Vol. 1024 No. 5
6. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education the ongoing training that will be provided to current teachers to deliver appropriate education and supports to autistic children entering their school or class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34026/22]
I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, who sends her apologies for not being present. The Deputy is interested in the ongoing training that will be provided to current teachers to deliver appropriate education supports to autistic children entering their school or class. This has to do with the integration in mainstream classes of children with these kinds of additional needs.
The training of teachers is very important, particularly when we are talking about special education and before the opening of a special class. The initial teacher training includes modules on special education, which means qualified teachers are already able to support children with special education needs who are in a special class setting. Recognising that teachers in these classes may also wish to access additional training and supports, a range of departmental continuing professional development, CPD, and National Council for Special Education, NCSE, supports are also made available to those who wish to avail of them.
Prior to the opening of a class there is a programme of professional support for schools with newly established special classes, and that is being developed by the NCSE. That programme will be available to schools as soon as practicable upon the completion of the recruitment process. Some of the supports available include a seminar for principals, a four-day intensive training course for teachers, a two-day training course for new teachers, whole-staff CPD, and a school being linked with an NCSE adviser, which is critical for having a two-way communication channel. There are also further modules available.
After opening the special class, the NCSE provides a comprehensive programme of teacher professional learning seminars each school year, which cover a variety of special education needs topics. In-school support forms part of a suite of teacher professional learning provided by the NCSE in addition to a programme of seminars and online resources for teachers. Schools may apply directly to the NCSE for in-school support for the whole staff group and for individual teachers, and that support is tailored to the specific teacher professional learning needs within a school. I will come back to some of the resources that are available to teachers on topics in a minute.
I thank the Minister of State for her response and for the information she has imparted. Deputy Carroll MacNeill maintains that access to psychological training is necessary to help understand and better manage behaviours, especially overstimulation behaviours that might reflect the child's anxiety, and she is interested in what kind of training is made available to teachers in this area.
The Deputy asks if teachers will be given better training on special education, which the Minister of State has probably addressed already. Deputy Carroll MacNeill maintains it appears that teacher training involves a two-week placement in a special school. Will the Minister of State clarify the amount of time teachers spend in situ in special schools as part of their training? Is there a requirement to provide lesson plans, as is the case in other places? She maintains there is no such requirement and she is concerned about how the special classes will be staffed without proper training and a deep understanding of real inclusion. We often have children integrated in mainstream classes. What encouragement and supports are in place to enable teachers to get training in those circumstances?
In my reply I outlined some of the teacher training that takes place prior to the opening of a class. Subsequent to a class being opened, resources are provided on behaviour management, language and literacy, numeracy, metacognition, school self-evaluation, CPD audit tools, teaching methods and organisation, assessment, individualised planning, and co-teaching, and other seminars on inclusion are provided.
The Deputy specifically asked me, on behalf of Deputy Carroll MacNeill, about psychological support and particularly about autism training when we know that the main driver of special classes is autism. In March 2022, the Department published an interactive guidance document, Autism Good Practice Guidance for Schools, as a resource for schools and their teachers. That guidance document has been developed as a resource for schools to support the needs of students with autism and it aims to assist teachers and SNAs.
I thank the Minister of State for her comprehensive response. Is it mandatory for teachers who work with children with additional needs such as autism to have a specific level of training and qualification before they work with these children? If so, what is the extent of those qualifications and that training, certification and oversight?
I support the ongoing training that will be provided to teachers to deliver appropriate education and supports to autistic children entering their schools or classes. As the Minister of State knows, a proportion of our autistic children attend DEIS schools and they need these supports. Yesterday a lot of schools in Carlow got letters back from the Department to say they were not being changed from a DEIS band 2 to a DEIS band 1, and yet there are schools right beside them that have DEIS band 1 status that have the same families attending them. It is unacceptable that we are looking at schools that have put in an appeal that will not get the DEIS band 1 status. This is unfair for everyone involved.
I may let the Minister, Deputy Foley, answer Deputy Murnane O'Connor's query on DEIS schools if she has time at some point.
On training for teachers, the guidance was developed by an expert working group from the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, and it is important to say that. The Deputy was talking about the mandatory training and I mentioned that there are modules of special education in place already for qualified teachers, and that is part of the process of becoming a teacher. We are looking at all of this through the Teaching Council as well and we are making sure we have up-to-date CPD assistance. Both the professional development service for teachers and the national induction programme for teachers provide ongoing training from a postgraduate perspective in the postgraduate diploma programme, and there is another graduate certificate for the education of pupils on the autism spectrum for newly qualified teachers.
7. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education if her Department plans to establish a new special school in Midleton, County Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34894/22]
This is an issue I have been going on about for quite some time, and I know my colleague Deputy Buckley is also interested in this. That issue is the need to establish a special school in east Cork. We have children travelling long distances out of the area into Cork city, Dungarvan and so on and going on 100 km round trips every day. What plans are there to establish a special school in this large and highly populated area?
I know this is a matter of great concern to the Deputy and we have spoken about it on a good few occasions. I have made representations to the NCSE on the Deputy's behalf and it is aware of the fact we have spoken about this on numerous occasions. It has said it will compile a report on the need for a special school in Midleton and in the east Cork area. It will undertake a feasibility study for the area and establish if there is the need for additional provision in the area. The NCSE was of the view there was no need for such provision but it will undertake a feasibility study, based on the Deputy’s contributions in the Dáil and in the committee.
I know there has been a significant increase in special school places in the past year and we have 941 children in special schools in Cork. Having said that, I appreciate a lot of this is concentrated on the south of the city in Carrigaline and Rochestown. There is also provision for a new school in Glanmire that has recently been announced. I understand parents want to find a placement in a special school as near to where they are living as possible, and I know the Deputy has championed the need for a special school in east Cork.
I have instructed the NCSE and the Department to look further into this matter. Whatever about trying to get an appropriate placement for a child, which is the first thing we have to do, the second thing we have to consider is trying to get an appropriate placement in the locality. I can visit east Cork with the Deputy at any stage if that would be of assistance. Now that the NCSE is doing the feasibility study, it is to be hoped that will progress the matter further.
I thank the Minister of Stated for her interesting response and for her engagement with me on this. I want to encourage her to keep battling to try to get this done. Is she aware there was agreement a number of years ago to establish a special school and a premises was identified? Then, for other reasons outside of everyone's control, that premises was no longer available and the plan was dropped. There was an acknowledgement at that stage by the Department and the NCSE that there was a need for a special school in the area.
That need has not gone away; in fact, it has increased if anything.
I welcome the extra places in Glanmire and Carrigaline but they are a long distance from Aghada, Youghal and so on. People travel to Dungarvan from east Cork, which is almost a 100 km round trip. Does the Minister of State agree it is unfair that children with additional needs have to travel long distances out of their area and away from their locality while their brothers and sisters can go to a school down the road? A site is available in Midleton that I can tell the Minister of State about. It can be leased long term and they can put a school up there with planning in a short period of time. Will the Minister of State engage with us on this? The need is huge, has been there for quite some time and has not gone away.
It is important to stress that, wherever possible, the Department’s approach is to co-locate special schools on campus sites with other schools to maximise the opportunities for integration. The NCSE is only looking at an interim site for Rochestown. In that context, it will be looking for special school provision on the eastern side of Cork city also. I will make sure the NCSE is aware of the Deputy's comments on the absolute need for it.
He is right that there are children in that situation and we do not dispute the figures in the Ombudsman for Children's report in relation to children with special educational needs who have to travel to schools. We want that to be in the past and that is why we are publishing the special needs provision legislation, so we can compel schools to open special classes. We are doing much work with the Spiritan Education Trust as well around fee-charging schools in relation to special schools.
I thank the Minister of State and encourage and support the work she is doing to set up a special school in the area. I agree on integration but am aware that some special schools in Cork city, where these children have to go, have waiting lists, so we have children with no place. I appeal to the Minister of State to talk to the NCSE to get this work done quickly. I know what happens in Departments. They set up a study and another study, it goes on forever and nothing happens. We want a deadline on this.
There is a site available at the moment. The Minister of State could have a school up there in September 2023 if the decision was taken to do it. There are waiting lists in some of the schools, there is pressure on these parents and they already have so much stress dealing with children with intense additional needs. They need support and it is wrong, as the Minister of State agrees, that these children have to travel long distances away from their areas every day to get the support they need.
I thank Deputy Stanton for raising this important question regarding new special schools in Midleton. I have listened to the Minister of State's replies. I welcome anything positive but, as Deputy Stanton said, Glanmire to Rochestown is a long way with traffic, the tunnel and the whole lot for families to travel. We have massive population growth in east Cork, predominantly on the Midleton side towards Youghal. On top of that, I have often discussed the constituency database here and a fresh one will come out shortly from the latest census. From the last constituency database information, I can tell the Minister of State that over 14,500 people had a disability in the east Cork area.
I appeal to the Minister of State. We will work together. We do not have to play party politics all the time to get local representation for local people. I would support the Minister of State's suggestion of coming to Midleton, looking at the area and trying to resolve the issue as fast as possible.
As I said to Deputy Stanton, I would be happy to do that, perhaps with the NCSE, so we can see in real terms what is happening. The NCSE has committed to undertaking a feasibility study and is aware of the identified need for additional special education placements for students, particularly with autism, in Cork. I understand the Deputy's points that Rochestown and Carrigaline are a bit further away. There are other special schools like Mayfield, which is getting an additional 18 places, Carrigaline, Bishopstown and St. Gabriel's Special School. There are a number of special schools in Cork. We do not want children travelling if possible. We want to try to have a school in the location. I have no doubt that if the NCSE is satisfied there is an immediate need for this, it will take that seriously. We can talk to the planning and building unit once we get the outcome of the feasibility study, which I will ask to be expedited.
8. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education the current situation with respect to secondary school places in the east Cork area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34891/22]
As my colleague, Deputy Buckley, said just now, east Cork is experiencing rapid growth and the county development plan recently published indicates phenomenal growth in the area. I acknowledge the Minister visited east Cork recently. It was a welcome and successful visit. She met with the principals, visited two schools and they are still talking about it. There is a need for forward planning beginning now. Notwithstanding the excellent work done to date with extensions, new schools and so on, we need to do more. I am interested to hear what the Minister has to say.
As the Deputy will be aware, for school planning purposes the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a geographical information system to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including school enrolment data and information on residential development activity, is used for this purpose. Additionally, Project Ireland 2040 population and housing targets inform the Department's projections of school place requirements.
Having considered the projected requirements in each school planning area, the Department makes an assessment of existing capacity in that area and its ability to meet any increased demand. Where data indicates that additional provision is required at primary or post-primary level, the delivery of such is dependent on the circumstances of each case and may be provided through one or a combination of the following: utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools, extending the capacity of a school or schools and provision of a new school or schools.
The Department's projections of post-primary school place requirements in east Cork show continued growth in enrolments in the short to medium term across most areas, with most growth anticipated in the Midleton-Carrigtwohill school planning area. In response to projected future need and to enrolment pressures in the area, there has been significant capital investment by the Department in post-primary schools in east Cork.
While the Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in east Cork, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures arise, it may be the consequence of a number of issues, for example, duplication of applications; school of choice; where some towns or areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school they are not available to all pupils; or there may be an external draw of pupils coming from outside the local area.
The Department is working to establish the true extent of capacity issues through ongoing discussions with the relevant school authorities. In that context, similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, the Department is engaging with patron bodies, including patrons of schools in east Cork, to identify capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action.
I thank the Minister for her response. I know she is aware of the unrelenting pressure on principals all this year and in previous years with respect to waiting lists. At the start of this year, some schools had 300 children on the waiting list. I know there has been duplication of enrolment with many parents applying to more than one school because they were concerned about not getting a place. I understand there are children who still have not got a place. Taking into account the huge projected growth in housing in the area, there is a need for further planning.
Carrigtwohill community school has finally started. I congratulate the Minister and her team for that. It is fantastic. I wrote to the Minister on this last week. The educate together school in east Cork is looking for a secondary school and there is an opportunity to use the old secondary school in Carrigtwohill to establish a secondary school for educate together. I know the Minister is familiar with this. It is in temporary accommodation. Will the Minister ask her officials to examine this possibility? It could happen as early as 2023 but we need to start planning ahead for it now.
We keep everything under constant review in terms of demand for places. It is important to point out there has been significant development in the east Cork area. The Deputy referenced Carrigtwohill Community College. That will be a new school building which will cater for 1,000 pupils plus 3 SEN classes and it is being delivered under the Department's design and build programme. It is currently at stage 4. The letter of acceptance issued to the preferred tender on 1 June, commencing the school building contract for the school, as the Deputy has acknowledged.
The Department has approved a grant to St. Aloysius' College, Carrigtwohill, to facilitate its expansion to cater for 1,000 pupils and two special educational needs, SEN, classes. The project has been devolved to the school authority for delivery and is at stage 1. The Department has approved a grant to Pobalscoil na Tríonóide in Youghal to facilitate its expansion to cater for 1,200 pupils and two SEN classes. The project has been devolved to the school authority for delivery. There is to be an extension to Coláiste an Phiarsaigh in Glanmire to cater for 1,000 pupils and two SEN classes. There is a building project to expand the capacity of Carrignafoy Community College to cater for 600 pupils and three SEN classes. This is being delivered by the patron, Cork Education and Training Board. The project is at stage 1. A devolved grant has been approved to facilitate the expansion of Coláiste Muire, Cobh, to include two SEN classes. Considerable progress is being made in this area.
I thank the Minister and acknowledge the massive amount of work that is being done. Many of these schools are already bursting at the seams and are almost oversubscribed with students, so we are running fast to stand still. The work is very welcome and I am not decrying it in any way but we need to be proactive in our forward planning.
I again ask the Minister whether she will ask her officials to examine the possibility of using this now empty premises, which is of very high quality and well appointed, as a place for an Educate Together secondary school in east Cork. That could start as soon as September 2023. Many of the projects the Minister is talking about will not be in place for quite a bit of time. We know how long it takes to get building off the ground from our experience of Carrigtwohill. This proposal could take a lot of the pressure off in the short term while providing parents with the second level Educate Together school they are asking for and want. A report, which I know the Minister has on her desk, was issued by the parents and board of management of the Educate Together primary school in March 2021 regarding the secondary school crisis in east Cork. This shows the great need, which will only grow in light of the thousands of houses that are earmarked for building in east Cork and which are about to be started.
I thank Deputy Stanton for raising the very important issue of extra places in secondary schools. I welcome everything the Minister has said. The development of the campus in Carrigtwohill is very positive. She mentioned Youghal, Cobh and a couple of other areas. Doing some maths quickly, I see there are to be approximately 3,000 extra places. At least the Department has acknowledged that the area is growing rapidly.
I echo Deputy Stanton's sentiment with regard to Educate Together. It has a very solid plan and is very driven. There also seems to be demand for a secondary school. As Deputy Stanton has said, we must be proactive rather than reactive on this issue. I have already mentioned that, with the constituency database, we will have more statistics on age demographics and so on. The stress on parents and families at the moment is immense. I would welcome any improvement with regard to additional secondary school places. Deputy Stanton and I are very aware that some secondary schools in Midleton cannot build up or out. Additional places are not on the cards this year. I appeal to the Minister for us to work together on this.
I thank Deputies Stanton and Buckley and acknowledge their ongoing interest in this area. I also acknowledge the ongoing commitment of, and ongoing discussions with, Deputy O'Connor with regard to east Cork. As I have said, I am very familiar with the area and am very conscious of its growth and development. I appreciate the Deputies' acknowledgment of the significant investment the Department is making in the east Cork area. It speaks for itself. When I list the schools, it is very obvious we are committed to delivering the resources required in the area.
As I said to the Deputies previously, it is also important to acknowledge we keep everything under review within the Department. We constantly seek to reach out where there are issues. I acknowledge the co-operation of the schools with regard to the sharing of information, which has been very positive and helpful. We will continue to engage on the ground and to keep under review the information that is coming our way under the geographic information system, GIS. We are committed to ensure anything required in any school area, including the east Cork area, is provided.
10. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the delay in the publication of leaving certificate examination results until early September 2022, which will cause immense difficulty for students seeking accommodation away from home and for students who may have been allocated places internationally, conditional on a certain starting date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34923/22]
I ask the Minister about the leaving certificate results being delayed for the third year in a row, to 2 September on this occasion. As I am sure the Minister knows, this will create a crisis for students seeking accommodation and will present real difficulties for those studying abroad and real problems for those with disabilities who are to go through an access programme, these programmes normally starting a week earlier than the regular college year.
As the Deputy will be aware, the State Examinations Commission, SEC, has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the leaving certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission and the Department of Education are acutely aware of the needs of candidates and other stakeholders in regard to the provision of leaving certificate results, and the State Examinations Commission has being doing everything it can to ensure results are delivered as soon as possible.
The intended date of Friday, 2 September, is in line with the date leaving certificate results issued to students in both 2020 and 2021. Some 131,000 candidates are undertaking State examinations this year, which represents an increase of 6% on the last time a full set of junior cycle and leaving certificate examinations were run, in 2019.
There are significant factors which, when taken together, meant it was not previously possible for the SEC to give a planned date for the issuing of leaving certificate results. These factors included the holding of a deferred sitting of leaving certificate examinations for students who experienced close family bereavement, suffered serious injury or illness, or were unable to present for an examination on public health grounds due to Covid-19; the commitment that the overall set of results in 2022 would be no lower, in the aggregate, than the 2021 results; and the availability of sufficient numbers of examiners to mark written examinations. In addition, as with other years, sufficient time must be allowed for an extensive range of checks and quality assurance procedures in advance of the issue of the results. These are required to ensure the highest standards possible are maintained. The State Examinations Commission has an absolute responsibility to examination candidates to ensure their work is marked to the highest standards of quality and integrity, and the commission must be able to stand over the results it issues each year.
In March of this year, officials from my Department and the SEC briefed the further and higher education sector on challenges that could arise this summer. Over the past two years, by working collectively with education stakeholders, it was possible for the further and higher education system to respond to the needs of students wishing to continue their education and training. I am confident this will be the case again in 2022. In similar fashion to the past two years, contacts with international counterparts are taking place and will continue over the summer to ensure Irish students continue to have all options available to them.
Just because it happened last year and the year before, it does not mean it is okay. Is this going to be the norm now? The Covid situation this year is quite different from the situation last year or the year before. The norm previously was for results to be out in the middle of August. This still left students in a difficult situation with regard to getting accommodation but it was more doable. It is now left extremely late in the context of the existing accommodation crisis, which includes a crisis in student accommodation. It is putting people under very substantial pressure.
I do not really believe the reasons given by the SEC and the Minister stand up. The provision of a deferred sitting for those who experienced a close family bereavement was mentioned. That accounts for a relatively small number of cases. I do not see why it would have to delay the results. The Minister also mentioned giving effect to her commitment that the results would be no lower, in the aggregate, than last year's. That commitment was made last February. It seems the issue is again fundamentally one of planning. We knew all of these things were happening. Why were plans not put in place to avoid this situation?
I reiterate that, irrespective of the Deputy's views, we are still in a Covid environment. For that reason, appropriate provision had to be made for students, taking that environment into account. That is exactly what students, their families and the school communities wanted. That is equally true with regard to our achievement in previous years. It is remarkable that, throughout the Covid pandemic, we have found opportunities for students through the calculated grades process in 2020, the accredited grades process with the offer of a seated examination for students last year, which was almost unique in the world, and the full sitting of the examination this year with accommodation for a second sitting. It is also important the commitment was given to students that the overall results in 2022 would be no lower, in the aggregate, than the 2021 results. It is important the State Examinations Commission can stand over the integrity of the examinations. It is not possible for the work to be done to ensure the grade profile for 2022 matches the 2021 profile until all examinations are completed.
It is important from the students' point of view and the school communities' point of view that the imprimatur of the State Examinations Commission is provided for these exams.
I agree we are still in a Covid environment. I often find I am the one pointing that out. It is the Government that is getting rid of long Covid leave. It is the Department of Education that is telling very high-risk individuals they have to go back to the workplace. Clearly, we are in a different situation than we were last year or the year before.
Regardless of the reasons, will the Minister in her response focus on what the Department is going to do to mitigate and minimise the bad effects as a consequence? What is the plan to assist students with getting accommodation? What is the plan for those with disabilities who are accessing education through the higher education access route, HEAR, or the disability access route to education, DARE? What will happen with the orientation weeks? What action is the Department going to take to assist students who are planning to study abroad? Has there been contact with UCAS in the UK and the equivalent bodies internationally to explain that the results will be delayed, in order to protect the places of those waiting for their leaving certificate results?
We all understand the logistics leading to the lateness in the leaving certificate results, but it is causing a huge amount of heartache. A family have contacted me as a young woman has been offered a course in the Netherlands that must be accepted on 26 August. She has also been offered a course in Coleraine that has to be accepted on 1 September. The first round of CAO offers will not happen until 8 September. We can all see the logistical difficulties in that. The Minister must communicate with international partners, UCAS and individual colleges in the North to ensure the likes of this student are not put out and do not end up in bad circumstances when that can be avoided.
I salute the work of school communities, students and families, as well as the State Examinations Commission, in ensuring our students have this pathway forward. In March of this year, officials from the Department of Education and the State Examinations Commission briefed the further and higher education sector on challenges that could arise this summer, particularly with regard to the release of results. The further and higher education sector made provision in this regard last year and I have every confidence it will do likewise this year. Those discussions took place in March so notification was provided as to the challenges there. It is my understanding the results date is within the UCAS timeframe.
Regarding international students, in a similar fashion to the past two years, we have taken a very proactive approach. I have written personally to my European counterparts on the matter. That worked very successfully in previous years and I have every confidence it will work again this year. Where there are specific issues, students can raise them directly with the college but there is also an email address they can write to if there is a particular difficulty. That is available on gov.ie.
11. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Education if she will review the decision to not re-evaluate a school (details supplied) and its grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34025/22]
My colleague Deputy Carroll MacNeill sends her apologies. She asked me to raise this issue about a decision to re-evaluate a school and its grounds.
My Department has had engagement from both St. Laurence College and its trustees, Le Chéile Schools Trust, in respect of the school property. The school and trustees have indicated their willingness to support the Department in meeting educational needs in the area. This is very positive and welcome. The school has committed to making both mainstream places and places for pupils with special educational needs available. This proactive and positive approach to providing for pupils with special educational needs must be commended and it is very welcomed. In support of this provision for pupils with special educational needs, the Department has approved capital funding to provide the necessary accommodation under the additional school accommodation scheme. As part of this project, the Department has also approved the provision of specialist rooms to support the school in its delivery of the curriculum to all of its students.
As Deputy Carroll MacNeill will be aware, the school is located in an area that is undergoing significant growth, especially within the nearby Cherrywood strategic development zone. Such development is considered as part of the Department’s strategic planning for school accommodation needs. The Department’s strategic planning utilises a geographical information system and uses data from a range of sources, including enrolment data, school transfer patterns, census statistics, information on current and planned residential development and Project Ireland 2040 housing and population targets. Analysis of capacity at existing schools also forms part of the Department’s planning process, as well as the potential for expansion of schools in each area.
The Department also works closely with local authorities in respect of their statutory planning processes, including with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, where it has incorporated appropriate schools provision as part of the Cherrywood planning scheme. This scheme includes four primary school sites and two post-primary school sites, intended to meet the education needs of the new population in Cherrywood. The first school, a primary school, Cherrywood Educate Together National School, opened in September 2020. The establishment of two further schools has been announced and planning in that regard is advancing in tandem with the pace of residential development. However, my Department continues to keep school accommodation requirements under review in all areas, in consideration of primary, post-primary and special educational needs. Additionally, under Project Ireland 2040 there will be an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of existing school stock, including an energy retrofit programme.
The Minister has answered all my questions in that comprehensive and positive response. I thank her for that.
14. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Education her plans to expand the eligibility criteria for school transport in answer to the demonstrated need as a response to the need for climate action and as a way to mitigate increases in the cost of living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34896/22]
I have raised the issue of school transport with the Minister on previous occasions. What are the plans to expand the eligibility criteria for school transport to respond to the demonstrated need, as a response to the need for climate action and as a way to mitigate increases in the cost of living?
School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, more than 121,400 children, including in excess of 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. The cost in 2021 was more than €289 million. It is worth noting that in recent years the number of children using the scheme has increased by in excess of 8,000. During the previous academic year, there was an increase in capacity to cater for more than 1,700 additional pupils arriving from Ukraine.
As the Deputy is aware, the Department commenced a review of the school transport scheme in February 2021. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme and how it operates, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and whether it adequately supports the provision of services to students and their families. The review will also consider the objectives of the school transport scheme in the context of other Government policies as they relate to school transport and, in particular, the potential of the school transport scheme to promote sustainability in transport, reduce car journeys and support rural development.
The review encompasses the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs. The review of the primary and post-primary school transport schemes will examine each element of the schemes and include eligibility criteria, trends, costs, cost drivers, and overall effectiveness in meeting the objectives of the schemes. The review will also examine the potential for integration of different strands of the scheme and a more co-ordinated approach with other Departments. Following commencement of this review, the steering group presented me with an initial interim report. Following consideration of this report, I approved the extension of temporary alleviation measures for the 2021-22 school year for transport for post-primary students who were otherwise eligible for school transport but were attending their second nearest school and had applied and paid on time.
Wider considerations relating to operation of the scheme are now taking place in the next phase of the review, which is under way. The technical working group has undertaken extensive consultation over recent months, including running a public survey for parents or guardians and students who use the service, as well as those who do not use the service but who would like to. These engagements have yielded extensive data, which are now being considered. The group has also consulted a broad array of stakeholders, including schools, special education interest groups, industry representatives and other Departments.
I acknowledge the flexibility that has been increasingly built into the school transport system. This is less about expanding school transport and more about intensifying it.
Can the Minister get to the bottom of the occupancy rate of school buses? Are they operating half full, three quarters full, or are they full to capacity? I have raised specific locations around Waterford and Tramore where a school bus passes by the door of people who want to get to school. They do not fall outside the eligibility criteria, but almost inside, since they are too close to the school. If a school bus is passing that is not at full occupancy, can flexibility and an option for public transport be provided that addresses cost-of-living issues and our climate objectives?
I am conscious of one of the motivations of this review, since I come from a rural county and know about its importance and its potential. That motivation is to ensure that we are meeting the needs of students and families, that we are providing opportunities, and that we have a clear emphasis on value for money. We also want to ensure we are conscious of accessibility for students and of encouraging families to use buses and public transport as opposed to family cars. The Deputy referred to the cost of living. Just recently, conscious of the cost of living, there have been lower caps for multiple children, with a reduction in the cost of utilising the school transport system from €650 to €500 for secondary school children, and €200 to €150 for primary school children. The reason for the review is ensuring that we have a service to meet the needs.
I do not expect the Minister to have the figures in front of her because the question is tangential to the one I tabled. Could the Department come back to me with the occupancy figures for the buses and whether they are full, three quarters or half full? If we are trying to get value for money for the taxpayer, the closer to full occupancy we can get, notwithstanding public health guidelines etc. the better. A fuller bus is more cost efficient to run.
Another matter I want to raise is tangential to what I raised in my initial question. It arises from discussions I have had with Bus Éireann and applies to many users, including me. My first experience of public transport was when I was aged six, seven or eight, going to Butlerstown national school. I am not sure it was an extremely positive experience of public transport. Can there be investment in the public transport fleet so that the first experience of public transport is positive, with a good quality bus that operates to the highest standards?
I underline the importance of this service. I am under no illusions about it and appreciate that the Deputy is not either. A significant service is being provided. More than 121,400 students avail of it. We intend to maximise use of the service. In recent years, more than 8,000 more students have availed of the service. Our objective is to ensure the maximum number of students are facilitated to avail of the school transport system. We can see benefits all round for families, the environment and so much more. The review engages all stakeholders, the general public, school communities, providers of the service and others. All aspects and the point the Deputy raised are being looked at.
16. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if she will review the eligibility criteria for the deferred leaving certificate examinations to ensure that students who have a unforeseen medical emergency while sitting an examination are eligible for deferred sittings; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34589/22]
Will the Minister review the eligibility criteria for the deferred leaving certificate examinations to ensure students who have an unforeseen medical emergency while sitting the examinations are eligible for deferred sittings? Will she make a statement on the matter?
The State Examinations Commission, SEC, has responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations and has provided me with the following information. Candidates experience many forms of trauma and adversity, such as serious illness and bereavement, around the time of the leaving certificate examinations and may be sitting examinations at a time that is not optimal for them. For the 2022 leaving certificate examinations, the SEC is providing an extended scheme of deferred examinations within the policy context of the scheme of reasonable accommodations at the certificate examinations, RACE. RACE was originally established to support students with a complex variety of special educational needs in accessing the examinations each year. As well as providing accommodations for candidates with permanent or enduring special needs, the RACE scheme also provides for emergency situations that occur during the examinations each year.
Until 2019, candidates who missed their leaving certificate examinations due to bereavement, or for any other reason, had no option but to sit their examinations the following year. Deferred examinations were first held in 2019 for candidates who experienced bereavement of a close family member. Prior to the pandemic, the SEC had been considering the broader issue of how best to support candidates experiencing different forms of trauma and adversity at examination time. This included consultation with stakeholders, as well as research into practices in other jurisdictions.
For the 2022 leaving certificate, the commission has considerably extended the eligibility for the deferred examinations to candidates unable to sit their examinations in the main sitting due to serious accident, injury or illness. Candidates who are absent from examinations on public health grounds due to Covid-19 also have access to deferred examinations. The overarching principles in providing deferred examinations to those who need them include safeguarding integrity and maintaining confidence in the leaving certificate to ensure equity and fairness for all candidates.
Every effort will continue to be made by the SEC and by schools to accommodate candidates who suffer bereavement, illness, or other trauma either immediately before or during the examinations. In addition, the longstanding arrangements under the RACE scheme to support candidates in taking their examinations as scheduled include sitting the examinations in special centres or in hospital, provision of rest breaks, and timetable alterations. These arrangements are available to candidates ineligible for deferred examinations.
I want to quote from a press release from Epilepsy Ireland last week, following the announcement that a young man had to leave his examination after an emergency. It stated, "A seizure is a seizure, whether it happens an hour before the exam or during the exam, it has the same impact on you." My question is specifically about people who have to leave examinations during the examination. I wrote to the Minister about an issue last week where a young man had to leave his history examination after experiencing acute appendicitis. That young man was initially told that he would not be able to repeat the leaving certificate examination, which he had to leave in agony. Following a sustained campaign by his family on social media and politicians getting involved, he was then allowed to sit the deferred examination. We are asking for a simple change of policy that lets people who experience these extreme situations during an examination know that they do not have to go on social media to relive that pain and agony just to be able to resit an examination. Can we offer a change of policy?
To be clear, the SEC has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. I am cognisant of the unique circumstances we find ourselves in this year, particularly due to Covid. I have been an advocate from the beginning that there should be a second sitting of the examination. I am mindful that students should have the maximum opportunity to showcase their talents. The second sitting of the examination allows for that, particularly if there is a case of Covid, a significant medical emergency, a family bereavement or something of that nature. In light of all that we have experienced this year, it is important to have a review of how the scheme operates and how this particular sitting of deferred examinations has operated. There should be a review that engages all stakeholders. The SEC is committed to that.
The second sitting of examinations is welcome. There are some issues with its deployment but we can talk about that on a different day. The question I am asking today is about what happens when a person experiences a medical emergency during the examination. The SEC previously stated that people would not be able to resit the examination. There was a welcome change last week during an individual case. Epilepsy Ireland has highlighted this issue for many years. We are asking for a policy change to reflect that and this individual case. I understand the Minister says it is the SEC's responsibility, but she is the leader in education. Can we have a full review and a change of the policy to ensure that people know that if they go into an examination fearful of experiencing an issue such as an epileptic fit, they can resit the exam without having to take to social media or lobby politicians and finally get an outcome that they should have had anyway?
I thank the Deputy. Again, I want to be clear. I have never been ambiguous around the fact that I am an advocate of students getting the maximum opportunity to showcase their talents and present themselves in the best possible light at every step in education, including in the leaving certificate exam. I have said very clearly that there will be a review of the operation of the scheme. This is right and proper. There has been great learning, this year and previously, and I believe we need to look at these learnings going forward. At the centre of it must be the opportunity for students to perform to their best capacity. This review, which will take place under the auspices of the SEC, will be very helpful and will provide direction going forward.
