Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2023
320. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education the plans she has to ensure children attending Gaelscoileanna at primary level have the opportunity to continue their learning through Irish at second level; her views on whether this is important; the actions she is taking to ensure children can progress from Gaelscoileanna at primary level to second level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26275/23]
View answer321. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education the plans she has to ensure that pupils attending Gaelscoileanna in counties Roscommon and Galway and on their borders, such as in Carrick-on-Shannon or Athlone, will be able to receive their post-primary education in the same language as their primary education where that is their parents' wish, in the same way that those attending English-language schools are catered for in that language at secondary level. [26276/23]
View answer322. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education her plans to make primary education through Irish available in the larger urban areas in County Roscommon (details supplied) in the same way as it has been made available in all the main towns of other counties of a similar size and, in some cases, smaller populations. [26277/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 320 to 322, inclusive, together.
New schools are established by the Department on the basis of identified demographic demand in an area, and only after consideration of the capacity of existing schools to absorb the expected school place demand.
In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, the Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date information on significant new residential development in each area. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes.
Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools.
A patronage process is run after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required. The New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG) is an external independent advisory group which was set up in 2011 to advise me on the patronage of new schools. The patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons.
An Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) provides objective information to parents in the relevant school planning areas to assist them in making an informed choice about their preferred model of patronage and language of instruction for the new school.
A prospective patron can choose the school(s) it wishes to apply for and complete an application form in that regard for each school, for submission to the Department. The Department provides details on the OPPS of the school(s) and the list of applicant patrons which have applied for patronage of the school(s).
Parents access the OPPS website, which allows them to access the appropriate survey for their area, to input the details of the eligible child(ren) and to select their preferred patron and language of instruction (where applicable). Parental preferences, as well as other considerations such as the extent of diversity of provision in an area (including Irish-medium provision), are key to the decision-making process and to whether, at primary level, a school would take the form of an Irish-medium Gaelscoil, at post-primary level, a school would take the form of an Irish-medium Gaelcholáiste or whether, if English-medium, the school would include an Irish-medium unit or “Aonad”.
Work on the development of a new policy for Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht is now underway in the Department.
The policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht will be part of the overall framework of the 20-year Strategy for the Irish language 2010-2030 and will build on the achievements of the Policy on Gaeltacht Education 2017-2022. The policy will be an important step towards achieving the Programme for Government commitments on Irish-language education.
The key objectives of the policy are in accordance with the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 and the Programme for Government 2020 and include:
- provision of a framework for the delivery of high-quality Irish-medium education in Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí and in Irish-medium early learning and care settings (for example, naíonraí) outside of the Gaeltacht
- increasing the proportion of children and young people attending Irish-medium schools, including by building on the foundations laid in Irish-medium early learning and care settings (for example, naíonraí)
- exploring how opportunities for the establishment of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí can be increased as part of the patronage process
- developing a clear policy on the establishment and sustainability of Aonaid/Sruthanna (units/streams) in existing English-medium post-primary schools to strengthen Irish-medium education provision
- examining how the supply of teachers and other staff with a high standard of Irish can be increased to meet demand in Irish-medium education settings
- looking at ways to deepen community engagement around Irish-medium schools and early learning and care settings.
A public consultation process was launched on 27 October 2022 to gather the views of stakeholders, including young people, parents, education professionals, education stakeholders and Irish-language organisations. The first phase of this consultation, which included an online questionnaire and a call for written submissions, concluded on 30 January 2023. Responses to the questionnaire and the call for submissions are currently being analysed.
Further phases of the consultation will commence shortly, and will involve further engagement with stakeholders in the form of focus groups, bilateral meetings and a Policy Forum.
A Steering Committee has been established with representatives from relevant Government Departments and Agencies to oversee the development of the policy. The following bodies are represented on the Steering Committee:
The Department of Education
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
The Inspectorate
An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta
Foras na Gaeilge
The Teaching Council
The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment
National Council for Special Education.
A number of actions are being taken to ensure that the new policy will be informed by current research:
- A review of national and international literature has been commissioned through a public procurement process and is being carried out by Sealbhú, DCU.
- A report giving an overview of provision for Irish-medium education outside of Gaeltacht areas was compiled and published by the Department.
- Research on Irish-medium Aonaid and Sruthanna (Units and Streams) in English-medium schools is being carried out on behalf of the Department.
- Two composite reports on inspection findings on the quality of educational provision in Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, covering the period 2017 to 2020, were published in spring 2021. These reports provide a helpful insight into relevant themes related to practice in schools.
It is expected that the new policy will be published before the end of 2023. Timelines will depend on the outcome of the consultation process and on the recommendations from the review of national and international research currently being conducted on behalf of the department by Sealbhú in DCU.
