Written Answers Nos. 92-111
92. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the current level of capitation per pupil at primary and at secondary level; the expected level of capitation that will be provided to schools per pupil at primary and secondary level in September 2022. [26568/22]
View answerThe two main grants paid by my Department to recognised schools are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance, general up-keep, etc. and the Ancillary Services grants to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff.
The following links are the most recent circulars published on my Department's website which outline the rates in relation to capitation related grants per pupil.
Primary Circulars
www.gov.ie/en/circulars/?q=&sort_by=published_date&organisation=department-of-education&year=&circular_id=0017%2F2021
www.gov.ie/en/circulars/?q=&sort_by=published_date&organisation=department-of-education&year=&circular_id=0038%2F2020
Post Primary Circulars
www.gov.ie/en/circulars/?q=&sort_by=published_date&organisation=department-of-education&year=&circular_id=0082%2F2020
www.gov.ie/en/circulars/?q=&sort_by=published_date&organisation=department-of-education&year=&circular_id=0052%2F2020
I understand the need for improved capitation funding and I am pleased that budget 2020 was able to provide for a further 2.5% increase in standard capitation funding for primary schools that applied from the start of the 2020/21 school year. This builds on the 5% increase in capitation announced in budget 2019.
All schools have received the benefit of the capitation increases awarded to date. It is my intention to seek funding for further capitation increases in future budgets.
93. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of SNAs currently employed. [26571/22]
View answer94. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the estimated full-year cost of employing one additional SNA. [26572/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 93 and 94 together.
The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.
Budget 2022 provides funding for an additional 1,165 SNAs (in 2022) to provide support to children with special educational needs, which will bring the total number of SNAs to 19,169 at the end of December 2022. This will represent an increase of 81% since 2011 at which time 10,575 were provided.
When a school has been allocated an SNA, the Board of Management, as the employer, is responsible for filling the vacancy and the decision on whether to employ a full time SNA to fill a full time post or to employ an equivalent number of part time SNAs rests with the employer.
My Department acts as paymaster to over 3,700 schools whose Boards of Management are the direct employers of the SNAs in those schools. SNAs in the Education and Training Board sector are employed and paid by the ETBs. Information of the number of people employed to fill the posts allocated is not available.
The annual current cost at entry of an additional Special Needs Assistant is €30,001 including employer PRSI. SNA salary rates are contained in circular letter 0009/2022 and can be accessed gov.ie - Revision of Salaries for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) with effect from 1 February 2022 (www.gov.ie)
95. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the estimated full-year cost of employing one additional special education teacher. [26573/22]
View answerBudget 2022 provides for an additional 620 new SET posts in special education. This new investment is required to meet the needs of students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream classes; students to be enrolled in new special classes and new special school places and the needs of new and developing schools.
This will bring the total number of SET in the mainstream school system to 14,385 in 2022.
The estimated cost for the employment of a Special Education Teacher, on a full-time basis, would be €69,000 per annum based on the average salary cost of a Special Education Teacher.
96. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of special education teachers currently employed in primary, secondary and in special schools. [26574/22]
View answerThe level of Special Education resources provided to schools to support students with special education needs (SEN) is at unprecedented levels.
Special Education Teachers (SETs)
Budget 2022 provides for an additional 620 new SET posts in special education. This new investment is required to meet the needs of students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream classes; students to be enrolled in new special classes and new special school places and the needs of new and developing schools.
This will bring the total number of SET in the mainstream school system to 14,385 in 2022
Provision for 14,385 SET’s as at 31 st December 2022 will represent an increase of 48% since 2011 at which time 10,575 were provided.
The number of special education teachers working in primary and post primary schools at 31st March 2022 is as follows.
|
School type |
Posts |
|
Primary |
4,409 |
|
Post Primary |
9,340 |
|
Total |
13,749 |
Special Class Teachers
Special Classes to support children with special educational needs.
Since 2011, the number of special classes in mainstream schools has increased from 548 to 2,118 for the 2021/2022 school year.
There are now 1,854 special classes for children with Autism in place: 133 Early Intervention, 1,205 primary and 516 post primary autism special classes.
Budget 2022 provided for the creation of 287 additional special classes for the 2022/2023 school year. These additional classes will provide over 1,700 new places in 2022.
There are currently 2,457 teachers in Special Classes for the 2021/22 school year.
|
End Year |
Total |
|
|
2018 |
2018/19 |
1643 |
|
2019 |
2019/20 |
1863 |
|
2020 |
2020/21 |
2099 |
|
2021 |
2021/22 |
2457 |
Special Schools Teachers
126 special schools currently providing specialist education for children with special educational needs.
Two new special schools in Cork and Dublin opened for the 2021/22 school-year.
Budget 2022 provided for an additional 23 teaching posts and 46 SNA posts in special schools which will create an additional 140 class places.
This will provide specialist education to over 8,000 pupils in 2022.
There are currently 1,507 teachers in Special Schools for the 2021/22 school year.
Special Schools Teachers.
|
End Year |
Total |
|
|
2018 |
2018/19 |
1397 |
|
2019 |
2019/20 |
1442 |
|
2020 |
2020/21 |
1489 |
|
2021 |
2021/22 |
1507 (current figure) |
97. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Education the progress that is being made with the building of a new school at a location (details supplied); the projected date for opening; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26607/22]
View answerFollowing an extensive site identification, assessment and negotiation process, agreement in principle, subject to contract, has been reached for the acquisition, by my Department, of a permanent school site at the location referred to by the Deputy. This site will accommodate a new 1,000 pupil school plus 4 classroom special education needs unit as a replacement and expansion of the existing Curragh Post Primary school and will cater for the increased demographic growth at post-primary level due to occur in the region over the coming years.
The development of the post primary school on this site will enhance the education facilities available to the Curragh Post Primary school and the existing primary schools in a new educational campus arrangement. The delivery of this school building project is a priority for my Department.
Due to commercial sensitivities it is not possible to provided further information at this time
In order to meet the more immediate needs for post primary school places in the Kildare area, the Department is working with Kildare Wicklow ETB, as patron of the school, to deliver modular accommodation on the former Magee Barracks site to facilitate the relocation and expansion of the school for the 2023/24 academic year.
98. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Education if she will consider the building of a swimming pool on the site of an existing or new school in south Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26608/22]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that school sites are reserved for the purpose of primary and post primary school requirements. My Department does not have a role in making provision for public swimming pools.
99. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education the status of the permanent school building project for a school (details supplied); when her Department plans to submit the planning application for the project to Meath County Council; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26612/22]
View answerAgreement in principle has been reached to acquire a site for the school referred to by the Deputy. Contracts for sale for the site have been signed, conditional on the landowner providing required infrastructure upgrades to serve the site. My Department has been advised that these upgrades are programmed to be completed by the end of July 2022.
The project to provide the permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy is in early architectural planning which involves site surveys, school design stages and the preparation of statutory applications. As with all school building projects, pre-planning meetings are required with the Local Authority in advance of preparing a Planning Application to ensure the highest probability of a successful application in the shortest time possible. A pre-planning meeting was held with the Local Authority on 31st March 2022. A considerable amount of work is required following the pre-planning meeting to prepare a suitably detailed application.
The school is currently located in interim accommodation on the school’s permanent site and a final grant of planning permission for additional interim accommodation for the school on the site for the 2022/23 school year was received on 18th May 2022.
100. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the revenue raised by charging school transport fees in 2021; the estimated revenue that will be raised in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26624/22]
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.
In 2021, receipts from school transport charges amounted to approximately €12m (net of refunds issued arising from Covid related school closures).
School Transport is a demand led scheme and services are planned annually based on the number of eligible pupils who apply and pay on time. The closing date for receipt of payment for school transport for the 2022/23 school year is 29th July 2022. The final number of children to be accommodated on school transport services for the 2022/23 school year will not be known until after this date.
101. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if she will consider an application for additional accommodation for a school (details supplied) with Deis status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26640/22]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has recently received an application under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, 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.
The application is currently being assessed and the school authorities will be notified directly with a decision when this assessment is completed.
102. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education if the interim upgrade of the payroll system has been completed; the estimated timeframe for when employees and retired teachers will receive their payslips electronically; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26650/22]
View answerThe Department provides a payroll service to primary, post-primary, non-teaching and retired staff and this service is managed by the Department’s Payroll Division in Athlone.
The payroll system is an electronic system and a number of processes are already highly automated. For instance, the submission of claims by schools for payment through the Online Claims System (OLCS).
The planned software upgrades of these four payrolls was completed as scheduled in July 2021.
The Department continues to work on opportunities to improve the existing payroll service and we are progressing the next project in the provision of access to an electronic version of pay slips to all payees. A viable technical solution has been identified and a pilot project will commence over the next few months to ensure the solution can deliver at scale to meet the needs of over 120,000 payees and provide a secure solution to protect personal data. We are in the early stages of engagement with stakeholders on the proposed solution and the plan is to phase in the option to use this service for all payees by Q3 2022.
103. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education if consideration has been given to reinstating the fourth junior infant class-teaching post in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26651/22]
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 30 September.
For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and Junior DEIS Band 1 schools such as the one referred to by the Deputy will be provided with classroom teachers on a general average of one teacher to every 18 pupils.
As a result of the improvement in the staffing schedule, the school referred to by the Deputy will gain an additional classroom teacher for the 2022/23 school year, bringing the total number of classroom teachers to 14. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level.
104. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education if she will issue section 37 (A) of the Education Act 1998 in post-primary schools in Tallaght to increase the capacity of ASD classes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26652/22]
View answer105. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education if she will make it a requirement for primary and post-primary to have ASD classes through section 37A; if her Department will provide the staffing and funding needed to increase such capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26653/22]
View answer106. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to a school (details supplied) in which the junior school has an ASD class but the senior school does not; and if she will ensure through section 37A that the necessary supports are given to the senior school to provide an ASD class. [26654/22]
View answer107. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there is only one pre-school for ASD children in Dublin 24; if her Department has plans to support more pre-schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26655/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 104, 105, 106 and 107 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.
Notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.
The Minister has powers under Section 37A of the Education Act to direct a school to provide additional places but this power is only used as a last resort and where all reasonable efforts have failed.
This legal power to compel schools to open new special classes is only used where the following criteria apply:
- there is established need for additional places in an area
- it is considered that the schools involved in the Section 37 process have capacity to open the additional classes and
- all reasonable efforts have been made to support these schools in making the required provision.
The legislation has been used twice to date; initially in the Dublin 15 area in 2019 and more recently in the South Dublin area in 2020 in respect of primary school provision only. Significant progress has been made in these areas on foot of action taken under Section 37.
The Section 37 process is one of the tools available to the Department to ensure that adequate suitable education provision is made for children with special needs and it is not a substitute for advance planning.
All parties would prefer to see schools volunteer to provide more places rather than places being secured on the back of an order or a direction from the Minister. The evidence available this school-year is that schools are willing to work collaboratively with the Department and NCSE on the provision of new school places for children with special educational needs and I am grateful to all concerned for their ongoing work in this regard.
I can also reassure the Deputy that the local SENOs continue to be available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs.
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.
108. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education when, the way and the reason that the National Council for Special Education’s new rule regarding professional reports advising on a suite of options for children with special needs in relation to their education will now no longer meet the criteria for enrolment in an ASD class; the consultation that took place in advance of this decision; if parents were consulted and advised of this change; if referring psychologists were consulted and made aware of the change; if her attention has been drawn to the pressure on existing services; the way that therapists will now find the time to amend already completed reports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26708/22]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) have advised that there have been no changes to the requirements for professional reports regarding special class or special school placements. The Education of Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 at Section (2) states that, “A child with special educational needs shall be educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs unless the nature or degree of those needs of the child is such that to do so would be inconsistent with (a) the best interests of the child as determined in accordance with any assessment carried out under this Act, or (b) the effective provision of education for children with whom the child is to be educated”.
In line with the legislation, and in order to access a special class, a student must have a report from a relevant professional or team of professionals (for example, psychologist, speech and language therapist, psychiatrist) stating that:
1. S/he has a disability (in line with the designation of the special class in question) and
2. S/he has complex or severe learning needs that require the support of a special class setting and the reasons why this is the case. The professional report must meet Department of Education requirements for the particular disability in question.
The NCSE has published Guidelines for Setting up and Organising Special Classes. The guidelines set out clearly how schools can set up and organise special classes, as part of a continuum of educational provision, for students with special educational needs, they can be viewed at: ncse.ie/special-class-guidelines
A guidance note for HSE clinicians sets out the requirements for professional reports to recommend a specific type of school placement – for example, mainstream, mainstream with supports, special class or special school placement. This guidance was last updated in 2021 following engagement with NCSE, NEPS and HSE personnel. The updating of this guidance note commenced in 2019 and was delayed due to the impact of COVID-19.
109. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 103 of 27 April 2022, the persons that will be taking on this pupil’s case load; the format that it will take; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26722/22]
View answerVisiting teachers for children who are deaf/hard of hearing or blind/visually impaired provide additional supports for such children, their families, and schools. Details of the services which are provided to schools and families by the visiting teacher service are available at ncse.ie/visiting-teachers.
Each visiting teacher (VT) is responsible for a particular region and is allocated a caseload of students. The VT supports children/young people, parents, guardians, teachers and other professionals involved with the child. The frequency and nature of support takes into account a range of factors based on the individual’s needs.
Since 2017 the NCSE has responsibility for the management of the Visiting Teachers service which is currently made up of permanent teachers and teachers on secondment. Seconded teachers are generally limited to a period of five years. The NCSE will also be recruiting directly to ensure that all Visiting Teacher posts are filled by September 2022.
The student in question is currently availing of the visiting teacher service and the NCSE visiting teacher service will continue to support this student in September 2022. The NCSE actively works to ensure no break in the support service occurs should any visiting teacher vacancy arise.
110. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education when a decision will be made on a ASA application for a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26723/22]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has recently received an application under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme 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.
The application is currently being assessed and the school authorities will be notified directly with a decision when this assessment is completed.
111. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Education when the appeal for DEIS status of a school (details supplied) will be determined; if she will set out the criteria used in deciding the original application of the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26786/22]
View answerMy 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 and all appeals which were submitted to my Department are currently being processed.
Circular 0019/2022 – DEIS Identification 2022: Appeals process for schools sets out the appeals process.
An appeal has been received for the school in question.
When all appeals have been processed, schools will be informed in writing of the outcome of the appeal. It is my Department’s intention that schools will be provided with the outcome in the coming weeks to allow schools time to plan for the 2022/23 school year.
Schools have been identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. This model uses information from my Department's enrolment databases and the Pobal HP Deprivation index.
The extension of the DEIS programme to additional schools follows intensive work by the DEIS technical group, which involved valuable input from stakeholders. The refined DEIS identification model builds on the objectivity and fairness of the 2017 version, but now captures a greater breadth of disadvantage and accounts for severity of disadvantage through the application of a weighted process. It also takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and of students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation. The DEIS programme focuses on targeting additional resources at those schools with the highest concentrations of students who are at risk of educational disadvantage. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools. Further information on the refined DEIS identification model is available on the www.gov.ie website.
