Written Answers Nos. 89-95
89. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will visit schools (details supplied) in County Clare to be amalgamated to see what students have to endure every day or if he will meet with a delegation from the three schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29443/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe three post primary schools in Ennistymon have agreed to amalgamate on delivery of a new school building. This project will require additional land in order for it to progress any further. In that regard, the Oireachtas enacted the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act in 2012 and Section 42 of this Act which sets out provisions relating to the charitable status of contributions by Congregations was commenced in March 2013. The recent commencement of Section 42 will facilitate the transfers of properties to the Minister for Education and Skills such as in the case of the school project, referred to by the Deputy. The Congregation that owns the property concerned has offered to transfer it to the State as part of its offer of a number of properties made in response to the publication of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (the Ryan Report). The Government has agreed to accept this and a number of other properties offered and my Department through the Chief State Solicitor's Office is currently working on finalising the transfer of the property in question.When the transfer of the property has been completed, my Department will be in a position to further consider how this project could be progressed within the context of the available funding.
90. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the costs of supervision and correction of the junior and leaving certificate examinations over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29444/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply.
91. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children at a school (details supplied) in County Cork in each of the years 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. [29445/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe following is the information requested by Deputy Jonathan O'Brien regarding Scoil Triest Special School, Lota, Co. Cork (Roll Number 19760E).
|
Year |
Boys |
Girls |
Total |
|
2009-2010 |
59 |
13 |
72 |
|
2010-2011 |
60 |
12 |
72 |
|
2011-2012 |
61 |
11 |
72 |
|
2012-2013 |
59 |
13 |
72 |
Source: National School Annual Census
92. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount of money spent on yard supervision in primary schools over the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29450/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded to him.
93. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the allowances that will be made for students who attempted to answer question 8 of the leaving certificate higher level maths paper which contained an error. [29461/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you However, I wish to inform the Deputy that one of the core principles under which the State Exams Commission operates is that students cannot be disadvantaged as a result of an error on an examination paper. Therefore, the impact of error on candidates' answering is taken into account by the Chief Examiner when finalising the marking scheme for the relevant examinations. The marking schemes for Leaving Certificate Mathematics will, as usual, be published along with those in all other subjects after the issue of results in mid-August. All candidates have the option of viewing their scripts in order to see how the marking scheme was applied to their work and then appealing their results, if they feel this is necessary.
94. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason letters to schools with the following school year's allocation of resource hours cannot be issued by 15 May or 30 May when primary schools are required to submit applications for resource hours and-or special needs assistants to the National Council for Special Education by 15 March each year; if this delay is an attempt at dissuading principals from launching appeals by having the announcement as close as possible to the summer holidays; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29470/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra98. Deputy Martin Heydon asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the special needs assistants hours for school year 2013-2014 will be announced and allocated to the individual schools, specifically those in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29512/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra99. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will list, in tabular form, the schools in counties Donegal and Leitrim that have yet to receive their full allocation of resource hours for the 2013-14 academic year; the date on which these schools will receive their allocation of resource hours; and if he will give assurances that his Department will not implement cuts to the allocation of resource hours for these schools. [29524/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 94, 98 and 99 together.
I wish to advise the Deputies that the NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
The number of posts available to the NCSE for allocation this year has been maintained and there has been no reduction to the overall number of posts available for allocation. The allocation that is made to schools, however, will be based on the number of valid applications received.
All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013. The NCSE have been processing these applications and schools will be notified by SENOs of their resource teaching and SNA allocation for 2013/14 in advance of the coming school year, based on the number of valid applications received. I can assure the Deputies that this process has been done as expeditiously as possible by the NCSE and to allow schools and principals sufficient time to plan for the coming school year.
As the NCSE allocates resources to schools to support over 30,000 pupils annually, some time is required to process all of the applications which are received each year, in advance of notifying schools of their allocations. I understand that the NCSE intend to publish details of allocations for SNAs and resource teaching hours for the 2013/2014 school year, today Wednesday 19th June. These details will be available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie, and will detail the allocations made for each school by County, including Counties Kildare, Leitrim, and Donegal.
95. Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects to be in a position to publish the final value for money report into primary education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29478/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recently received the report of the Value for Money Review of Small Primary Schools and I am currently considering it. I intend to discuss the report's contents with my Government colleagues. The Report will be published in due course following this consideration process.
