Written Answers Nos. 269-281
269. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education the reason that DEIS status was recently refused to a school (details supplied); if there is an appeal process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21836/22]
View answerI recently announced that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools.
My Department is committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which they have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS programme. Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data will now have the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed.
Circular 0019/2022 outlining the details of this appeals process was published recently by my Department and is available at www.gov.ie/en/circular/7e7ca-deis-identification-2022-appeals-process-for-schools/
My Department notified all schools of the appeals process on 30th March 2022. Schools had until 5pm on Friday April 29th to submit an appeal. The school referred to in your question has submitted an appeal and this will be given consideration by my Department. It is my Department’s intention to provide schools with the outcome of their appeal in the coming weeks to allow time for schools to plan for the 2022/23 school year.
270. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education if her Department will conduct a review of the job description associated with principal teachers which has not been updated since 1973 (details supplied). [21873/22]
View answerThe terms and conditions of employment of teachers in Ireland, who are paid out of monies provided by the Oireachtas, are a matter for the Teachers' 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. Amendments to Teacher Terms and Conditions can only be achieved through engagement between the Department and the public service unions. Any proposals to conduct a review would need to be considered in detail by my Department and the relevant unions.
271. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education the status of implementation of the agreement of improved pay and conditions for school secretaries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21875/22]
View answerSchool secretaries are valued members of our school communities and my Department is fully aware of the vitally important role played by them in the running of our schools.
On the 24th February, following a series of engagements at the WRC, a package to settle a claim on terms and conditions for grant-funded school secretaries was proposed, which Fórsa agreed to recommend to its members. A ballot was undertaken and the result was 95% agreement in favour of the deal. I am very pleased to hear of this overwhelmingly positive result on what has been a long running issue, the resolution of which has been a priority for me since my appointment.
It is important to recognise that the majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for these staff under grant schemes, and that where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff are employees of individual schools and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school. On that basis, there has been extensive engagement between my Department and school management bodies to work towards a resolution. I would also like to acknowledge the willingness of Fórsa and in particular the school secretary representatives for their constructive engagement in this process, and to recognise the support of Minister McGrath and his officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at all stages of the negotiations.
The main elements of the package offered include, in recognition of the invaluable work carried out by school secretaries, moving their pay rates to a scale which is aligned with the Clerical Officer Grade III pay scale on a pro rata basis according to a secretary’s current working pattern. This process will provide for pay increases (backdated to 1 September 2021) to school secretaries who choose to move to the new terms. It also provides for lower-paid but longer serving secretaries to be placed higher up the salary scale. Secretaries may also choose to receive additional pay to ensure they no longer need to apply to the Department of Social Protection for payment of benefits for periods when they are not working due to school holidays. The final element of the package will introduce standardised arrangements in respect of annual leave, maternity benefit and sick pay.
The work to implement this agreement will include a complex process of assimilating each individual secretary to the new terms and conditions which will vary depending on individual circumstances. The Department will expedite this process and will communicate further as the work progresses.
272. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education the status of a school project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21929/22]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) from the school authority in question.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or a new SEN class has been sanctioned by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
The brief is currently being finalised by my Department's Professional and Technical staff and a decision will be relayed to the school authority shortly.
273. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education her plans to publicly promote the importance of school attendance, especially for primary school children; her plans to support television and radio campaigns to remind parents across each sector in society that every school day matters; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21934/22]
View answerMy Department recognises the importance of promoting school attendance and supporting schools to ensure that students attend, participate and are retained in education in order to achieve their potential.
Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) and the School Completion Programme (SCP). The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, families and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people.
The functions of Tusla in respect of school attendance are set out in the Education Welfare Act (2000) and include: to promote and foster, in recognised schools, an environment that encourages children to attend school and participate fully in the life of the school.
My Department works closely with Tusla in respect of Tusla's functions under the Education (Welfare) Act (2000).
274. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education her plans to amend the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 to ensure that every child who enters the school system has their attendance monitored, irrespective of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21935/22]
View answerThe Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 provides a comprehensive framework for promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism or early school leaving. The act recognises that alternative forms of education exist for children outside of the ages specified in the act, however, the act sets out that parents must ensure that their children, from the age of 6 to the age of 16/18, at least attend a recognised school, or receive a certain minimum education.
The Act repealed the previous school attendance legislation and provided for the raising of the minimum school leaving age to 16 years, or the completion of three years’ post primary education, whichever occurs later, but shall not include a person who has reached the age of 18 years.
The Education (Welfare) Act also provides that where a parent chooses to educate, or have educated, his or her child in a place other than a recognised school, he or she shall apply to Tusla to have the child concerned registered on the register maintained by Tusla in accordance with the provisions of section 14 of the Education (Welfare) Act.
Under the Act, the principal of a recognised school shall cause to be maintained, in respect of each school year, a record of the attendance, or non-attendance, on each school day, of each student registered at that school.
Furthermore, the Principal of a recognised school is obliged to inform an Educational Welfare Officer of a child’s absence from a recognised school where, a student is suspended from a recognised school for a period of not less than 6 days; where the aggregate number of school days on which a student is absent from a recognised school during a school year is not less than 20; where a student's name is, for whatever reason, removed from the register referred to in section 20 by the principal of the school concerned, or where a student is, in the opinion of the principal of the recognised school at which he or she is registered, not attending school regularly.
275. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education her plans to increase the number of education welfare officers particularly in the north-east inner city of Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21936/22]
View answerThe aims and objectives of the statutory educational welfare service are to ensure that every child either attends school regularly or otherwise receives a minimum education; to ensure and secure every child’s entitlement to education. This service is delivered by Educational Welfare Officers who work with families and children in a child-centred way to overcome barriers to their school attendance, participation and retention; and work closely with schools, educational support services and other agencies to support school attendance and resolve attendance problems for the benefit of children and families.
There are a range of supports available to schools in Dublin’s North East Inner City area. My Department supports schools in the North East Inner City of Dublin to improve educational outcomes of the pupil cohort. My Department is represented on the Programme Implementation Board for the NEIC and has allocated a dedicated NEIC Education Initiatives Manager to work with schools and key stakeholders in the area. My Department has been involved in the establishment of the Principals’ Network for schools in the NEIC area and is involved in the P-Tech and City Connects pilot initiatives.
Recruitment is currently underway for an additional EWO post for the Dublin City team. This EWO will provide services in the NEIC Dublin area.
276. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to nurture rooms (details supplied) which provide a space for young children to address their social and emotional needs; her plans to roll-out the initiative across primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21937/22]
View answerI wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of appropriate accommodation for all pupils including pupils with special education needs is an absolute priority for me. This is in two respects: firstly in ensuring that there is sufficient provision for pupils with special education needs and secondly in designing school accommodation that meets the needs of all users and enhances the learning experience.
In order to make accommodation provision to meet the needs of students with special education requirements, my Department has close engagement with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. When the NCSE sanction a special class in a school, the school can apply to my Department for capital funding to re-configure existing spaces within the school building to accommodate the class or to construct additional accommodation. Similarly, where special schools wish to expand provision, the school can apply to my Department for capital funding to accommodate additional placements.
The NCSE has additionally provided my Department with projections of future requirements for classes for students with special education requirements. These are informing my Department's advance planning for special class accommodation.
Such classrooms for pupils with special education needs are included as standard in the accommodation brief for new school buildings and major extension projects. The overall accommodation suite for students with special education needs also generally includes ancillary accommodation such as a Central Activities Space, a Multi Activity Room and Quiet Spaces as well as an outdoor Secure Play Area and Sensory Garden.
277. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education further to a previous Parliamentary Question (details supplied), if she will provide an update; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21945/22]
View answerI understand that the NCSE responded directly to the Deputy on 11 April 2022 in respect of the issue raised.
I will arrange to have the query sent to the NCSE again for direct reply to the Deputy with any update.
I want to reassure the Deputy that the NCSE, through the local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), remains available to support both families and schools regarding the provision of a suitable placement.
278. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education the reason that the religious curriculum for primary school education does not include the Sikh religion; if he will consider its inclusion for future curriculum reforms; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22004/22]
View answerCurrently at Primary level, Religious Education (RE) is one of 12 subjects in the 1999 Primary School Curriculum. It holds a unique position in that the responsibility for providing a programme of RE rests with the patron bodies of individual schools and not the State. There are a number of patrons’ programmes within the primary school system reflecting the diversity of patronage. Some of these are denominational or religious in nature, emphasising the place of children’s faith, spiritual and moral development in their lives. Other patrons’ programmes are ethical in nature and emphasise fostering children’s understanding of ethics and values.
In relation to the review and redevelopment of the primary curriculum, the NCCA is consulting on a Draft Primary Curriculum Framework which will conclude at the end of February 2022. The Framework aims to support the learning and development of children from different religious backgrounds and of non-religious backgrounds. The curriculum areas of Well-being and Social and Environmental Education present opportunities for incorporating this learning in the redeveloped curriculum.
Education of Religious Beliefs (ERB) and Ethics is being considered as part of the full primary curriculum review & redevelopment. The primary curriculum framework is due to be finalised at the end of this year, this will determine the individual curriculum areas and how ERB and ethics will be included in the redeveloped primary curriculum.
279. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education if her Department will prioritise the identification of a site for a school (details supplied) given the urgency of the situation and the requirements of the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22051/22]
View answerThe site identification and assessment exercise for the school referred to by the Deputy is ongoing.
A Minister-owned site has been identified as an option for potential redevelopment to accommodate a second school. In the case where any such solution is being considered, engagement takes place with all relevant stakeholders regarding the feasibility of any proposed solution to identify what is technically feasible as well as finding a solution that is both mutually beneficial for the State and any school which may be impacted.
Representatives of the existing school have agreed to collaborate with my Department to carry out a master plan study to assess the potential of developing a second school on the Minister-owned site.
The school have sufficient interim accommodation for the 2022/23 academic year.
The school site identification process is a dynamic one where new information on sites may come to the attention of my Department from time to time.
280. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 919 of 26 April 2022, if she will address the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22073/22]
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 3.2 kms at primary and 4.8 kms at post-primary and are attending their nearest School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services for the 2022/23 school year where such services are in operation.
Bus Éireann have advised the pupils referred to by the Deputy are not attending their nearest post primary centre/school therefore are not eligible for school transport.
Children who are not eligible, but who apply for school transport on time are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats. Concessionary seats are subject to a number of conditions including the appropriate annual charge is paid. The Medical Card waiver is not applicable to children who are not eligible for school transport.
281. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if alternative arrangements can be made in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22106/22]
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.
