Written Answers Nos. 1146-1160
1146. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education if her Department intends to build a secondary school in Newtownmountkennedy, County Wicklow, given the population in the local area; the plans that her Department has for a site which is zoned for educational use at the location; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41337/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, a major building project for the existing post primary school, Coláiste Chraobh Abhann , Kilcoole, Co.Wicklow is included in my Department's school building programme. The project is currently at Stage 2b (detailed design). When the project is completed, the school will have capacity to accommodate 1,000 pupils as well as classes for pupils with special education needs.
In addition, the Deputy will be aware , since April 2018, the Government announced plans for the establishment of 47 new schools. This included a new post primary school for the Kilcoole and Greystones school planning area as a regional solution and the school, Greystones Community College, opened in interim accommodation for the 2020/2021 academic year. The building project, to construct a permanent school building, which will have capacity for 1,000 pupils as well as accommodation for pupils with special education needs is currently at stage 2b (detailed design).
A building project for St David's Secondary School, Greystones is currently under construction and when completed will provide capacity for 750 pupils. My Department is satisfied that the delivery of these building projects will cater for future demand in the area in the short to medium term.
The requirement for additional school places is kept under on-going review, including those which may arise in the Kilcoole school planning area. Additionally, my Department will continue to liaise with Wicklow County Council in respect of its review of the County Development Plan with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across the county.
I wish to advise that a site zoned for educational use in the area will provide for a permanent location for Woodstock Educate Together National School.
1147. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education the number of applications that have been received for school transport in 2021 and 2022, in tabular form broken down by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41351/22]
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.
Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Bus Éireann have advised that the total number of mainstream applications received to date for the 2022/23 school year is 145616. This figure includes all mainstream applications received including roll-over applications from the previous school years, closed applications, grant applications, concessionary no service applications, late eligible and concessionary applications.
As the Bus Éireann family portal still remains open for applications until 29th July 2022, the total number of applications for school transport for the 2022/2023 is likely to change. This information cannot be provided by County at this time.
Bus Éireann have provided the following table which includes all mainstream applications received including roll-over applications from the previous school years, closed applications, grant applications, concessionary no service applications, late eligible and concessionary applications, concessionary P2 applications.
They have advised the 2020/21 school year data is accurate as of 24/05/2021 and the 2021/22school year data is accurate as of 23/05/2022.
|
Total number of applications - Mainstream |
||
|
SCYR2020/21 |
SCYR2021/22 |
|
|
County |
||
|
Carlow |
2525 |
2663 |
|
Cavan |
4123 |
4384 |
|
Clare |
3980 |
4070 |
|
Cork |
17373 |
18475 |
|
Donegal |
10187 |
10675 |
|
Dublin |
3285 |
3538 |
|
Galway |
10426 |
11096 |
|
Kerry |
5804 |
6051 |
|
Kildare |
6790 |
6950 |
|
Kilkenny |
3960 |
4253 |
|
Laois |
1958 |
2047 |
|
Leitrim |
2242 |
2312 |
|
Limerick |
5810 |
5820 |
|
Longford |
2542 |
2644 |
|
Louth |
4152 |
4418 |
|
Mayo |
5765 |
5856 |
|
Meath |
6191 |
6371 |
|
Monaghan |
4033 |
4143 |
|
Offaly |
3221 |
3239 |
|
Roscommon |
2081 |
2159 |
|
Sligo |
2284 |
2414 |
|
Tipperary |
5876 |
6181 |
|
Waterford |
3086 |
3283 |
|
Westmeath |
3299 |
3500 |
|
Wexford |
6670 |
7123 |
|
Wicklow |
4338 |
4351 |
|
Total |
132001 |
138016 |
1148. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education when a school (details supplied) will have the services of a behaviour therapist, speech and language therapists, occupational therapist, on-site nurse and access to a play therapist. [41361/22]
View answerThe provision of health-related therapy services for children with disabilities is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive, and matters in relation to the provision of health-related services should therefore be directed to that body or to the Department of Health.
1149. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education the way that her Department and public bodies and agencies under her remit met their obligations under section 42 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 in 2021, including the way that relevant policies and actions are monitored and the way that the obligation is reflected in their annual reports. [41366/22]
View answerThe Department of Education meets its obligations through the Department’s Statement of Strategy and Annual reports. My Department is conscious of its key role in promoting, protecting and vindicating the achievement of the key human right to education. Our Statement of Strategy 2021-2023 articulates a strong focus on equality and human rights, which is reflected in the high level goal to ‘ensure equity of opportunity in education and that all students are supported to fulfil their potential’.
Achieving this goal will enable my Department to meet its obligations under the Public Sector Duty to promote equality, prevent discrimination and protect the human rights of those it serves and those of its staff. In this regard, it has set a number of commitments including:
- Exploring innovative approaches to ensuring inclusive education for all students
- Tackling educational inequality through the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) programme
- Narrowing the digital divide through increasing access to broadband and digital technology for schools
- Progressing the implementation of a school inclusion model for learners with additional needs
- Ensuring that teachers and school leaders are provided with appropriate continuing professional development supports to assist them in developing relevant pedagogical skills and delivering inclusive teaching and learning in a variety of school contexts
- Continuing to increase the diversity of school type in order to offer parents more choice, including the transfer of schools to alternative patronage such as Community National Schools
- Engaging in a review of the current school transport scheme to provide a better service for all students
In regard to the information sought by the Deputy relating to the bodies under the aegis of my Department, the material sought is not collated by the Department.
1150. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Education the number of State boards under the remit of her Department or its agencies; the total number of members of each board; the numbers on each board broken down according to gender; and the number of persons with a declared disability on each board in tabular form. [41384/22]
View answerThe details of the State Boards under the remit of my Department, with the number of boards and details on membership, including gender, are set out in the table.
My Department does not collate information in relation to the number of persons with a declared disability on each state board.
Department of Education State Boards 21 July 2022
|
Department of Education Aegis Bodies |
Number of board members |
Number of women on board |
Number of men on board |
|
An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) |
12 |
6 |
6 |
|
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (CICA) |
5 |
3 |
2 |
|
Educational Research Centre (ERC)1 |
5 |
2 |
2 |
|
National Centre for Guidance in Education (NCGE) |
14 |
10 |
4 |
|
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) |
26 |
18 |
8 |
|
National Council for Special Education (NCSE) |
13 |
7 |
6 |
|
Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) |
10 |
7 |
3 |
|
Residential Institutions Review Committee (RIRC) |
5 |
1 |
4 |
|
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (RISF) - Caranua |
4 |
1 |
3 |
|
State Examinations Commission |
5 |
2 |
3 |
|
The Teaching Council |
37 |
17 |
20 |
1151. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the estimated full-year cost of reducing the pupil to teacher ratios to 1:15; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41492/22]
View answerUnder the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools.
At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. The staffing schedule has been improved under both Budgets in the past two years. 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 means that our primary schools will be staffed at the most favourable level ever seen in September.
1,750 additional posts in schools are being provided in the 2022/23 school year, including 1,330 teaching posts to cater for a reduction in pupil teacher ratio and additional teachers in special education. This builds on a similar one point reduction in Budget 2021, which supported the creation of 1065 posts. Budget 22 also provided lower staffing retention levels for all primary schools.
The latest figures in relation to pupil teacher ratio shows an improved ratio of teachers to pupils from 15.7:1 to 13.7:1 at primary level when comparing the 2016/17 school year to the 2021/22 school year. This compares favourably with the OECD pupil teacher ratio which is 1:15. In the same period the staffing schedule improved from 27:1 to 25:1.
Average class sizes improved from 24.6 to 22.8 in the same period. The most recent budget announcement will continue the positive trend of improving class sizes.
Each one point improvement in the staffing schedule at primary level would cost in the region of €15.5 million per annum.
1152. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the estimated full-year cost of making primary and post-primary education totally free, abolishing all charges including voluntary contributions, providing free school uniforms, books and all other required equipment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41493/22]
View answerThe "estimated full-year cost of making primary and post primary education totally free" is not a figure that can be arrived at, given the discretionary nature of certain aspects of the relationship between schools and parents. Voluntary contributions, for example, can be requested by a school provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no compulsion to pay, and that there is no implication that a child's enrolment or continued attendance in a school is in any way dependent on making a contribution. Policy and practice about school uniforms is also a matter for each individual school and its own parent body. Circular 32/2017 requires schools to consult with parents about uniforms, to ensure that uniforms are available from a variety and range of shops, and to ensure that only iron-on or sew-on crests are used. My Department provided €1 million for a pilot free book scheme in schools in 2020, and this pilot programme has been continued each year over the past two years. I am considering further expanding this pilot, pending a full review of the scheme.
1153. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the number of psychologists currently employed by the National Educational Psychological Service; the number of sanctioned psychologist posts in NEPS; the full-year cost of running NEPS; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41494/22]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that the number of educational psychologists currently employed in NEPS stands at 225 whole-time equivalents across the NEPS regions. NEPS operates within a sanctioned pay budget, the pay budget sanctioned in 2022 was in the region of €21m.
1154. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the number of SNAs currently employed by her Department; the number of sanctioned SNA posts and the full-year cost of employing these SNAs; the average cost of each SNA to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41495/22]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the questions raised and would advise the following:
The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (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.
The annual current cost at entry of an additional full time Special Needs Assistant is €30,001 including employer PRSI.
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.
1155. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the number of SETs currently employed by her Department; the number of sanctioned SET posts; the full-year cost of employing these SETs; the average cost of each SET to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41496/22]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the questions raised and would advise the following:
Budget 2022 provides for an additional 620 new Special Education Teacher (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 December 2022.
Work is ongoing in relation to finalising the budgetary projections for 2023/24 for SET.
The estimated cost for the employment of 100 Special Education Teacher, on a full-time basis, would be €6.9M per annum which is based on the average salary cost of a Special Education Teacher of €69,000.
1156. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the details of the Traveller education budget including the services that it provides; the number of staff that are employed providing these services; if there are vacant posts; the details of all posts in the service; the full-year cost of running this service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41497/22]
View answerMy Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools to support the inclusion of all students, including Traveller students, and to address barriers to students achieving their potential.
Funding for previously segregated Traveller provision has been incorporated into schools and overall funding streams in order to provide supports for Traveller pupils in mainstream schools. Additional pupil capitation for Travellers at a rate of €75 per pupil at primary level, and €213.50 per pupil at post-primary level is provided at a current annual cost of circa €1.3 million.
The DEIS Programme is the Government’s main strategy to tackle educational disadvantage. Schools in the DEIS programme avail of a range of targeted supports, including additional classroom teaching posts, home school community liaison co-ordinator (HSCL) posts, DEIS grant funding and access to the School Completion Programme. In March I announced the largest expansion of the DEIS programme: from September, 322 schools will be included in DEIS for the first time and 39 existing DEIS schools will benefit from increased supports. This will bring the total number of DEIS schools to 1,206 and will mean a €32 million increase in the Department's expenditure on DEIS programme from 2023 - the largest ever increase in the investment in the programme. This expansion extends the additional targeted supports of the DEIS programme to those schools with the highest concentration of students at risk of educational disadvantage.
The refined DEIS identification model captures a greater breadth of disadvantage than the 2017 model, and accounts for severity of disadvantage through the application of a weighted process. Importantly and for the first time, it takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by learners who have self-identified as being of Traveller or Roma ethnicity.
The DEIS Plan includes reference to Travellers as a named group at risk of educational disadvantage, and includes specific actions in relation to Traveller education to promote improvements in school attendance and completion. DEIS supports are available for Traveller students that are enrolled in a DEIS school, and schools are advised to target learners at the highest risk of educational disadvantage with the resources allocated.
Among the key supports for Traveller students is Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), comprising the statutory Education Welfare Service, the School Completion Programme (SCP) and the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme. 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, and all have as their aims improved school attendance, participation and retention.
I recognise that not all Travellers attend DEIS schools, and additional supports are therefore available in all schools to support students with additional needs. These include special education teachers, special needs assistants and supports provided by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and school book grants.
Currently, actions to advance Traveller education outcomes form part of the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion Strategy (NTRIS), a cross-departmental strategy that takes a whole-of-government approach to improving the lives of Travellers and Roma in practical and tangible ways, including the aims of achieving equality of education outcomes.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) completed a curriculum audit of Traveller culture and history in the curriculum in 2019, and a NCCA education officer was appointed in September 2020 to progress work arising from this audit.
In addition under the current NTRIS strategy, a Supporting Traveller and Roma (STAR) pilot project in education was established in 2019. It is co-funded by my Department and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Other partners include Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) and Traveller and Roma representative organisations. This pilot project involves over 50 schools in four areas, with the team in each location provided with additional resources to work together with parents, children and young people, schools, Traveller and Roma communities and service providers to address the barriers impacting on attendance, participation and retention in education. The project has been extended to the end of June 2024, and it is intended that the outcomes of this pilot project will help to inform future policy.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to develop a Traveller Education Strategy. Officials from my Department, will be engaging with officials from the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and with representatives of Traveller organisations to advance this strategy.
1158. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Education the number of applicants for school transport in each county in tabular form; the number who apply for a place on a school bus in which no service is available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41570/22]
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.
Bus Éireann have provided the following information and tabular statement as requested by the Deputy. The figures within the number of applications field include all mainstream applications received including roll-over applications from the previous school years, closed applications, grant applications, concessionary no service applications, late eligible and concessionary applications.
The figures below for those where no service is available include roll-over applications from the previous school years and only includes pupils where there is no school transport service available from where they reside.
2021/2022 School Year
Number of mainstream applications and numbers of those where no service was available.
|
County |
Number of Applications |
Concessionary No Service |
Eligible No Service/Mainstream No Service Grant |
|
Carlow |
2663 |
22 |
16 |
|
Cavan |
4384 |
100 |
52 |
|
Clare |
4070 |
35 |
61 |
|
Cork |
18475 |
286 |
591 |
|
Donegal |
10675 |
96 |
129 |
|
Dublin |
3538 |
280 |
154 |
|
Galway |
11096 |
125 |
112 |
|
Kerry |
6051 |
34 |
84 |
|
Kildare |
6950 |
159 |
179 |
|
Kilkenny |
4253 |
61 |
33 |
|
Laois |
2047 |
90 |
94 |
|
Leitrim |
2312 |
24 |
17 |
|
Limerick |
5820 |
77 |
184 |
|
Longford |
2644 |
46 |
28 |
|
Louth |
4418 |
95 |
50 |
|
Mayo |
5856 |
35 |
73 |
|
Meath |
6371 |
157 |
156 |
|
Monaghan |
4143 |
19 |
16 |
|
Offaly |
3239 |
47 |
77 |
|
Roscommon |
2159 |
23 |
55 |
|
Sligo |
2414 |
34 |
16 |
|
Tipperary |
6181 |
58 |
104 |
|
Waterford |
3283 |
50 |
182 |
|
Westmeath |
3500 |
105 |
105 |
|
Wexford |
7123 |
91 |
153 |
|
Wicklow |
4351 |
72 |
93 |
|
Total |
138016 |
2221 |
2814 |
1159. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education if there are any plans by her Department to develop the site at a location or to add an extension to the school existing building (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41598/22]
View answerAs part of my Department's standard general procedures for identifying potential sites for new schools and in line with protocols for the use of State Property Assets, State-owned lands at the location referred to by the Deputy, were identified as a possible site for a new permanent building.
Given the passage of time since the original site identification process, my Department considered it prudent to carry out a further site identification exercise for a 1,000 pupil school in this area. In order to better inform these deliberations, my Department has undertaken a site identification process in the greater Bray area.
The site identification process has identified one site with some potential. However to advance to negotiations, my Department is currently seeking clarification on a number of issues which would impact on the deliverability of this site in a timely manner. A technical assessment is underway on a second potential site option, which will include consultation with the Local Authority. Due to commercial sensitivities my Department cannot provide further information at this time.
1160. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education the dividends paid by State-owned enterprises under the remit of her Department in each of the past five years; the projected dividends to be received in 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41647/22]
View answerThere have been no dividends paid out by state-owned enterprises under the remit of the Department of Education in each of the past five years. It is not projected that any such dividends will be received in 2022 as the eleven bodies under the aegis of my Department are non-commercial state bodies.
