and its support services to support schools in relation to online and remote learning.
I am conscious that students who are due to take their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022 have experienced a degree of disruption to their learning.
On 30 June, the Advisory Group on Planning for State Examinations received an update in relation to the 2022 Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examinations. Following this meeting, I announced that the level of adjustment to the assessment arrangements for the 2022 Leaving Certificate Examination cohort would be broadly the same as that applied by the Assessment Arrangements for Leaving Certificate Examinations 2021, as set in December 2020. These arrangements were announced before the second period of school closures. Minor changes will be made to that document to reflect syllabus content specific to the 2022 examinations. The revised document will be published shortly.
On the same date I also announced that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will run an alternative set of Leaving Certificate Examinations in 2022, shortly following the main set of examinations. The SEC will set out the eligibility conditions for these examinations, which will be limited to certain students who are unable to sit the main set of examinations due to close family bereavement, COVID-19 illness during those examinations, and certain other categories of serious illness, to be clearly and strictly delineated. The SEC will issue further details regarding these examinations, with all arrangements guided by prevailing public health advice. There will also be further engagement with stakeholders in this matter.
Both the Calculated Grades and Accredited Grades processes were provided as exceptional measures in 2020 and 2021 respectively, recognising the sudden and very challenging position at that time and the impossibility of running examinations in their traditional form safely. It is expected that there will not be the same disruption to learning in the coming school year and it is planned that the Leaving Certificate examinations will be held as normal next year.
