Written Answers Nos. 104-111
104. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond positively to the calls of parents of children with Down syndrome to amend the Special Education Circular 02/05 to include Down syndrome as a low incidence disability and allocate maximum resource hours for children with Down syndrome. [24677/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including children with Down's syndrome, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, or where a special school or special class placement may be required to ensure such placements are provided for.
Pupils with Down's syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational psychological assessment places the pupil in the mild general learning disability/high incidence disability category, or through an allocation of individual additional resource teaching hours which are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05.
Pupils with Down's syndrome may be allocated resources under the category of mild general learning disability, or under the categories of moderate general learning difficulty or Assessed Syndrome, in conjunction with another Low Incidence disability.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a formal role under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 in advising me in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities.
My Department requested that the NCSE consider the issue of whether Down's syndrome should be reclassified as a low incidence disability in all instances, regardless of assessed cognitive ability, in the context of its preparation of comprehensive advice on how the educational system supports children with special educational needs in schools. The NCSE report on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools has now been published and is available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie. The report recommends that under the new resource allocation model proposed by the NCSE in its report, children should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need, rather than by disability category.
The NCSE has recommended that in the short-term, pupils with Down's syndrome pupils who are in the Mild General Learning Difficulty (Mild GLD) category should continue to be supported by schools' Learning Support allocation in the same way as other pupils with a Mild GLD.
It has not been recommended that an exception should be made for children with Down's syndrome who are in the mild general learning difficulty range, over other children who are in the mild range and who also may have other co-morbid conditions.
However, the NCSE report states that it is confident that the introduction of a new allocation model will overcome the difficulty posed by all children with mild general learning disabilities, including children with Down's syndrome, who have additional difficulties and who can be supported according to their level of need and in line with their learning plan process. In the meantime, schools are reminded that they can differentiate the level of learning support granted to ensure that available resources are used to support children in line with their needs.
I have requested the NCSE to immediately proceed to establish a Working Group in order to develop a proposal for a new Tailored Allocation Model, which is set out as one of the principal recommendations of the report.
105. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a petition (details supplied) and the rational submission contained in this petition especially in view of the fact that literacy and numeracy are in the Programme for Government and the request that this be given priority on the FET (Solas) Bill 2013 is very logical and practical; if he will revise the draft to ensure that these vital issues are included in the Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24686/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recognise that further education and training as it is currently delivered covers a broad spectrum that ranges from basic adult literacy and numeracy courses to courses that are certified at level 6 and above on the National Framework of Qualifications.
Section 9 of the Bill provides that SOLAS, once established, will prepare and submit, to the Minister, a strategy in respect of further education and training.
The issue of including a provision in the Bill for the development of a national adult literacy and numeracy strategy was raised at Dáil Committee Stage.
I have asked officials in the Department to give consideration to this matter in advance of Report Stage in the Dáil in coming weeks.
106. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 283 of 14 May 2013, if he will identify the location and role of the 55 persons who are earning in excess of €200,000; and the reason in each case the public sector pay cap has not been applied to them. [24726/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer to the clarification that was issued to the Deputy on the 21st May 2013 subsequent to the original response to PQ 283. This clarified that the 55 persons who are earning in excess of €200,000 refers to the number of core posts funded by my Department. Currently there are 99 individuals working in the education sector whose remuneration currently exceeds €200,000 per annum and this figure includes Academic Medical Consultants, remuneration for whom falls in the main within the remit of the Minister for Health. As matters concerning remuneration are confidential, the Deputy will appreciate that I am not in a position to identify the individuals concerned who are in receipt of over €200,000. Since the introduction of the salary cap in the public service, I can confirm that the only appointments that have been made where a person receives in excess of €200,000 per annum have been academic medical consultants.
107. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a student (details supplied) in County Kildare, undertaking their leaving certificate, who had, due to their learning difficulties, a full time special needs assistant at primary level and throughout secondary school, has been denied a reader and an exemption from grammar and spelling at the impending leaving certificate examination, when such a derogation has been provided to the student up to and including their mock leaving certificate; the reason that the student has only recently been told that they must now attempt the leaving certificate without any of these facilities, which they had come to rely upon; if he will review the situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24743/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are available for downloading from their website: www.examinations.ie/candidates/reasonableaccommodations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
108. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the additional workload of the teachers and staff of Gaeltacht schools and Gaelscoileanna, particularly in view of the role such schools play in protecting and promoting our national language is taken into account in the determination of pupil-teacher ratios. [24750/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on my Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of classroom teachers provided at individual school level is the national staffing schedule for the relevant school year and the specific pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools.
Teaching resources are allocated on a school year basis. Unlike most other areas of the public service teaching vacancies are being filled in accordance with published Department criteria. Within the constraints of the Employment Control Framework schools are permitted to fill teaching vacancies that arise within their approved staffing allocations.
The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The detailed arrangements in relation to the appeals process are set in the Department's Staffing Circular 0013/2013. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
The challenge for all schools including those referred to by the Deputy is to ensure that they utilise their allocated resources to best effect to maximise teaching and learning outcomes.
109. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will outline his Department's procedures for collecting and maintaining data on capacity in the primary school network such as the number of classrooms in use and spare and if he is concerned at the under-utilisation of classrooms in city-based schools exemplified by the case of one school in Galway city in which six of the twelve classrooms are currently not being used. [24751/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department commenced an online inventory of school accommodation in 2010 which is available to schools on the Department's Esinet portal. The Inventory provides key data and statistics on the existing school building stock throughout the country at both primary and post-primary levels. To date approximaltely 80% of schools have completed or are in the process of completing the inventory.
Information such as that outlined by the Deputy will be available when all the data has been received from all schools.
110. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on a school (details supplied) in Dublin 13 and plans for their new school. [24760/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe major school building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an early stage of Architectural Planning. The Design Team is currently working on Stage 1, which is the initial sketch design stage.
This project has been included in the 5 year school building programme and is scheduled to commence construction in 2014/15.
111. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on a lease agreement (details supplied) [24761/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am advised that the VEC to which the Deputy refers is working with the relevant school authority in relation to finalising the lease agreement and is also in on-going discussions with another user of the facility to which the deputy refers.
