Written Answers Nos. 819-835
820. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education the arrangements for the 2022 junior cycle exams; her views on the significant difficulties experienced by this cohort who have yet to have an uninterrupted school year since their entry into secondary education as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic; if there will be accommodations in view of this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1918/22]
View answer821. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education if she will respond to correspondence received (details supplied) in relation to the current school and education setting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1941/22]
View answer862. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if she will provide clarity on the running of junior certificate exams in 2022; and if she will afford greater choice on the exam papers in recognition of the disruption junior certificate students have experienced. [2533/22]
View answer868. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education the arrangements for the junior certificate examinations and assessment for 2022 considering the disruption endured by this cohort of students throughout the junior cycle of secondary education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2583/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 820, 821, 862 and 868 together.
My Department is acutely aware of the disruption caused to students as a result of school closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. From 11 January 2021 until schools reopened on 12 April 2021, all students, including students who are due to sit the Junior Cycle state examinations in 2022, engaged in a programme of remote learning with their schools.
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 in 2020 and 2021, 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.
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.
In September of 2021, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) published revised arrangements for the completion of Classroom Based Assessments for students in 3rd year in 2021/2022 (cohort of students 2019 – 2022). These arrangements are designed to take account of the disrupted learning experienced by students during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 school year. As the loss of learning through school closures will have affected students’ engagement with their course of study in different ways, the adjustments put in place will play to students’ strengths by leaving intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations, while incorporating additional choice in and reducing the number of Classroom-Based Assessments. The revised arrangements also remove the requirement for an Assessment Task to be completed.
The adjustments were arrived at through consultation between my Department and the NCCA and key stakeholders. These revised arrangements are available here: ncca.ie/en/resources/revised-arrangements-for-the-completion-of-classroom-based-assessments-cbas-in-school-year-20212022-1/
Junior Cycle papers are structured to reflect the learning outcomes based approach to the design of the subject specifications. This means that the elements are used to integrate the strands of the specifications resulting in assessments that require students to apply knowledge and skills acquired rather than examinations that depend on knowledge recall only. Candidates are required to answer all questions and no choice is provided. Questions are not of equal length or marks. Making any changes to the format of the papers would undermine the approach taken by teachers in developing units of learning that mediate the curriculum specifications.
These changes to the national assessment arrangements were made with due regard for the principles of equity, fairness and integrity, as these principles apply to assessment and examinations and refer to student to-student, subject-to-subject, and year-to-year comparisons over time. The changes provide reassurance to students, their parents/guardians, teachers and schools. The assessment arrangements also provide progression opportunities for students who intend to pursue paths outside of school after Junior Cycle, such as those who may enter apprenticeships.
The State Examinations Commission will issue further details regarding the 2022 examinations. All aspects of the examinations will be conducted in accordance with the prevailing Public Health advice.
It is planned that the Junior Cycle Music practical performance test and the Home Economics practical test will take place during school time as normal.
By way of further information, my Department has 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. These are available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool
The website also contains information on wellbeing supports for students. This includes a series of supports on managing wellbeing, coping with uncertainty and managing stress and anxiety, developed by the National Educational Psychological Service in my Department, to support students. The webpage has links to more individualised support for students to access, should these be needed. My Department worked with the Department of Health and the HSE to ensure the most appropriate services and resources are clearly signposted for students. These are available here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/af24b-wellbeing-guidance-documents-for-parents-students-and-schools/?referrer=www.gov.ie/en/publication/0722b-wellbeing-resources/
822. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education when the additional schools added to the DEIS programme will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1971/22]
View answerBudget 2022 has provided for an allocation of €18million for 2022 and €32million for 2023 to extend the DEIS programme to further schools with the highest levels of disadvantage. This represents an increase of over 20% in funding for the DEIS programme and will enable an expansion in 2022 to additional schools.
This package follows an extensive body of work which has been under taken by the DEIS technical group in relation to the development of a model to identify the concentrated levels of disadvantage of schools. The refined DEIS ID model is an objective, statistics based process, based on school enrolment data and data available from Census 2016 under the HP Deprivation Index. It is important to note that there is no application process for the DEIS programme and all schools will be considered under the refined DEIS model when it is applied.
In advance of the implementation of the refined DEIS identification model, there will be further engagement with relevant stakeholders. The purpose is to ensure that, as far as possible, the refined DEIS identification model can provide an objective and independent means of identifying schools serving high concentrations of pupils at risk of educational disadvantage and also to ensure there is a full understanding of the refined model and its potential application.
823. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education if she will request the Teaching Council of Ireland to expedite an application (details supplied) in view of the shortage of teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2001/22]
View answerThe Teaching Council is the professional standards body for the teaching profession, which promotes and regulates professional standards in teaching. It acts in the interests of the public good while upholding and enhancing standards in the teaching profession.
The Teaching Council registers teachers in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.
My Department commenced Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, 2001 on 28 January 2014. Section 30 makes it a requirement for teachers to register with the Teaching Council in order to be paid from State funds.
Information including the processing timeframes that apply for overseas qualified applicants, are published on the Teaching Council website as are the vetting and police clearance requirements. For overseas applications, it can take up to 12 weeks from receipt of all documentation, and this is clearly stated on the website. This is in line with national and international timeframes in operation across professional regulatory bodies., and is applied equally to all applicants.
The Teaching Council inform me that the application from the individual in question for the assessment of qualifications for the purpose of registering as a primary teacher was submitted online to the Council on 14 December 2021. The applicant was advised by email on the 11 January 2022 that module descriptors were required. This was clarified in a phone call on the 11 January 2022 also.
The Teaching Council also inform me that they will continue to liaise with the applicant to progress the application to ensure appropriate evidence for the education qualifications is provided.
The person referred to by the Deputy should continue to liaise directly with the Teaching Council and follow their guidance in order to meet the criteria to obtain full registration.
Further information on the process is outlined herewith.
Vetting and Police Clearance Requirements:
All applicants for registration, irrespective of country of qualification are required to comply with Council’s fit and proper assessment processes. This requires all applicants to apply for Garda Vetting via the Council, provide a Character Reference, and where resident outside the island of Ireland for an accumulated period of 36 months since the age of 18 to provide a police clearance from each country of residence. All applicants who have resided in the UK are required to provide an International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) and not the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This requirement is clearly stated on the Council’s website in the guide to obtaining police certificates and includes the contact information of the services in the UK. The date of issue of the ICPC must be within 6 months of the date of application to the Council. These measures are introduced to ensure the protection of the public and specifically the children and vulnerable persons who engage with registered teachers on a daily basis.
The teacher in question having lived and worked in the UK was therefore required to provide International Child Protection Certificate (ICPC) and not the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Qualification Assessment:
Fully qualified teachers who have qualified outside of the Republic of Ireland are eligible to apply for registration with the Teaching Council. All applications are individually assessed in a holistic manner to ensure that qualifications are of a comparable standard to those achieved by graduates of accredited programmes in Ireland. Where significant differences arise, conditions (qualification shortfalls) will be applied to the teacher's registration.
In order to carry out an individual assessment of teaching qualification for registration purposes, the Council requests specific documents to be submitted with an application for registration, including module descriptors. As per the Application Guidelines for Assessment of Qualifications for Route 1 registration (primary), a module descriptor is a succinct description of a module and its key features and should include: a summary of the module content; a description of how the module content is delivered; a description of how the module content is assessed; the learning outcomes associated with the module; any periods of supervised school placement/supervised teaching practice. Assessments can only be carried out on the information provided by the applicant, and it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide sufficient information in each module descriptor in order to facilitate assessment. In cases where a programme provider cannot provide module descriptors, for example due to the passing of time since an applicant qualified, and written evidence from the provider of this situation is submitted, the Council will work with an applicant to satisfy the Council’s evidentiary requirements.
824. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education if records exist for staff working in an industrial school (details supplied) during the 1930s; if so, the location they can be accessed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2003/22]
View answerMy Department holds limited information and records in respect of staff working in industrial schools, including the industrial school referred to.
Enquiries regarding access to any relevant records can be made to the Residential Institutions Redress Unit, Cornamaddy, Athlone, Co. Westmeath or call 090 6483625.
825. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education the status of the new building for a school (details supplied); and the timeframe in which it will be delivered. [2004/22]
View answerThe permanent building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and construction.
An application for planning permission for a 1,000 pupil post-primary school building, including a 4 classroom Special Educational Needs Unit, was submitted to the relevant Local Authority in June 2021. A Request for Further Information (RFI) was received on 27th July 2021, with a response submitted to the local authority on 7th December 2021. A Clarification of Further Information was received from the Local Authority on 12th January 2022, a response to which is currently being considered.
It is not possible to provide an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.
826. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education her views on the issues raised in correspondence by final year bachelor of education students at a university (details supplied) regarding the upcoming adapted school placement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2006/22]
View answerAt the outset, I want to acknowledge the key role being played by student teachers in supporting our schools during the pandemic, particularly at the present time in providing substitution cover. Their willingness to support the system at this exceptional time is highly valued and is vitally important to ensure that our schools remain open for pupils.
I do understand that this has been a challenging time for student teachers as they undertake their studies in the midst of the pandemic.
The letter you refer to highlights a number of issues and the Department understands that the students have had ongoing engagement with the relevant higher education institution to get additional clarifications on many of these issues over recent days.
From my own Department’s perspective, additional clarity has been provided to the students in relation to some elements of the Framework for Adapted School Placement arrangements. The Framework is intended to apply for the period from when schools re-opened after Christmas and it may extend up to the February mid-term break. The Framework is based on the periods of planned school placement. It is important to emphasise that it does not require any extension in the time period that student teachers spend on school placement.
As would have been the case with this planned school placement period, student teachers will continue to be located in their host school for these adapted school placement arrangements.
However the arrangement provides for student teachers to be paid for any substitution work that they undertake during these adapted school placement periods.
As stated in the Framework, the Teaching Council, which is professional standards body for teaching, has confirmed that these Adapted School Placement arrangements will not adversely impact initial teacher education programmes’ professional accreditation status nor will they be an impediment to the professional registration of the future graduates who have carried out placement under the Framework.
My Department, the Teaching Council, the HEIs and other stakeholders will monitor these Adapted School Placement arrangements on an ongoing basis and will continue to provide additional clarity if and when required.
827. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education the next and subsequent steps involved in taking the proposed new school at a location (details supplied) to construction stage; the timelines envisaged for this project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2036/22]
View answerMy Department has determined that the accommodation needs of the school in question will be met through the construction of a new school building on the site acquired by the school authority.
The building project is included in the Department’s ADAPT 3 Building Programme and a tender competition to appoint a Project Manager for this Programme is currently underway. It is expected that this process will be concluded shortly. The Project Manager, when appointed, will be responsible for initiating the process for the appointment of a Design Team for the ADAPT 3 Programme.
The Department will be in further contact directly with the school during this process.
828. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education the status of the new build for a school (details supplied); if her attention has been drawn to the fact that students are being deprived of the level of subject choices provided in other secondary schools due to the fact that the facilities are not available to deliver a full range of subjects; when the new building will be fully functional for students; if she will take all steps to ensure that this is made a priority for those who need this educational facility urgently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2087/22]
View answerThe permanent building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department's Design and Build programme. This delivery programme uses a professional external Project Manager to progress the project through the relevant stages of architectural planning, tender and construction.
An application for planning permission for a 1,000 pupil post-primary school building, including a 4 classroom Special Educational Needs Unit, was submitted to the relevant Local Authority in June 2021. A Request for Further Information (RFI) was received on 27th July 2021, with a response submitted to the local authority on 7th December 2021. A Clarification of Further Information was received from the Local Authority on 12th January 2022, a response to which is currently being considered.
It is not possible to provide an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.
My Department will continue to work with the school's patron body in relation to the school’s interim accommodation requirements.
829. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education the status of reparatory works being carried out to prefabs in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2095/22]
View answerI would like to inform the Deputy that Dublin and Dun Laoighaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB) were granted funding under the Emergency Works Scheme to carry out repair works to the prefabs. I can confirm that the tender report was approved by the Emergency Works team and DDLETB were given approval to appoint the contractor.
830. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education the rationale for excluding part-time service from recognition for the purposes of incremental credit for teachers (details supplied); if this can be reviewed in view of the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001; and her views on whether teachers with relevant part-time work experience should receive pro-rata incremental credit for such experience. [2108/22]
View answerThe criteria for the award of Incremental Credit, for previous teaching and relevant non-teaching experience, to recognised Primary teachers is outlined in Circular 0010/2001, and was agreed in the first instance, under the auspices of the Teacher Conciliation Council (TCC). This Council is comprised of representatives of the teacher unions, school management bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.
In line with the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001 the circular does not distinguish between part-time teachers and full-time teachers applying for incremental credit. However, as agreed by the partners, the circular provides that part time service does not reckon for incremental credit as the prior service must have been full-time.
831. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education the number of those eligible for school transport that had or have not yet secured a place on a bus due to late payment of fees by county and month from September 2021 to date in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2135/22]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
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.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time for the 2021/22 school year are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. In addition, all post-primary pupils who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and who had applied and paid on time are accommodated on school transport services. This arrangement is in place for current school year pending completion of the full review of the School Transport Scheme.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and are offered seats where capacity exists after all eligible children have been catered for.
Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and may only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2021/2022 school year.
Bus Éireann has provided the information the Deputy requires in the two tables which are attached - details of mainstream eligible pupils who paid late where no ticket has been issued and mainstream eligible pupils who paid late where a ticket has been issued.
832. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that leaving certificate students at a school (details supplied) have been without a physics and chemistry teacher since mid-October 2021 as a result of maternity leave and inability to fill the position; her views on the negative impact this continues to have on students expected to sit this subject in the leaving certificate in 2022; the steps her Department will take to remedy this situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2137/22]
View answerThe recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).
In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure that unemployed teachers should be offered employment in preference to those who have retired.
A number of measures have been put in place to increase the supply of teachers at post-primary level, particularly in subjects where difficulties in recruitment have been reported.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA), on behalf of my Department, issued a call to initial teacher education (ITE) providers for proposals for programmes to upskill registered teachers in targeted post-primary subjects (Spanish, mathematics and physics). The programmes, which commenced in January 2021, run over two years on a part-time, flexible basis. There is no fee charge for participating teachers.
Applications to the programmes for the January 2021 intake significantly exceeded the number of places available, approximately 170 across the three programmes. Given that these subjects are still challenging in terms of filling teaching vacancies, my Department is funding approximately 135 additional places on the programmes for the second intake of students, commencing this January. It is anticipated that approximately 60 teachers will commence the physics upskilling programme.
A number of measures have been taken by education partners which are aimed at matching teachers with teaching vacancies. Turasabhaile, a service developed by the post-primary school management bodies and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, matches registered teachers, resident abroad with post-primary vacancies in schools in Ireland.
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network is also developing a new central portal for the recruitment of teachers to long-term positions in both primary and post-primary schools. It is anticipated that this portal will be available to schools and teachers in the coming months.
The various measures to support teacher supply are underpinned by the Teaching Transforms campaign, which promotes the teaching profession and encourages students to follow a career in teaching. The campaign uses digital, radio and video media, and is supported by a dedicated webpage, www.gov.ie/teachingtransforms.
In response to the ongoing degree of disruption to students who are due to sit state examinations in 2022, details were announced in August 2021 of adjustments to the assessment arrangements for the Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate 2022.
The adjustments made ensure that the overall structure of the examinations remains intact but will allow for greater choice for students. The level of adjustment is similar to that applied to the Assessment Arrangements that was announced in December 2020.
833. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education the legislative position in relation to second-level schools allowing female pupils wear trousers instead of skirts as part of their school uniforms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2138/22]
View answerUnder the Education Act 1998, all recognised schools are managed by the school board of management on behalf of the schools’ patrons or trustees or the relevant Education and Training Board (known as the management authority).
Individual school authorities are responsible for the drawing up of a school policy in relation to the wearing of uniforms. Decisions on changes to school uniform polices are a matter for the school’s at local level. Schools are advised to consult with parents and students when drafting a policy on uniforms.
The Student and Parent Charter Bill is currently progressing through the Dáil. The legislation particularly recognises the importance of listening to the voice of children and students. It is intended that the Bill will enhance this by actively inviting and responding to comments and feedback from children in an age appropriate manner.
The Bill will enable students and parents to be better informed about matters relating to their school. Under national guidelines provided for in the legislation, schools will be required to provide a range of information to students and their parents on school plans and policies.
834. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education the reason post-primary Covid-19 refund grants were not processed for parents in receipt of concessionary school bus tickets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2139/22]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2kms at primary and 4.8kms at post-primary and are attending their nearest School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only. Concessionary transport is subject to a number of terms and conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service once all eligible children have been accommodated.
On 18th August 2020, health advice was received from NPHET which impacted on the operation of post-primary school transport services. This advice stated that for post-primary pupils on school transport, strict distancing should be ensured in line with that on public transport along with the wearing of face coverings.
My Department worked together with Bus Éireann to implement measures so that any services that could operate from the start of the 2020/2021 school year at 50% capacity would do so. Over time, all other post-primary transport services were re-organised and additional services were provided as required to allow for physical distancing.
It was advised at this time that if parents decided not to avail of transport services they could request a refund on the cost of their ticket for the 2020/2021 school year.
It was also advised that for those children who were eligible for transport under the terms of the post-primary school transport scheme and whose parents decided not to use post-primary transport for the 2020/2021 school year, the Department would provide a grant to support them with the cost of private transport arrangements.
835. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if the choice of predictive grades will be considered in the case of a student (details supplied) along with the sitting of exams for the 2021-2022 academic leaving certificate year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2160/22]
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.
