Vol. 1063 No. 6
1. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education if she is aware of the concerns raised by school leaders in relation to the accelerated roll-out of senior cycle reform; if she accepts that the accelerated timeline does not allow enough time for essential preparations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8924/25]
As this is the first ministerial questions session, I wish the Minister and Minister of State the best of luck in their roles. This is a very important time and I hope we can make progress.
Is the Minister aware of the concerns raised by school leaders with regard to the accelerated roll-out of senior cycle reform, if she accepts that the accelerated timeline does not allow enough time for essential preparations and if she will make a statement on the matter?
I look forward to working with all colleagues, particularly in this area. I thank the Deputy for asking this question as it is an important and live issue, in particular for students who will sit the leaving certificate in the years ahead. It is for this reason that, in the last few weeks, I have met nearly all the unions and representative bodies representing teachers, principals, schools in general, boards of management, parents and, importantly, students. These conversations were not just about senior cycle reform. What was clear when it came to senior cycle reform is that we are all on the same page and want to ensure we have a senior cycle that is modern, fit for purpose and, above all, prepares our young people for the world we live in today.
What is also clear and what we all agree on is that we need to support our teachers and schools in rolling out that programme. I am absolutely committed to continuing the programme of reform of senior cycle to ensure that students benefit from up-to-date curriculums, more diverse skills development and assessments and that we also reduce stress levels. I am also absolutely committed to working with schools, school leaders and teachers in that regard.
The world is changing rapidly and it is essential for all of us to properly equip students to succeed in this changing world. The approach to senior cycle redevelopment is about collaboration and engagement with our stakeholders and partners in education to try to deliver this. That engagement commenced back in 2016 and there has been detailed engagement and consultation since then. In 2023, it was announced that the first tranche of two new subjects and seven revised subjects would be introduced in schools in September of this year. Therefore, the first class taking these new and updated subjects will complete their leaving certificate in 2027.
The introduction of the new assessment models will help students to develop new skills and reduce the amount of pressure on students. This builds on what is already in place across 28 of the 40 curricular leaving certificate subjects. This is not new when it comes to the additional assessment component but we are trying to modernise and ensure that it applies to the vast majority of subjects.
I welcome the fact that the Minister has met stakeholders. It is important that she meets all of the stakeholders in the sector at the earliest opportunity. If she has met them, she must surely have heard their concerns. I have not heard that reflected in her response thus far but they will have detailed them to her. They relate to a range of areas, principally capacity and preparedness, whether in terms of the development of curriculums, the readiness of schools in terms of IT, laboratories and the capacity to take on these changes. The Minister said there is a commitment, as I believe there is, to make this happen in the right way but that takes time and capacity. Is she hearing that from the stakeholders and, if so, how is she responding?
I think our stakeholders have outlined a number of things clearly. First, they want to ensure teachers feel appropriately trained and equipped because they want to ensure they are giving their best and students get the best outcomes. A number of training programmes have been developed and delivered already and my intention is to try to intensify that and provide even more supports and resources for teachers.
Second, it is about ensuring schools and equipment, particularly for the science subjects, are up to speed. While schools have been given a science implementation support grant, which means that some schools are getting funding ranging from €13,000 to €24,000, with our DEIS schools receiving an additional 10% uplift, I am looking to see if we can provide more to ensure our schools have the equipment they need. We have other programmes, in particular drama, film and theatre studies, where schools have to get cameras, lighting and audio, computer and staging equipment. All of these elements are being provided.
Third, there is an issue or concern around artificial intelligence. AI is here and the technology is here to stay but teachers want to know how to use it and incorporate it into how students are working, as well as how they should assess it. There is guidance in place but my Department is working with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, to ensure we have even more guidance prepared for our teachers.
We have spent more time identifying those issues than on spelling out exactly what the timeline will be between now and September for teachers, in the main, and, related to that, for school communities, parents and, most important, students embarking on this new programme from September, if that is the timeline. That detail has to be spelled out to school communities and school leaders at the earliest possible opportunity. If that timeline is not there or there is no schedule to roll it out for this September, the pause button will need to be pressed. I am not convinced from what I have heard so far this morning that such a necessary and detailed plan is there or that a plan for its implementation is in place. If it is not going to be ready, there is a real and continuing risk that this is going to be a very negative experience for all concerned.
The most important thing here is that students benefit from the updated curriculums. In order to support teachers, I have asked my Department to intensify engagement. There are meetings happening on a weekly, if not biweekly, basis to ensure we look at how we can provide more and additional training, to ask if more resources need to be provided, to look at how we ensure that clear guidance is in place when it comes to AI and, above all, to ensure that teachers, principals, schools and, in particular, students are supported to avail of what I believe will be a very important transformation for them. There will also be the publication of papers at the beginning of April. Exam papers are usually printed the year before. In this case, it will be done two years before the exams and there will be four papers for each subject, two papers at each level, in Gaeilge and Béarla. This means there will be 72 papers published. It is very important to show the type of exams, projects and assessments that will be coming down the line also. I am absolutely committed to supporting schools, school leaders, teachers and students to ensure they get the best out of this and are as prepared as they can be. This is a very important reform, as we all agree.
2. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education if she agrees that the demographics are such in Dublin 15 that there is a need to maintain a school (details supplied) at its existing location and for extra capacity in the Tyrellstown area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7671/25]
I know the Minister is new to her brief so she may not be familiar with these locations. With regard to Ériu Community College, the Department of Education took an arbitrary decision to move the school from its temporary location to an area 8 km away until such time as it gets its permanent location. The Minister knows that in a suburban area of Dublin, that has a huge impact. I ask her to change that decision. That is a huge demand from the community.
I thank the Deputy for raising this question. I appreciate, particularly in areas of huge growth, how important it is to have an adequate number of schools and schools adjacent to and near where students are living. That is the most important thing.
My Department has a robust forward planning process which considers population and enrolment data. When it comes to the Dublin 15 area, the Department tells me there is sufficient post-primary school capacity to cater for the existing population. Looking ahead it is also making sure we are looking at projected population expansion, new developments and other people who may come into the area. One relevant indicator is that there are more first-year places available in the existing post-primary schools than there are sixth-class pupils living in the Dublin 15 area.
Furthermore, officials in my Department have an ongoing engagement with Fingal County Council in respect of planning new residential developments. Based on this available information and other elements, the school capital projects in the existing schools building programme are expected to cater for the projected additional school place demands resulting from such developments. My Department is satisfied there is no requirement for a new school in that area. However, it has established that there is currently considerable movement of Dublin 15 pupils out of the local communities in which they live to attend post-primary schools. This is most acute in the Mulhuddart-Tyrellstown planning area where enrolment numbers are significantly lower than the school-going population. There are currently more than 1,000 post-primary school pupils leaving this area each day to attend school in other parts of Dublin 15.
Ériu Community College, as the Deputy mentioned, was established in 2020 on an interim basis in Dublin 15. This was in response to the identified deficit of local capacity. My Department has determined that Hollywoodrath is the most appropriate permanent location for this school and will provide much-needed capacity in the Mulhuddart-Tyrellstown area, while freeing up capacity in other schools in Dublin 15. That assists in addressing the imbalance of post-primary school capacity across the area. I will refer to the other schools where we know there is additional capacity.
The reality is that both areas need secondary schools. I will give the demographics. With all due respect, the Department of Education has had an inglorious history of misplanning educational need in this area and, I am sure, in many others. Ongar, where Ériu Community College is currently located, had the highest birth rate in 2024, according to the CSO. Some 32% of the population is under 18, so where are they to go to school? The only school in the area is at capacity. Fingal, overall, has the youngest population in the country, so there is going to be a massive need for schools in all locations. I know the need in Tyrellstown, which is an area in which my daughter went to school. It needs a school as well. That is the reality. We are asking the Minister to stop the penny-pinching. People should not have to campaign for schools. They should be able to get a school. There are no transport links whatever between both areas.
I will outline the capacity that exists in that area. Hansfield Educate Together Secondary School was established for 1,000 pupils. It has 848 pupils enrolled at present. Edmund Rice College, which was established for 1,000 pupils, has 813 pupils enrolled at present. An extension planned for Castleknock Community College will provide approximately 200 additional places. That is essentially a school between the three colleges which have capacity. In addition, there is scope for further expansion in the existing post-primary schools should additional places be required. It seems the demand and need are in the Tyrellstown area, where 1,000 pupils are leaving the area to go to other schools. The intention was that this school would never be permanent. It was to be a temporary base until the new school was developed. I appreciate this might impact the students who are currently in the school, as the Deputy mentioned. They are moving 9 km away. However, by the time the permanent school is built, the majority of those will have moved on. The class of 2027-28 will be new. However, the transition for those who are left will have to be carefully managed. The Department will continue to review this. As the Deputy said, we have to do that because demographics change over time.
We are way over time.
There are TDs in the area from the Minister's own party demanding the schools. This is not just the Opposition. There is unanimity that both locations need schools. If the Minister is telling parents they have to go to Tyrellstown from the Ongar catchment, which is a different catchment, does she have transport lined up? I have already sent her Department a group of parents who have no transport between these areas. They cannot get school transport and there is no bus link. The reality is that this is penny-pinching by the Minister's Department. There is no other reason. It will be a blow to Dublin 15 to cede that this school will move, because we need schools in both locations and we are sick, sore and tired of having to have public meetings and protests for mainstream schools. I will say nothing of the fact that there is a task force in Dublin 15 on special education. The Minister has already demonstrated that her Department cannot plan educational provision in the area. This is yet another example and we want her to reverse this decision.
The reason that Ériu Community College is moving back is that there are 1,000 pupils moving out of the Mulhuddart-Tyrellstown area every day to attend other parts of the school. I appreciate the Deputy's point that other parts of the community are expanding and growing. The Department has to plan ahead looking at the data it has and is available. To plan for school provision, you have to look at the demographic data. It is divided into 314 different school areas from a range of sources. There is the CSO data, the child benefit data, school enrolment data as well as developments in the local authorities. The Deputy has outlined it is a young and growing population. This is taken into consideration when there is a new development and new schools are being looked at and, in particular, what area they should go into. It is on that basis that these decisions have been taken, but I am open to this because I know in the south of Meath in my home county there has been a massive growth in population. Where we need additional schools to those that have already been planned, we need to always keep these figures and projections under review. It will take time for this school to move to its new location, so the students the Deputy has mentioned will most likely serve their school time-----
Thank you, Minister, we are way over.
-----and finish their schooling in the area they are currently in. Of course, any issues around transport and so on have to be addressed.
3. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education what additional demand for special class and special school places for September 2025 is now anticipated at primary and secondary school level; what measures she is taking to ensure the necessary school buildings, staff and resources are in place to meet that demand; if emergency measures are expected; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8925/25]
I ask the Minister about school places in south County Meath. We will need additional places in Dunshaughlin for this September. What additional demand for special class and special school places for September 2025 is now anticipated at primary and secondary school level? What measures is the Minister taking to ensure the necessary school buildings, staff and resources are in place to meet that demand, if emergency measures are expected, and if she will make a statement on the matter?
I thank the Deputy for the question, and I look forward to working with everybody in this role for the betterment of all because there are, as always, huge challenges in education, which is the bedrock of our society.
The Government is fully committed to children with special educational needs to fulfil their full potential and the programme for Government makes a number of commitments to deliver this objective. Up to an additional 2,700 specialist places, made up of 400 new special classes for an average of six children each and 300 special school places, will be provided for the coming year. The NCSE has already sanctioned in excess of 209 new school classes and is engaging intensively with schools and school patron bodies to confirm additional special classes as soon as possible. On top of this, there will be well more than 1,000 places available through the normal annual movement of students progressing and graduating out of schools. There also remain special classes with vacant places in some areas of the country.
Supporting the increase in provision are an additional 768 special education teachers and 1,600 special needs assistants. This means we will have more than 44,000 professionals in our education system dedicated to supporting children with special educational needs. A range of new measures to support the forward planning of special education provision was set out in Circular 0080/2024. These include new measures to address a challenge raised by the NCSE with regard to not knowing about some of the children seeking specialised placement in recent years. Parents of children with special educational needs seeking a specialised placement are now required to engage with the NCSE, so that all children who require a place for September can be supported to secure one in a timely manner. It is hugely important that we make sure those places are available in a timely manner.
That is the point, and I have not heard from the Minister of State that they will be. The question was about what additional demand for special class and special school places for September 2025 is now anticipated on the back of that new process. The Minister of State did not answer that question. In fact, he spelled out what we knew already, which is what the Department is planning. How does what the Department is planning match with, or not match with, what the actual demand is?
We have repeatedly heard from all quarters a real frustration as to how the Department, its agencies and the Government do so poorly at planning despite the fact that we have CSO data, AIM data, reports on children and now the new NCSE forms. Where stands the demand at this stage? How does it relate to the Department's planned roll-out of capacity?
As we understand it, the plans we have in place and the placements we are working on with school patrons and schools right across the country will exceed the demand and there will be sufficient places. However, we will have to work with all families and school authorities to make sure they are in place in a timely manner. We have to be better at getting information through the AIM programme and the domiciliary care scheme. All of that information has to be available at an earlier date. One of the challenges we face is ensuring that places are made available to families and children with additional needs in a timely manner. We have to push back on that date. We have had serious engagement with the Department and the NCSE over recent weeks to make sure that is done in a timely fashion because families need to know. We are working through that in a very serious way right now and will continue to do so in the coming weeks.
There is a protest at the Department of Education scheduled for tomorrow. It is a 24-hour sleep-out by parents who are demanding appropriate places for their children. They should not have to do that. It is disgraceful and shameful that they have to. I send them solidarity and tell them that I will certainly do everything I can to keep this on the agenda and to push for an appropriate place for every child. That includes a place for this September. The question is then on appropriate places. There are not 126 but 177 children who are on home tuition because they are waiting on a special education placement. I asked whether emergency measures will be needed to deliver this capacity in the timely manner the Minister of State has talked about. For example, will the school buildings be in place? What measures are going to be taken to ensure they are?
Everything that is needed is being put in place. This includes school buildings and spare capacity in schools. If necessary, section 37A will be invoked to ensure we have places. The Department and the NCSE are extremely serious about making sure that this is done. They have been working very hard over recent weeks to bring that about and will continue to do so in the coming weeks. I understand that the NCSE has engaged with parents over recent days in respect of the protest. It will be engaging with all parents, families and communities to make sure that we look after the most vulnerable children who are looking for specialised places or specialised classes. We are working with might and main to ensure that happens in a timely fashion.
4. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education the reason a school in Limerick County received confirmation from her Department that its special education needs hours provided will be cut by 2.5 hours, even though the criteria state that a developing school would not lose hours. [8972/25]
Why has a school in my constituency got confirmation from the Department of Education that the SEN hours provided will be cut by 2.5 hours even though the criteria state that a developing school would not lose hours? I am talking about Meenkilly National School in Abbeyfeale.
I thank the Deputy for the question. My clear understanding is that there is no proposed reduction in special education teaching, SET, hours for the school referred to by the Deputy for the 2025-26 school year. This school has seen a reduction of over 2% in enrolments since the 2024-25 school year and its SET allocation remains at 22.5 hours for the 2025-26 school year.
The special education teaching allocation model is a standardised allocation model that provides schools with additional teaching hours to support the teaching needs of students in mainstream classes. The allocation model uses a variety of statistical data to complete allocations. This includes enrolment data, educational needs profiles, which consist of literacy and numeracy data, and data on educational disadvantage. This data is sourced from within the education sector to ensure it is validated and accurate.
For the 2025-26 school year, close to 15,000 special education teachers have been allocated to schools. Almost 86% of schools will see either an increase in their allocation of hours or retain their previous allocation. For the schools where there has been a reduction, this is driven by demographic change in the area and a reduction of enrolments in the school. The vast majority of these schools will see a reduction of five hours or less. Where schools believe they need additional SET teaching resources, they can apply to the NCSE for a review and, if they are needed, these will be provided in advance of the next school year.
I thank the Minister of State for his response but, on the criteria for this, enrolments make up 25%, pupils' standardised test scores in second, fourth and sixth class make up 68.5% and educational disadvantage is based on pupils' addresses. If you are within an urban area, you will not have any need because you have infrastructure in the area around you. Many rural schools have little infrastructure and students must travel long distances to school. Their numbers sometimes fluctuate because the population is lower and they do not have the proper infrastructure. Planning laws and other regulations made here stop the populations of these areas from increasing. I want to see a two-tier system that will protect rural schools and help them to grow while giving us the same criteria as regards education into the future.
I come from a very rural community myself and I see the fantastic work that is being done right across the education sector in both rural and urban areas. Practitioners at school level, teachers, SET teachers and special needs assistants, make an enormous contribution. The method of allocating SET hours is very carefully monitored and has been over many years, going back to the time of resource teachers. A model has been brought in that fairly and accurately reflects the needs within the school community. I reiterate that there is no proposed reduction in the SET hours for this school in the 2025-26 school year.
This is about the SEN hours that are being provided. On the criteria, a letter from the Department came to the school. The Department says the school is losing 2.5 hours while the Minister of State is saying it is not. Surely to God there has been a mix-up in the paperwork somewhere. I will work with the Minister of State to rectify that. I will again go back to equal opportunity in education. Regulations from this House have stopped people from living in rural areas. If we are to rebuild communities, it is our schools that support local businesses, sports, families, recreation and mental health. They support everything. We have a letter from the Department that says one thing but the Minister of State is saying another. We can rectify this. I have no problem with that. What I am trying to say is that we need to make sure that rural schools are protected. If there must be a two-tier system to allow the same infrastructure to be put in so that we can support and grow our schools in the same way as urban schools, I will work with the Minister of State on that. However, in the interim, I need them to be protected and for there to be no reductions in hours.
It is vitally important that all schools, including rural schools, are protected. Many smaller rural schools provide fantastic facilities. Where children who have additional needs go to rural schools, the school community is smaller. Those schools work extremely well. I take the point that these schools support everybody. As the population grows, it is important that rural schools and urban schools are all protected because they are all vital pieces of infrastructure. I would like to see the letter the Deputy has in this regard.
I will forward it to the Minister of State.
I have no difficulty with that but our information clearly states that there is no reduction in SET hours for the 2025-26 school year.
5. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education to outline her assessment of the teacher recruitment and retention emergency at primary and secondary school level; the measures she intends to address it; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8926/25]
Will the Minister outline her assessment of the teacher recruitment and retention emergency at primary and secondary levels and the measures she intends to take to address it?
The Government is fully committed to ensuring that every child has a positive school experience and is supported to reach their full potential. Key to that is making sure we have the teachers, not just at primary level but also at post-primary level, and that teaching staff in schools are qualified, engaged and supported in the work they do.
As with all sectors, there are recruitment challenges in some, but not all, schools. We know particular areas and parts of the country are affected. To address teacher supply issues, the Government has already implemented a number of measures that have led to an increase of 20% in initial teacher education graduates. In other words, the number of student teachers increased by 20% between 2018 and 2023, which has resulted in a 30% increase in the number registered with the Teaching Council since 2017.
Between 2018 and 2024, there was a significant increase in allocated teaching posts at primary and post-primary levels, with more than 5,500, or 13.08%, at primary level and 17%, or more than 6,000, at post-primary level. We acknowledged that there needed to be an increase and we introduced a number of measures in recent budgets, including a STEM bursary, a professional master of education, PME, fee refund scheme and an expansion of upskilling programmes. These were in addition to workforce planning for teachers and SNAs, reflecting the commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply.
The Department has also been working on an analysis of the teacher workforce. Data for March 2024 show that there were more than 78,000 qualified teachers employed in Ireland, with 43,000 at primary level, including special schools, and more than 35,000 in post-primary schools. I will make this data available in the near future.
I am looking at what further measures we can take. The most acute issue is at post-primary level, in particular for certain subjects. I know from speaking to the unions recently that certain schools cannot provide subjects or they have pulled back from them because the teachers are not available. At a very early stage I asked my team and the officials in the Department to look at what is working, what more we can do and where we can think outside the box. Some of that will require simple changes. Other changes may require funding. As such, they will have to be part of the overall budgetary process.
Will the Minister give us a timeline for those proposals and outline the nature of them? I appreciate that some may require funding. The picture is one of a crisis and emergency. At primary level, there has a shortage of more than 2,500 teachers for the 2024-25 academic year. There are many unfilled posts, and a large number of schools have had to use unqualified staff to cover absences.
At secondary level, it was reported in a recent survey that 64% of schools have unfilled vacancies due to recruitment and retention difficulties and that 20% have been forced to drop subjects as a result. One of the measures that was previously introduced, but there seems to be a delay in relation to it this time round, is the likes of a time-bound provision for people who could do their droichead or induction in Ireland if they trained elsewhere. I know from the Teaching Council that this was due to happen in quarter 1 but that it been delayed slightly. Is that something the Minister would like to introduce?
On the Deputy's final question, that work is under way. I hope to see it implemented or progressed in the coming months. I am very aware that while it will not resolve matters, it is will support the provision of additional allocations or teachers. It is very important to me that we do not just support the teachers in schools but also that we have more coming through colleges. I will be working closely with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Lawless, to make sure that we have the relevant and adequate spaces to provide teachers with training and also that we support teachers in schools where there may be a desire to upskill, retrain or move between the various different levels as well.
As stated, in the very early days I asked the Department to look at what other ways we could support teachers. The programme for Government clearly sets out a commitment to the development of a workforce plan to recruit and retain teachers, but also to encourage teachers to return. Many teachers have travelled abroad for different reasons - to experience different countries and ways of living - but I want to make sure that as many of them as possible return and, importantly, that they will come back and teach in schools here when they get home.
The recognition of experience abroad is important. I encourage the Minister to engage with her colleague the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne, on the housing crisis, which is a major issue for teachers and a major driver when it comes to people leaving the country and not taking up teaching here.
In responding to the situation relating to recruitment, we must continue to increase the number of training places and look at alternative pathways into the sector. However, we must also look at the position in respect of retention. I ask the Minister to consider two points in that regard and to come back to me on them. One relates to investment in leadership at school level. I refer to posts of responsibility. These are positions that were hollowed out during the years of austerity. A related matter that has come up a number of times at both primary and secondary level is the likes of issues such as parental leave and the lack of flexibility in that regard. Surely parental leave should be able to be taken one or two days at a time. It would be more attractive for teachers and it would also provide continuity for students.
Perhaps I should have said at the outset that teaching is an attractive career. That is reflected in the fact that there has been a significant increase in the number of people who have applied to become teachers and who have registered with the Teaching Council. The increase of 13% and 17% in both primary and post-primary allocated teaching posts reflects the fact that we committed to increasing the overall number of teachers. I appreciate that we need to do more. For that reason, I hope as soon as possible to outline a number of ways in which we can encourage even more entrants into the profession and that we can retain and support those who are there. That could be, for example, by working through a new overall pay agreement. In recent years the starter salary for teachers has increased significantly through those negotiations. They must happen on a whole-of-government basis.
We are focused on what more we can do to support those in leadership positions and to provide resources to make sure that we have a continued increase in the capacity of our capital programme, which has seen billions invested in recent years. All of this will help us address the challenges that exist but also provide positive opportunities for students and teachers.
