Written Answers Nos. 274-284
274. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if a teacher (details supplied) can access incremental credit on a pro rata basis for the time spent working on a permanent job-share arrangement in a school in England. [17222/22]
View answerUnder the terms of Department Circular 10/01 there is no scheme for the award of incremental credit for part-time teaching service.
In order for service under the scheme to be recognised, the following criteria must be satisfied:
- the service must have been satisfactory
- the service must have been remunerated
- the service must have been full-time
275. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education if she will respond to concerns raised by parents in respect of the introduction of the new special needs assistant modelling (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17227/22]
View answerThe Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.
SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management of the school. SNAs should be deployed in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school. It should be noted that not every student with a special educational need requires SNA support.
Where a school considers that it requires additional SNA support to meet the needs of its students, it can seek a review from the NCSE.
276. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the start date of construction works for a project (details supplied); and the expected timeline of construction. [17236/22]
View answerThe Letter of Intent (LOI) issued on 15th February 2022 to the preferred tenderer. This allows the preferred bidder to put in place the Bond, Insurances and confirmations of all legal arrangements required under the Contract.
Following receipt of all the necessary documentation, the Department will be in a position to issue the Letter of Acceptance (LOA), which will allow the contractor to mobilise on site. It is expected that the LOA will issue very shortly after receipt of all the necessary documentation.
277. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the start date of construction works for a project (details supplied); and the expected timeline of construction. [17237/22]
View answerThe Letter of Intent (LOI) issued on 15th February 2022 to the preferred tenderer. This allows the preferred bidder to put in place the Bond, Insurances and confirmations of all legal arrangements required under the Contract.
Following receipt of all the necessary documentation, the Department will be in a position to issue the Letter of Acceptance (LOA), which will allow the contractor to mobilise on site. It is expected that the LOA will issue very shortly after receipt of all the necessary documentation.
278. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Education when a person (details supplied) will have a response to their application for incremental credits for a special needs assistant, which was made to her Department in January 2022; if the candidate is successful, will their payment be backdated to 01 January 2021; the reason the application is taking so long to process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17238/22]
View answerThe criteria for the award of Incremental Credit for previous experience is outlined in Circular 0139/2006 for special needs assistants (SNAs), and was agreed in the first instance, by 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.
An application for previous service with a preschool and as a substitute SNA with Department of Education was received in the incremental credit section on 31st January 2022. Applications are managed in date received order. Applications can take up to 20 weeks to be fully processed but most are dealt with well within this timeframe. Please be advised that if this person meets the criteria set out in Circular 0139/2006, incremental credit will then be backdated.
279. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education if it is intended to allow final-year primary school student teachers to substitute in primary schools in which teachers are absent due to Covid-19 or illness in view of the extensive spread of variants of Covid-19 at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17240/22]
View answerAt the outset, I want to acknowledge the key role played by student teachers in supporting our schools throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly in providing substitution cover. This support was vitally important to ensure that our schools remained open for pupils.
In this regard, the Deputy will be aware that a framework for adapted School Placement arrangements was developed by the Department of Education and the Teaching Council, together with the relevant Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, in order to ensure that student teachers at primary level could continue to support schools during periods of planned school placement from the beginning of January up to the February mid-term break. During this period, student teachers continued to be located in their host school for school placement, but were also available to support other schools where required.
The Education Stakeholders, including the Department of Education, HEIs providing initial teacher education (ITE) and the Teaching Council, have continued to work together to maintain the integrity of the students’ ITE experiences and support students in satisfactorily completing their ITE programmes.
The adapted School Placement arrangements were an exceptional measure introduced as part of a suite of measures to support schools to minimise the risk associated with COVID-19 and in light of the prevalence of the Omicron variant, with the understanding that these would be unwound as soon as possible. The Department understands that student teachers will now return to experiencing the more typical School Placement arrangements, and associated assessments, which are a critical part of their ITE programmes.
While the adapted School Placement arrangements are no longer in place, student teachers will, if they wish, still be able to support schools by providing substitution cover when they have availability outside of their ITE programme requirements.
Due to the exigencies of the public health pandemic still posed by the spread of Covid-19, I have signed into force legislation which permits payment for periods of more than five consecutive school days to 3rd and 4th year student teachers, who satisfy the criteria to be eligible to apply to the Teaching Council for registration, pursuant to Route 5 of the Schedule to the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.
This is a temporary and time limited amendment to Regulation 7 of the Education Act 1998 (Unregistered Persons) Regulations 2014 (S.I. No. 32 of 2014) which will expire on 30th June 2022. This amendment solely relates to this category of unregistered persons and the “5-day rule” remains in place in relation to the employment of all other unregistered persons in schools.
In addition, the Teaching Council is working to put processes and procedures in place to support the registration and vetting of 3rd and 4th year student teachers. This is expected to be in place before the end of this academic year.
280. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education her plans to provide additional funding for training of educational psychologists; if her attention has been drawn to the discrepancy between training for educational psychologists and clinical psychologists with the latter receiving a substantial payment of college fees by the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17256/22]
View answerFunding for training of educational psychologists is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
I greatly value the role fulfilled by educational psychologists in my Department including their role relating to wellbeing, inclusion and supporting children with special educational needs. My Department currently employs c. 221 Educational Psychologists located across the country in 23 regional offices, providing a school-based service. I am aware of the issue raised by the Deputy and have asked my officials to engage with DFHERIS to progress this matter.
281. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 469 to 474, inclusive, of 15 February 2022, if she will ensure that a reply is provided from the National Council for Special Education regarding the issues raised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17320/22]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that officials from my Department will follow up with the NCSE to request that a response issues as soon as possible.
282. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17321/22]
View answer283. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17322/22]
View answer284. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17323/22]
View answer285. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17324/22]
View answer286. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list the for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17325/22]
View answer287. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17326/22]
View answer288. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17327/22]
View answer289. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17328/22]
View answer290. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17329/22]
View answer291. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17330/22]
View answer292. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17331/22]
View answer293. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17332/22]
View answer294. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17333/22]
View answer295. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17334/22]
View answer296. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an special class (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17335/22]
View answer297. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17336/22]
View answer298. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17337/22]
View answer299. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17338/22]
View answer300. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17339/22]
View answer301. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17340/22]
View answer302. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17341/22]
View answer303. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17342/22]
View answer304. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school pupils presently accommodated in an ASD unit (details supplied); the number of children on a waiting list for the school in question; the steps she is taking to address the need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17343/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 282 to 304, inclusive, together.
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.
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.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.
The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.
The local SENOs remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list.
I should clarify, however, that the NCSE does not maintain waiting lists for schools. Boards of management of individual schools are responsible for such enrolment matters.
As the Deputy's queries refer to individual schools, I will arrange to have them referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
