Written Answers Nos. 278 - 294
280. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of implementation of the new inclusion support service; the progress that has specifically been made in supporting children who are deaf or hard of hearing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27081/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that a new Inclusion Support Service within the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is currently being established in order to assist schools in supporting children with special education needs.
The service will include the Special Education Support Service (SESS), the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) and the Visiting Teacher Service for children who are deaf/hard of hearing and for children who are blind/visually impaired (VTHVI service).
This change will mean that schools will receive a better and more integrated service from this new Inclusion Support Service.
I can advise that work is ongoing to transfer these services to the NCSE. It is intended that the Inclusion Support Service will be operational from 2017. It is also intended, however, that the existing services will continue as normal, as the new arrangements are put in place, with as little disruption as possible to service users, as progress is made to transfer these services to the NCSE.
Pending the development of the new service, children who are deaf or hard of hearing will continue to be supported by the Visiting Teacher Service which is provided by my Department, from the time of referral through to third level education. The Visiting Teacher service provides advice and support to ensure that the needs of children and young people with hearing impairment are met. This service is available at pre-school, primary and post-primary levels. Specifically, the service works in partnership with parents of pre-school children with hearing impairment, visiting their homes and/or meeting them in groups to inform, advise and offer guidance in matters pertaining to their education and overall development and in helping their children to derive maximum benefit from the educational opportunities available.
A range of other educational supports to assist children with Hearing Impairment are also in place, including special school and special class placements which have enhanced pupil teacher ratios; additional Resource Teaching Support for pupils with Hearing Impairment who are attending mainstream; special Needs Assistant Support: DES Circulars 0071/2011 and 30/2014 in relation to Special Needs Assistant (SNS) restated the role of the SNA to ensure that it includes the necessary duties that are required to support the care needs of Deaf and hard of hearing students, including in relation to provision of ISL support and assistance; an Assistive Technology Scheme to provide for necessary specialised equipment in schools; funding for an Irish Sign language (ISL) weekly home tuition service through which deaf tutors visit the homes of deaf pre-school children and deaf school-going pupils to provide training in ISL for the deaf children, pupils, their siblings and parents; funding is also made available through the Special Education Support Service (SESS) to enable individual teachers and whole school staff to undertake courses in Irish Sign Language which are available throughout the country through a variety of providers.
My Department, through the Higher Education Authority (HEA), has established and funds a Centre for Deaf Studies in Trinity College, Dublin which provides diploma courses for ISL/English interpreters, deaf tutors and in deaf studies. The course modules deal with issues such as sign linguistics, bi-lingualism and socio-linguistics of sign language. The course is delivered in seminar sessions/group work and the award of the diploma is based on continued assessment and a project and course design.
Sign language is an option in the Leaving Certificate Applied. There is also an opportunity for students to learn sign language in the course of Transition Year.
In addition, the Post-Primary Languages Initiative has developed a specification for a short course in Irish Sign Language (ISL) which is available as part of the new Junior Cycle. The emphasis is on developing communication skills in ISL at level A1 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This course develops students' ability to understand ISL in live and in recorded situations, to produce the language and to interact with other signers in a simple way and on familiar topics.
Finally, I can advise that the National Council for Special Education has also published a parental information leaflet for parents of children who are Deaf of Hard of Hearing, which provides details of the supports which are available for such children.
281. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who have a diagnosis of deaf or hearing impaired who have completed leaving certificate examinations from 2010 to 2016 in tabular form. [27082/16]
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.
283. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a recheck for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27089/16]
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.
284. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the procedure for a child on the autism spectrum disorder spectrum attending primary school to apply for a laptop; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27099/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. SENOs also
make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in making recommendations for support, as set out in my Department's Circular 0010/2013.
In order to qualify for equipment under the assistive technology scheme, a child must have been diagnosed with a physical or communicative disability and must also have a recommendation in a professional assessment that the equipment is essential in order to allow the child to access the curriculum. It must also be clear that the existing I.T. equipment in the school is insufficient to meet the child's needs.
The school or parents of the child concerned may wish to contact the NCSE regarding a potential application for support. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
285. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for temporary accommodation in respect of a school (details supplied). [27197/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has received an application for temporary accommodation from the school in question. The application will be considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority when the assessment process is completed.
286. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding principal awards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27203/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body (issued in December 2007), the Body evaluated the pay and jobs of 109 grades across the public service, including school Principals. The Body recommended pay increases for 15 grades, including changes to the allowance payable to Principals of primary schools and of small post-primary schools.
Under the Towards 2016 Review and Transitional Agreement 2008-2009, it was agreed that the increases recommended in the second report of the PSBB would be paid as follows:
(a) 5% from 1 September 2008, or where the total increase is less than 5%, the full increase from that date;
(b) The issue of the payment of any balances will be discussed between the parties in the context of any successor to this Transitional Agreement which might be agreed between the Social Partners, or whatever other arrangements may be in place on the expiry of this Transitional Agreement.
The pay terms contained in the Towards 2016 Review and Transitional Agreement 2008-2009 were not implemented due to the State’s worsening financial circumstances. In line with current Government policy, there are no plans to implement the recommendations set out in the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body as they apply to any public servant.
287. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide clear guidelines and documentation requirements to SUSI for those currently in direct provision applying for third-level grants in order to prove their residency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27244/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
In order to receive funding from SUSI, an applicant must be an Irish, EU/EEA or Swiss Federation national and have been resident in the state or the EU/EEA/Swiss Federation for three of the last five years. I understand that when SUSI requests documentary evidence, it notifies the applicant of the type of documents it requires to prove residency. Ultimately, the onus is on the applicant to submit appropriate corroborating documentary evidence to prove residency.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
288. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding teacher-pupil ratio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27265/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
There has been no change to the staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy since last year. The school has a mainstream staffing of Principal and 3 classroom teachers for the current school year.
Staffing arrangements for the 2017/18 school year have not yet been finalised. They will be published on the Department website in early 2017.
The commitments in the Programme for Government, including the pupil-teacher ratio, will be considered in the context of the budgetary process.
289. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who have applied for school transport in 2016 and were deemed ineligible as they were not attending their nearest school; the number of pupils who applied for school transport on a concessionary basis and were refused; the number of these who were in receipt of school transport in previous years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27288/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra303. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children who were refused school transport as a result of late submission of application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27302/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 303 together.
Bus Éireann has advised that the detailed information requested is not readily available and will involve a significant amount of administrative time to compile.
In this regard, Bus Éireann has been requested to respond directly to the Deputy.
290. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) has been refused school transport; if he will include this case in the review of the school transport scheme; if there are arrangements that could be made to provide the person with school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27289/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
As the Deputy is aware, under the terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for
transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.
Applications for transport provision, under the terms of this scheme, should only be completed in circumstances where children are not in a position to avail of standard school transport services.
291. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) has been refused school transport; if he will include this case in the review of the school transport scheme; if there are any arrangements that could be made to provide the person with school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27290/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
As the Deputy is aware, under the terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for
transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.
Applications for transport provision, under the terms of this scheme, should only be completed in circumstances where children are not in a position to avail of standard school transport services.
292. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the situation whereby students (details supplied) are refused school transport when the route to the nearest school is considered unsafe for travel in poor weather conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27291/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
Safety of children travelling on the school transport service is of paramount importance to my Department and to Bus Éireann. Bus Éireann place special emphasis on safety and, to this end, have a wide range of checking procedures in place to ensure that a safe and reliable service is provided.
Distance eligibility is determined by Bus Éireann by measuring the shortest traversable route from a child's home to the relevant education centre; may be either a pedestrian or vehicular route, and it is not necessarily the route that the school bus takes.
Bus Éireann has advised that children from the area referred to by the Deputy are not attending their nearest post primary school and are therefore not eligible for school transport.
The terms of the scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.
293. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason children on the school bus (details supplied) have been refused school transport and the number of children involved; the date upon which the families received notification that the children would no longer receive school transport; the arrangements which can be made to ensure the children involved receive transport to school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27292/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools annually throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres.
Under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply to Bus Éireann for transport on a concessionary basis subject to a number of a conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service and the payment of the annual charge.
Seats for concessionary applicants are allocated after all eligible children have been accommodated on school transport services. This exercise normally takes place after the closing date for receipt of payments. Where seats are limited a random selection process is used.
294. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) has been refused school transport; if he will include this case in the review of the school transport scheme; the arrangements which could be made to provide the child with school transport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27293/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme.
The closing date for receipt of payments for school transport was 29th July 2016. Bus Éireann has advised that payment details for this child were submitted after the deadline date and at that time the service was operating to capacity.
They also advise that a ticket for this service has since been returned making a seat available. Bus Éireann have advised that they are now in the process of issuing a ticket for the child referred to.
