Written Answers Nos. 539-558
539. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education if she will issue a school (details supplied) with a thorough report outlining the reason for the refusal by her Department to award DEIS status to the school; the data sets used in the decision-making process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37134/22]
View answerDelivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the main policy initiative of my Department to tackle educational disadvantage at school level.
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.
While schools maybe in the same town it is important to explain that schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. The model uses information from my Departments 2021/22 enrolment databases and 2016 national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. The details of the refined DEIS Identification Model are available on the gov.ie website.
Schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data were provided with the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. While the school referred to did appeal this decision, there was no change to the outcome of the initial application of the refined DEIS identification model.
Circular 0019/2022 outlined the details of this appeals process and is available on the gov.ie website.
The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants and the results are final. My Department will continue to support schools to deliver high quality, inclusive teaching and learning to students and young learners.
It is important to note that the extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one phase of work in my Department’s vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, my Department recognises that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Conscious of this, and recognising the need to target resources to those schools who need them most, the next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. Part of this programme of work will involve consultation with all relevant stakeholders and will consider information provided by schools in correspondence following the application of the refined DEIS identification model.
In addition to this, following the National Census 2022 held on the 3rd April last it is envisaged that an updated HP Deprivation Index will be generated by Pobal and will be available in Q3 of 2023. My Department will engage with Pobal in relation to this process. The updated HP Deprivation Index when available can be considered by my Department to inform future resource allocation to tackle educational disadvantage.
540. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education if she will make available a thorough report on the way that DEIS status is adjudicated and awarded to schools, which also references any data sets used in the decision-making process in order to assist schools in the application process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37135/22]
View answerDelivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the main policy initiative of my Department to tackle educational disadvantage at school level.
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.
The model uses information from my Departments 2021/22 enrolment databases and 2016 national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. The details of the Refined DEIS Identification Model is available on the gov.ie website.
Schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data were provided with the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. Schools were also provided with the opportunity to update their details on my Department’s enrolment databases - POD/PPOD. Circular 0019/2022 outlined the details of this appeals process and is available on the gov.ie website.
The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants and the results are final. My Department will continue to support schools to deliver high quality, inclusive teaching and learning to students and young learners.
541. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if she will consider changing the rules around career breaks for teachers as teachers who move home within the country and wish to work in a new location are being prevented from doing so unnecessarily; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a teacher who is on a career break and who moves permanently within the country will have to build panel rights from scratch even where the teacher has worked for her Department for over a decade; if she is of the opinion that the Department needs to be more flexible in such cases as teachers feel undervalued and underappreciated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37202/22]
View answerThe terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme for teachers are contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 54/2019 (Chapter 7). A Career Break is a period of unpaid special leave for not less than 1 school year. It may be extended on an annual basis provided the total period of the Career Break does not exceed 5 years at any one time, subject to an overall maximum of 10 years absence during a teacher’s career.
Under the Career Break Scheme, a teacher may not be employed in an approved teaching or special needs assistant post funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas. However, in exceptional circumstances, an employer may appoint a qualified teacher on Career Break for substitute teaching purposes subject to a maximum of (a) 90 days in a school year at primary level and (b) 300 hours in a school year at post primary level.
The aforementioned substitute teaching restrictions were suspended in the 2021/22 school year and previous school years in response to issues raised in relation to teacher supply. Information Note TC 0015/2021 titled ’Temporary changes to the Career Break Scheme for Registered Teachers employed in Recognised Primary and Post Primary Schools-2021/22 School Year’ published in June 2021, informed employers and teachers of the temporary change to the Career Break Scheme for the 2021/22 school year. As stated in the Information Note, this is a temporary change and will cease at the end of the 2021/2022 school year.
My Department’s Circular Letter 0038/2022 titled ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19): Updated Working Arrangements for Teachers and Special Needs Assistants employed in recognised Primary and Post Primary schools’ paragraph 6.1.1 (b) states the normal terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme will apply for the 2022/23 school year as follows:
(b) Career Break Scheme for teachers
The temporary arrangement to the Career Break Scheme under Information Note TC 0015/2021, permitting a teacher on Career Break to carry out unlimited substitute work, will cease at the end of the 2021/22 school year. Therefore, the normal terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme (paragraph 8) under Circular 54/2019 will apply for the 2022/23 school year where limited substitute work is permitted.
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform determines the terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme for public servants, which includes teachers.
Under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998, the Minister for Education, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, is authorised to determine the terms and conditions of employment for teachers employed in approved teaching posts funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas. The Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) forms part of the Scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration for Teachers, the purpose of which is to provide a forum for claims and proposals relating to the salary, and other terms & conditions of service for teachers. The Council is comprised of representatives from the Teacher Unions, the School Management Bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education. The TCC is independently chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission. The terms and conditions of teachers employed in State funded teaching posts are formulated at TCC and are of general application to all teachers appointed to such posts. The Career Break Scheme exists by virtue of a collective agreement, concluded under the auspices of the TCC.
My Department will keep the position under review in the 2022/23 school year, having regard to the recruitment of substitute teachers.
With regard to panel rights, the core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. The criteria, reviewed annually with the Education Partners, are published on the Department’s website. My Department’s Circular Letter 0057/2021 sets out the arrangements for the Supplementary Panel for the 2022/23 school year.
542. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will engage with the National Council for Special Education to ensure that it has adequate capacity to cater for training courses for teachers and SNAs working in ASD classes, that its ticketing system for a case to be referred to an adviser is urgently overhauled to ensure quicker response times and that additional enrolment capacity in picture exchange communication systems courses is made available. [37252/22]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and I would like to advise that my department officials have raised the matter with the NCSE who have provided the following response.
The NCSE co-ordinates, develops, and delivers a broad range of professional development seminars for teachers and principals working with students with special educational needs in primary and post-primary schools, as well as special classes and special schools. The NCSE calendar of teacher professional training seminars will be published in the coming weeks. These seminars are scheduled to be delivered in online or in-person formats. This includes seminars specifically developed for teachers working in autism classes, some of which will be delivered in collaboration with the Middletown Centre for Autism.
In addition to the NCSE programme of seminars and online resources, schools may apply directly to the NCSE to build their capacity to support autistic students in our schools through professional learning for whole staff, groups, and individual teachers where required. Schools can access this support by making a request through NCSE School Support Portal. Support is tailored to the specific professional learning needs within a school.
Once a school makes a request, all applications for in-school support are automatically assigned to the local team manager. Applications for support regarding autism are assigned to an appropriate Advisor. The NCSE endeavour to respond to all applications for support as expediently as possible. The timeframes for providing support may vary depending on the school context, the nature of the information supplied, or the availability of specialist Advisors.
SNAs
At the request of the Department of Education, the NCSE tendered for a national training programme for SNAs, which has been delivered by UCD since 2021. In total, the programme will provide training for 3,500 SNAs over a four year period. There are five modules available in the programme, including a module on Autism. The programme is fully funded by the Department of Education and delivered at no cost to the participant.
Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS)
Schools can apply to the NCSE for funding to attend approved teacher professional development courses. This includes access to courses to train teachers in the use of Picture Exchange Communication Systems, also known as PECS, to respond to the communication needs of students, including autistic students, where recommended. Applications for funding are made through the NCSE School Support Portal. Applications are open to schools throughout the year and are processed on the basis that teachers receiving funding have students who would benefit.
543. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 54 of 30 June 2022, if she will provide further information regarding when the additional special classes for students with autism in the Dublin 12 area, which the National Council for Special Education has confirmed are needed, will be set up and functional for students to avail of; and the reason that it has taken a number of years to meet the demand for places (details supplied). [37268/22]
View answerEnabling 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 a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs. This includes additional teaching and care supports.
As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
Over the last two years, my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year.
I am satisfied that this more joined up approach is delivering. Through this intensive intervention, we have seen over 300 special classes, providing over 1,800 new places, opened nationwide for the 2021/22 school-year.
I also acknowledge that 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.
I can confirm that the NCSE is aware of an identified need for additional special classes for students with autism in the Dublin 12 area as referenced by the Deputy. Work has been underway with stakeholders for a number of years in this area to meet the demand for places.
The NCSE has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.
NCSE Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) are liaising with schools and patrons in Dublin 12 to establish new special classes for the 2022/23 school year and beyond.
If the NCSE has not been able to secure the necessary placements in an area, it can activate a statutory provision contained in Section 37A of the Education Act 1998. Under this provision, and after a period of engagement, the Minister can direct a school to open a special class.
As the Deputy is aware I recently initiated the Section 37a process for a third time. The NCSE have written to me to advise that they have formed an opinion that there is insufficient special class capacity in primary schools and special school capacity in Dublin The NCSE report to the Minister on the matter, which will consider existing provision, any relevant proposed building works and which schools may be able to provide additional provision is currently being finalised. I am not in a position to elaborate further until this report is finalised.
As the Deputy is aware, my Department is currently progressing emergency legislation through the Houses. The Education (Provision in Respect of Children with Special Educational Needs) Bill 2022 provides for a truncated Section 37A process. It is envisaged that this new process can lead to a Ministerial direction to be served on school within 6 to 8 weeks of receiving a report from the NCSE setting out their opinion that there is insufficient schools places in a certain area.
I look forward to seeing this urgent legislation progressing over the coming weeks, being enacted and being available as another measure to ensure that we can continue to work to forward plan and provide an adequate number of special class and special school places for children.
My Department is committed, in conjunction with the NCSE, to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.
I want to reassure the Deputy also that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.
544. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the status of an application for additional accommodation by a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37274/22]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers was approved funding under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme to build a one classroom special education unit base. This project is devolved to the Board of Management of the school.
I can confirm that my Department has received a fees uplift request from the school pertaining to its Design Team. My Department officials have repeatedly requested further information and will continue to make every effort possible to obtain this required information in order to finalise a decision. This decision will then be conveyed to the school authority. It is the responsibility of the school and its Design Team to provide the Department with the information that remains outstanding.
545. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education if her Department and bodies under the aegis of her Department have engaged the services of two organisations (details supplied) at any point from 1 January 2020 to date; the costs associated with or incurred by the provision of services from these organisations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37279/22]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has engaged the services of one of the companies to which she refers in her question during the period 1st January 2020 to date in 2022. Carr Communications provided services during this period for a total value of €32,642.86.
The information in respect of state bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the attached document should the Deputy wish to contact them directly with this query.
Contact E-Mail Addresses for State Bodies under the Remit of the Department of Education as at 29 March 2022
|
Name of Body |
Dedicated Email address for the Members of the Oireachtas |
Designated Official Responsible for assisting Oireachtas Members |
|
An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta |
oireachtas@cogg.ie |
jacquelinenifhearghusa@cogg.ie |
|
Educational Research Centre |
oireachtas.queries@erc.ie |
aidan.clerkin@erc.ie |
|
National Centre for Guidance in Education |
oireachtas@ncge.ie |
Jennifer.mckenzie@ncge.ie |
|
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Note 1 |
oireactasqueries@ncca.ie |
Aine.ArmstrongFarrell@ncca.ie |
|
State Examinations Commission |
Oireachtas@examinations.ie |
Paddy.Quinn@examinations.ie |
|
The Teaching Council |
pqrep@teachingcouncil.ie |
pfox@teachingcouncil.ie |
|
National Council for Special Education |
oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie |
patrick.martin@ncse.ie and cindyjane.oconnell@ncse.ie |
|
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund – Caranua |
Michael.Fitzpatrick@caranua.ie |
Michael.Fitzpatrick@caranua.ie |
Note 1 - The spelling of the NCCA e-mail address to which Oireachtas queries may be addressed has been verified with the NCCA as being accurate.
546. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education if the requirement for a teacher to have an international police clearance certificate does not apply in cases in which a person resided in a jurisdiction more than ten years ago; if a sworn declaration by the teacher is acceptable in these cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37326/22]
View answerIt is a requirement under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 (NVB Act) that individuals who work with children and vulnerable persons be vetted by the National Vetting Bureau (the Bureau). The Teaching Council is the authorised body for administering vetting for teachers in Ireland and is required to assess the vetting disclosure for suitability for registration. The school is required to receive and assess the vetting disclosure for employment purposes.
All applicants for registration must apply for vetting whether or not they have lived in Ireland/ Northern Ireland.
Applicants for registration who have lived overseas for a cumulative period of 12 months or more after the age of 18 must also provide police clearance for each country in which they have resided. These clearance certificates must cover the entire period of residence in each country. The Council reserves the right to seek a sworn declaration where a satisfactory police/criminal records disclosure is not available. This sworn declaration form is issued by the Teaching Council in restricted circumstances only, one of which includes a circumstance of the applicant having resided in the country more than 10 years ago.
547. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education when a special class will be approved for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37332/22]
View answerEnabling 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 a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.
This includes additional teaching and care supports.
As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
I want to reassure you that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.
As the query refers to an individual school, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
548. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 579 of 21 June 2022, when schools will be informed of the decision on appeals for DEIS status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37333/22]
View answerIn March I was glad to be able to announce a major expansion of the DEIS – Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme which means that, for the first time since 2017, the programme is being significantly expanded and eligible schools will now gain access to targeted supports to address educational disadvantage. This will add an additional €32million to the Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the 2023 allocation to a total of in the region of €180million. 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 that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data were provided with the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. Schools were also provided with the opportunity to update their details on my Department’s enrolment databases - POD/PPOD.
All appeals submitted have now been processed by my Department and schools were notified of the outcome on Wednesday 29th June.
The details of the Appeals process is outlined in Circular 0019/2022 which can be found on the gov.ie website.
The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants and the results are final. My Department will continue to support schools to deliver high quality, inclusive teaching and learning to students and young learners.
It is important to note that the extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one phase of work in my Department’s vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, my Department recognises that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Conscious of this, and recognising the need to target resources to those schools who need them most, the next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. Part of this programme of work will involve consultation with all relevant stakeholders and will consider information provided by schools in correspondence following the application of the refined DEIS identification model.
In addition to this, following the National Census 2022 held on the 3rd April last it is envisaged that an updated HP Deprivation Index will be generated by Pobal and will be available in Q3 of 2023. My Department will engage with Pobal in relation to this process. The updated HP Deprivation Index when available can be considered by my Department to inform future resource allocation to tackle educational disadvantage.
549. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education her plans regarding schools that do not allow generic options for uniforms in contravention of Circular 0032/2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37346/22]
View answerAs Minister, I am very conscious of the pressure faced by families with respect to living costs and back to school costs.
In relation to school uniforms, my Department’s Circular 0032/2017 sets out the principles of cost-effective practice to be adopted by schools to reduce the cost of returning to school.
Under these measures, schools are required to select school uniform items which are generic and can be purchased from an array of retailers. Only “iron on” or “sew on” crests should be used.
The Circular also sets out that schools should consult with parents on their views and suggestions on cost reduction initiatives in relation to school uniforms.
The Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill, when enacted, will improve how schools engage with students and their parents by requiring each school to consult with students and their parents on individual school plans, policies and activities, including school costs. This will help ensure that the various views of students and parents will be heard and responded to by schools.
550. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if officials in her Department, particularly REALT and uSupport, have considered correspondence from a school administrator (details supplied) in terms of the school having capacity to accommodate Ukrainian children, displaced by war, living in the nearby town of Ennis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37559/22]
View answerI can confirm that correspondence has recently been received by my Department from the school referred to by the Deputy in relation to this matter and is currently being considered. The school’s correspondence was also forwarded to the relevant Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) for their information.
REALTs have been established to help ensure good coordination and alignment of supports for Ukrainian children arriving in Ireland. These REALTs are hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards (ETBs) and are staffed by existing regionally-based education support personnel working closely together to ensure good coordination and alignment of supports for Ukrainian children. My Department is liaising with the teams to ensure all necessary supports for the Ukrainian children are provided as quickly as possible.
The primary role of the REALT is to build on existing regional education support structures and the initial focus is on assisting families in securing school places. REALTs also support schools in the area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, to advise and support my Department in developing new capacity where required, and to co-ordinate the provision of education services to schools and families across their defined area.
These teams ensure that clear, accessible information flows are in place between schools, local education support services and national support structures in relation to people arriving from Ukraine.
I am advised that the REALT team in Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) are liaising with the school authorities in question on a regular basis regarding enrolments in the Ennis area since contact was made with the team on Thursday, 30 June 2022.
Where the demand for places in the primary schools adjacent to the accommodation centres of Ukrainian children residing in Ennis exceeds the capacity of these schools, families will be advised of the availability of school places outside of Ennis by the REALT team.
If Ukrainian families are accommodated in close proximity to this school, they can of course, request to enrol their children in the school.
The REALT team in LCETB will continue to support any Ukrainian family who require school places and liaise with this school in question as the need arises.
Recent surveys have been carried out at Primary and Post-Primary level on potential capacity and my Department has incorporated this information with other information in the Geographical Information System (GIS) to enable prompt identification of potential capacity near accommodation centres of Ukrainian arrivals through the use of a Community Analyst reporting system. This information has been made available to all REALT’s to support and assist their work.
Utilisation of each school’s existing capacity in the most flexible way possible will be key to supporting Ukrainian children who are being enrolled in our schools. The capacity offered by the school being referred to will be considered by the relevant REALT in conjunction with the capacity of all other schools in the relevant school planning area in relation to the placement of Ukrainian children seeking school places for the next academic year.
551. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education if an application submitted from an organisation (details supplied) to the planning and buildings unit of her Department will remain open and be given priority when applications are examined in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37600/22]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision in order to ensure every pupil has a school place each September. However, under Project Ireland 2040, there will be an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock. This will include a PE Hall build and modernisation programme to ensure that students in all post-primary schools have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision. The ancillary accommodation needs of primary schools, such as General Purpose rooms will also be considered.
The Deputy may also be aware of the very significant school building programme that is currently underway. Overall, there are in excess of 1,300 school building projects at various stages of design, planning, and construction. The current status of approved projects under the school building programme is listed on a county by county basis on my Department's website at www.gov.ie and is regularly updated.
552. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education if she will provide each project life cycle stage and the estimated period for completion for these stages undertaken by the planning and building unit for the delivery of capital projects under the additional accommodation scheme. [37618/22]
View answerThere are five stages of architectural planning involved in the delivery of both major and Additional School Accommodation (ASA) school projects. The stages reflect the Capital Works Management Framework developed by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform.
The stages are as follows:
Stage 1 – Preliminary Design;
Stage 2 - Design including planning where required;
Stage 3 - Tender Action, Evaluation and Award;
Stage 4 – Construction;
Stage 5 - Handover of Works and Final Account
ASA projects are demand led and devolved to school authorities for implementation. The length of time a project takes to go through each stage varies and depends on a number of factors, including scale and complexity, and is subject to the time it takes to progress through the statutory approval process including planning where required. My Department has good streamlined arrangements in place to facilitate timely review of stages submissions to enable projects progress as quickly as possible.
My Department has a large pipeline of projects for delivery under the school building programme. The main elements of this pipeline currently involve in excess of 1,300 school building projects for delivery under the Department’s Large Scale and Additional Accommodation Scheme. These projects are currently in progress across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction. Most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period up to 2025 and are being progressed as quickly as possible. The current status of these projects being delivered is listed on a county by county basis on www.gov.ie and is updated on a monthly basis to reflect their progress through the various stages.
553. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if she will provide a breakdown of the number of primary schools that have been provisionally informed that they are due to lose a mainstream classroom teacher for the forthcoming academic year by county in tabular form; the number of schools by county in which provisional notification of impending loss of a mainstream teacher has been reversed, withdrawn, rescinded, overturned or in any way changed by any notification from her or an intermediary of her or her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37625/22]
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 schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 24 pupils which is a historical low ratio, with lower thresholds applying to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools.
Staffing allocations at primary level are ongoing and my Department is processing projected enrolment applications throughout the summer. Once this and the staffing appeals processes have been completed in October, the final staffing position for the 2022/23 school year will be confirmed.
554. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if a late school transport application will be accepted from a student (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37697/22]
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 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.
The closing date for school transport applications for the 2022/23 school year was Friday, 29th April 2022. Bus Éireann has advised that an application for the pupil referred to by the Deputy was received on 6th July 2022
Applications received after the deadline may not secure a seat on a service and will not be considered for a remote area grant.
Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of the Department, will contact all applicants regarding their eligibility for school transport.
555. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the number of refugee children enrolled in Irish primary and secondary schools per school year and per county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37700/22]
View answerIn Ireland, all immigrant children, including children of international protection applicants, immigrant workers and unaccompanied minors, can access pre-school, primary and post primary education in a manner similar to Irish nationals, until they have reached the age of 18 years.
In Ireland, a school must admit all students applying where it is not oversubscribed and places are available. Schools must also include an admission statement in its admission policy stating that the school will not discriminate in its admission on any of nine specified grounds, including race and religion.
Tusla Education Support Services (TESS) works with the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) and the International Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) to ensure that children of families seeking international protection can be enrolled in school as soon as possible following their arrival.
The Department of Education’s electronic databases, POD (Primary Online Database) and PPOD (Post-primary Online Database), hold data on all primary and post-primary school pupils, including their name, address, PPSN, date of birth and nationality. The databases also contain, on an optional basis, information on ethnic or cultural background. The databases do not record whether a student is a refugee or a beneficiary of the Temporary Protection Directive.
Given the significant number of people arriving into Ireland from Ukraine since the Russian invasion, the Department of Education has prepared statistics on the number of Ukrainian students who have enrolled in our schools in that time, based upon the nationality data recorded in the databases. A link to this information is available as follows:
www.gov.ie/en/press-release/0b645-department-of-education-confirms-7285-ukrainian-pupils-currently-enrolled-in-irish-schools/.
556. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education the indicators that her Department will be considering when identifying schools for opening special education classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37703/22]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs (SEN) to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.
It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my Department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE).
In 2022, we will spend over 25% of our total educational budget on providing additional supports for children with SEN. This represents an increase of over 60%, in total expenditure, since 2011.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
Over the last two years, my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year.
We are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
Continuing to add capacity in schools to support SEN provision is a key priority with a particular emphasis at post-primary level.
NCSE has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.
The Department’s Geographic Information Management System (GIS) will continue to support a strategic and coordinated approach to planning and delivery of SEN provision. This includes “real-time” data on capacity across the school system.
I can assure the Deputy that my Department is working actively with the NCSE and other key stakeholders including School Patrons and Management Bodies to provide additional special classes and special school places for the 2022/23 school year and beyond.
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.
The Section 37A process has recently been initiated for a third time in relation to the provision of special class places at primary and special school places in the Dublin region. The NCSE have written to me to advise that they have formed an opinion that there is insufficient special class capacity in primary schools and special school capacity in Dublin. In accordance with the legislation, the NCSE are in the process of providing a detailed report on the provision of special class places, which will consider existing provision, any relevant proposed building works and which schools may be able to provide additional provision.
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.
557. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if a late school transport application will be accepted from a student (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37727/22]
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 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.
The closing date for school transport applications for the 2022/23 school year was Friday, 29th April 2022.
While an application can still be made following this date, a seat is not guaranteed and students are not eligible for a remote area grant for the 2022/23 school year.
Bus Éireann has advised that they have not yet received an application for the pupil referred to by the Deputy.
