Written Answers Nos. 211-234
211. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when it is expected that full transport services will be restored for children attending special schools throughout north Kildare in view of the fact that parents are currently delivering and collecting their children at the same time as the special bus which is not available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30323/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra212. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when school transport for children with special needs in mainstream primary and second level schools and special schools, including those in young adult services, will be restored throughout north Kildare and countrywide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30329/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra229. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when it is expected that full transport services will be restored for children attending special schools throughout north Kildare in view of the fact that parents are currently delivering and collecting their children at the same time as the special bus which is not available to them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30324/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra230. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when school transport for children with special needs in mainstream primary and second level schools and special schools, including those in young adult services, will be restored throughout north Kildare and countrywide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30330/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 211, 212, 229 and 230 together.
School 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.
Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for transport where they are attending the nearest recognised school that is or can be resourced to meet their special educational needs.
There has been no reduction in the level of school transport services for children who are eligible for school transport under the terms of the above scheme. However, Bus Éireann has advised that they are processing a number of late applications for the current school year and they are liaising with the school authorities and the families.
The Deputy should be aware that Special Schools funded by my Department are intended to cater for children and young persons with special educational needs from 4 years until the end of the school year in which they reach their 18th year.
At that point, the Department of Health/Health Service Executive assumes direct responsibility for young adults with special educational needs who are over 18 years.
213. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of implementing the pre-February 2012 pay scale and allowances for all primary school teachers (details supplied). [30758/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra214. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of implementing the pre-January 2011 pay scale and allowances for all second level teachers (details supplied). [30759/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together.
As a consequence of the financial crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances. A previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable to all new entrants to public service recruitment grades by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011. This decision also required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale, which in the case of teachers had the effect of reducing their starting pay by a further 4-5%. Later in 2011, the Government placed a cap on the overall level of qualification allowances that could be earned by teachers.
Subsequently in 2012, following the public service-wide review of allowances, the Government withdrew qualification allowances for new teachers altogether. However, the Government partially compensated for this by deciding that new entrant teachers would henceforth commence on a new salary scale which had a starting point higher than the starting point of the old scale.
The recent agreement reached with TUI and INTO in effect reverses the decision to withdraw qualification allowances from post-1 February 2012 entrant teachers. The estimated value of these increases over a teacher's career is €135,000. This new arrangement will apply to members of the teacher unions which have signed up to the Lansdowne Road Agreement i.e. TUI and INTO.
When other Lansdowne Road increases are also factored in, there will be a 15% increase in the starting pay of new entrant teachers between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €35,602). For an individual TUI/INTO member who started teaching in September 2015, they will see a 22% increase in their pay (including increment) between 31 August 2016 and 1 January 2018 (from €31,009 to €37,723).
In addition to this, it must be borne in mind that the pay reduction for post-2011 entrants to the public service applied to all public servants and not just teachers, and that any restoration of these measures in respect of teachers would be expected to be applied elsewhere across the public service. While I am not in a position to provide an estimate of the total cost of restoring all post-1 January 2011 entrants in all areas of the public service to the pre-2011 pay scale arrangements, I can say that in the case of education and training sector employees including teachers, the estimated cost would be between €65 and €70 million per annum. Clearly, the cost across the entire public service would be substantially higher.
The agreement on new entrant pay shows what is possible through dialogue and negotiation within the Lansdowne Road Agreement. The Government is wholly committed to the implementation of the Lansdowne Road Agreement as the most appropriate way for progress to be made on pay restoration and reform of our public services into the future.
215. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills when work will commence on a project (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30212/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project referred to by the Deputy has recently been approved to proceed to Stage 3 which involves the tender competition for appointment of the building contractor. The school and its design team have been informed.
216. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in the commencement of the Ardee Educate Together project; the start date for the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30213/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe delivery of a new school building for Ardee Educate Together has been devolved to Louth County Council. The project is currently at Stage 1 of architectural planning which is preliminary design stage.
A review by my Department of the Stage 1 submission is due to take place this week and if approved the project will be allowed to proceed to the next stage of architectural planning which is Stage 2A Detail Design.
217. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action he will take to address the disparity in school costs which exists from school to school throughout the country and the inequality faced by parents in having to provide funding for a free primary education system, as costed by a charity (details supplied) at €103 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30215/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra225. Deputy Jack Chambers asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action he will take to address the huge disparity in school costs which exists from school to school throughout the country and the inequality faced by parents in having to provide funding for a free primary education system, as costed by a charity (details supplied) at €103 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30262/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra249. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address the huge disparity in school costs which exists from school to school throughout the country and the inequality faced by parents in having to provide funding for a free primary education system, as costed by a charity (details supplied) at €103 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30520/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra251. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address the huge disparity in school costs which exists form school to school throughout the country and the inequality faced by parents in having to provide funding for a free primary education system, as costed by a charity (details supplied) at €103 million. [30551/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra260. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action he will take to address the disparity in school costs which exists from school to school throughout the country and the inequality faced by parents in having to provide funding for a free primary education system, as costed by a charity (details supplied) at €103 million. [30626/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra269. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if it is his Department's policy and plan to address the disparity in school costs which exists from school to school throughout the country and the inequality faced by parents in having to provide funding for a free primary education system, as costed by a charity (details supplied) at €103 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30869/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 217, 225, 249, 251, 260 and 269 together.
I am aware of the report referred to by the Deputies.
I strongly support any measures that can be put in place to reduce costs for parents.
All schools must be sensitive to the financial pressures on parents in making decisions, not just about school uniforms or books, but about any matter that has cost implications for parents.
The Action Plan for Education outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year period 2016 to 2019. Some of the actions as part of the plan are to strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents by:
- Restoring capitation funding over a three-year period as resources permit
- Increasing the financial support for book rental schemes, in order to reduce or eliminate school book costs for parents
- Issuing a new circular to school authorities and ETBs regarding school uniform policy and other costs and the need to put a greater emphasis on reducing the cost of school uniforms and other costs.
Budget 2017 represents the start of a major programme of reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade.
It was not possible to provide additional funding in Budget 2017 in relation to this element of the Action Plan due to the many competing demands for the available funding. However, this commitment remains a priority for me to address as soon as possible during the lifetime of the Action Plan. It is important to note that the total allocation to this Department for additional policy measures, after demographics and Industrial Relations commitments, was €130 million and of which all our commitments in higher and further education and primary and secondary schools had to be funded.
I also intend to introduce a stronger complaints procedure and a charter for parents. It is important that schools should consult parents on matters relating to their children's education, including those matters which have cost implications, and schools should be responsive to the views and concerns of parents. In that regard requiring schools to have a parent charter will ensure that schools will interact better with parent associations and with individual parents.
I will shortly seek Government approval for the Heads of a Bill to provide for replacing Section 28 of the Education Act, 1998 and the drafting of principles which will form the framework of a Parents' and Learners' Charter in every school.
I believe that these actions will significantly strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents.
218. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a new building for a primary school (details supplied). [30221/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe major building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Certificate and Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of Tender Documents. All statutory approvals have been secured and the Design Team have been authorised to complete Stage 2(b).
219. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Education and Skills the schools in Dublin mid-west currently waiting for a special needs assistant to fill a vacant post due to the delays in the Garda vetting process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30228/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra220. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Education and Skills the schools in Dublin mid-west that are currently waiting for a teacher to fill a vacant post due to the delays in the Garda vetting process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30229/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 219 and 220 together.
In April of this year, the Minister for Justice and Equality commenced the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016 (the Vetting Act) which put in place statutory requirements for the Garda vetting of persons involved in working with children and vulnerable adults, including those working in schools.
Since the Vetting Act was commenced, school authorities have been statutorily obliged, other than in certain limited circumstances, to obtain a vetting disclosure from the National Vetting Bureau before commencing the employment of staff such as teachers and special needs assistants.
When these vetting requirements were commenced, my Department published Circular 0031/2016 which set out the statutory requirements along with the practical arrangements in place to support the vetting procedures. A Frequently Asked Questions document was also published by my Department to assist schools with queries in respect of the circular. My Department had previously (in April 2015) published a circular which outlined the advance preparations and actions to be taken by all school authorities and registered teachers so as to facilitate, as far as possible, a smooth transition to the statutory vetting requirements once they became operational.
In relation to the information requested by the Deputy in respect of unfilled vacancies in schools in the Dublin mid-west area, the position is that the filling of vacancies for teaching and non-teaching positions is carried out at individual school level. Accordingly, information in relation to the number of unfilled vacancies in particular schools and the reasons for same at any given time is not available within my Department.
221. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of a new site for a school (details supplied), as announced in November 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30238/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the project to which he refers was announced as part of the Six Year Capital Programme last year. The project is listed to proceed to tender and construction in 2017.
Officials in my Department are working closely with officials from Fingal County Council under the memorandum of understanding in relation to the identification and acquisition of a suitable permanent location for the Gaelscoil. A suitable site has been identified and discussions are ongoing with the Council in relation to the provision of access and services. Due to commercial sensitivities relating to site acquisitions generally I am not in a position to provide further details at this time.
Once a suitable site has been acquired my Department will be in a position to progress the project concerned into the architectural planning process.
222. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will extend third level grants to low-income students who attend QQI degree courses in recognised private colleges, as well as access to the HEA hardship fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30239/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the scheme. The definition of an approved institution is set out in Section 7 of the Student Support Act 2011 and Regulation 3 of the Student Support Regulations 2016.
The Student Assistance Fund (aka the hardship fund) which is part financed by the European Social Fund, is not available to students attending private colleges.
Decisions in relation to the future funding of student supports will be informed by the consideration of the options contained in the Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published in July. As committed to in the Programme for Government, I have referred the report to the relevant Oireachtas Committee as part of the process for building political consensus on the most sustainable approach for funding the higher education sector in the future.
It is open to higher education institutions that operate on a 'for profit' basis to use their own resources to provide financial supports to any of their students that they consider to be in particular need.
223. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider issuing a circular to schools with an agreed wording to be used when writing to parents highlighting the opportunity they have to make a voluntary contribution to assist with the running costs of the school; if he will outlaw the current arrangement which has schools sending bills and late payment reminders to parents seeking money from them; if he will ensure the capitation grant is restored without delay to ensure schools are sufficiently funded by his Department to cover the cost of all necessary expenditure to run the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30240/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI strongly support any measures that can be put in place to reduce costs for parents.
All schools must be sensitive to the financial pressures on parents in making decisions, not just about school uniforms or books, but about any matter that has cost implications for parents.
The Action Plan for Education outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year period 2016 to 2019. Some of the actions as part of the plan are to strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents by:
- Restoring capitation funding over a three-year period as resources permit
- Increasing the financial support for book rental schemes, in order to reduce or eliminate school book costs for parents
- Issuing a new circular to school authorities and ETBs regarding school uniform policy and other costs and the need to put a greater emphasis on reducing the cost of school uniforms and other costs.
Budget 2017 represents the start of a major programme of reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade.
It was not possible to provide additional funding in Budget 2017 in relation to this element of the Action Plan due to the many competing demands for the available funding. However, this commitment remains a priority for me to address as soon as possible during the lifetime of the Action Plan.
I also intend to introduce a stronger complaints procedure and a charter for parents. It is important that schools should consult parents on matters relating to their children's education, including those matters which have cost implications, and schools should be responsive to the views and concerns of parents. In that regard requiring schools to have a parent charter will ensure that schools will interact better with parent associations and with individual parents.
I plan to make an announcement shortly on draft legislation that will replace Section 28 of the Education Act, 1998 and require every school to publish and operate a Parent and Student Charter in accordance with national guidelines. These guidelines will be published after consultation with the education partners.
I believe that these actions will significantly strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents.
224. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; if its future will be safeguarded; the actions his Department is taking to resolve difficult issues affecting the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30242/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is continuing to engage with the Patron of the school to which he refers in relation to the various matters involved.
226. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills when plans to restore the capitation grant to schools, as set out in the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, will be realised; if the restoration will include a prohibition on the practice of schools seeking so-called voluntary contributions from parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30308/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra231. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills when plans to restore the capitation grant to schools, as set out in the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, will be realised; and if the restoration will include a prohibition on the practice of schools seeking so-called voluntary contributions from parents (details supplied). [30337/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 231 together.
I do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary and post-primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. Budget 2017 represents the start of a major programme of reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade.
The Action Plan outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year period 2016 to 2019. One of the actions as part of the plan is to strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents. The plan also integrates with the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to increase capitation funding and to set out capitation rates to schools on a rolling 3-year basis, allowing for forward planning by schools.
It was not possible to provide additional funding in Budget 2017 in relation to this element of the Action Plan due to the many competing demands for the available funding. However, this commitment remains a priority for me to address as soon as possible during the lifetime of the Action Plan.
My Department's position in relation to voluntary contributions is that they are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay. I have no plans to alter this position so long as schools ensure that the contributions are sought in a manner that makes this clear to all concerned.
Separately, the Deputy will be aware that the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, which was published on 6th July 2016, contains a provision prohibiting the charging of fees or seeking payment or contributions for an application for admission to a school or for the enrolment or continued enrolment of a student in a school.
I also intend to introduce a stronger complaints procedure and a charter for parents. It is important that schools should consult parents on matters relating to their children's education, including those matters which have cost implications, and schools should be responsive to the views and concerns of parents. In that regard requiring schools to have a parent charter will ensure that schools will interact better with parent associations and with individual parents.
I plan to make an announcement shortly on draft legislation that will replace Section 28 of the Education Act, 1998 and require every school to publish and operate a Parent and Student Charter in accordance with national guidelines. These guidelines will be published after consultation with the education partners.
227. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which children with special needs have been successful in obtaining primary and second level school places throughout north Kildare in the current year, in both mainstream and special schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30318/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that this Government is committed to ensuring that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network.
Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of Special Needs Assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.
In respect of children with ASD who cannot be accommodated in mainstream education, they may be enrolled in special classes or special schools where more intensive and supportive interventions are provided. Special classes are for students who have a recommendation for a special class placement in their professional reports.
The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with Special Educational Needs, including Autism. It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools in communities where the need for such classes has been identified.
Special classes within mainstream schools are intended for children who, by virtue of their level of Special Educational Needs, cannot reasonably be educated in a mainstream class setting, but who can still attend their local school in a special class with a lower pupil–teacher ratio of 6:1 at primary level and 6:1.5 at post primary level, and also have Special Needs Assistant support normally amounting to 2 SNAs for a class of 6 children.
Progress in developing this network has been significant and in addition to the special school placements there are currently 1,153 special classes throughout the country at primary and post primary level of which 889 are for children with Autism.
There are 4 special schools and 66 special classes attached to mainstream schools in County Kildare for 2016/17 school year (up from 64 in 15/16): 59 classes are for students with ASD, including 6 Early Intervention Classes for children who are not yet school going age, 41 primary school classes and 12 at post primary level in mainstream schools. 2 of these classes are new classes due to open in September 2016, 1 at primary level and 1 at post primary level.
In addition there will be 1 class for students with mild General Learning Disability, 4 classes for students with a moderate General Learning Disability and 2 classes for students with a severe/profound General Learning
The NCSE, in consultation with the relevant education partners, must take into account the present and future potential need, location and sustainability in looking to establish special classes in certain areas. In this regard the NCSE has advised that they are continuing to engage with schools in the area referred to by the Deputy in opening special classes to where there is an identified need for special class provision.
The NCSE recently launched guidelines for Boards of Management and Principals of Primary and Post Primary schools which provide information on setting up and organising special classes. These guidelines are available to download from www.ncse.ie.
Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs, including those in County Kildare, are available on www.ncse.ie in county order, and with new classes identified.
As details relating specifically to North Kildare are not readily available in my Department, I have arranged for the Deputy's question to be forwarded to the National Council for Special Education for their attention and direct reply.
228. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the availability of preschool places for children with special needs throughout north Kildare; the extent to which augmentation is expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30320/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not provide funding to pre-school services other than in early intervention classes in recognised primary schools or special schools.
Supports for childcare, including pre-school education, are provided by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. The principal vehicle for the delivery of pre-school education is the free Pre-School Year in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme which was introduced in January 2010 and provides for early learning in a formal setting to children in the year before they commence primary school.
Children with disabilities will now have better access to pre-school services under a new Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) programme of supports, which was announced, on 15th June 2016, by the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs.
AIM is a child-centred model, involving seven levels of progressive support, moving from the universal to the targeted, depending on the needs of the child and the pre-school.
The supports include:
- A new Inclusion Charter for the Early Years sector, alongside updated and strengthened Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Guidelines for Early Childhood Care and Education.
- In relation to the qualifications of early years practitioners, a new higher education programme for early years practitioners (LINC) which will commence from September 2016.
- A new national specialist service which is based in the Better Start National Early Years Quality Development Service will provide expert advice, mentoring and support to pre-school providers from a team of 50 specialists in early years care and education for children with disabilities.
- A new national scheme will provide specialised equipment, appliances and minor alterations which are necessary to support a child's participation in the ECCE programme.
- A new national scheme will also provide additional capitation to pre-school providers where this is critical to fund extra support in the classroom and enable a child's participation in pre-school. It is estimated that only 1 to 1.5% of children in pre-school will require, and therefore be eligible for, this scheme of additional capitation.
Details of the supports which will be available under AIM can be found at www.preschoolaccess.ie which contains comprehensive information on the access and inclusion model and on how to apply for the new schemes and supports.
Questions relating to provision of such services in pre-school settings should be addressed to my colleague, the Minister for Children & Youth Affairs.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with Special Educational Needs, including Autism.
It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish special classes in schools in communities where the need for such classes has been identified.
Children who are diagnosed with Autism may be enrolled in an Early Intervention class attached to a mainstream school from the age of three. Early Intervention classes are supported with a pupil–teacher ratio of 6:1 at primary level and also have Special Needs Assistant support normally amounting to 2 SNAs for a class of 6 children.
Currently there are 6 Early Intervention Classes for children who are not yet school going age in County Kildare.
The NCSE has advised that they are continuing to engage with schools in the area referred to by the Deputy where there is an identified need for special class provision.
232. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the case of a person (details supplied) who requires child care assistance while studying; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30361/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Childcare Education and Training Scheme (CETS) is not available to learners in PLC provision.
CETS, which is administered by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, is available to support long term unemployed learners engaging on Youthreach, VTOS and ETB Training provision.
233. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education and Skills the schools in the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas which are not recognised as DEIS schools; if they had applied in the past; and, if so, the reason they were refused the status and additional resources to address the social exclusion identified in those areas. [30362/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the list of schools that have DEIS status is available on my Department's website at the following link:
www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/.
There are 40 Primary schools in the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas, 29 of which have DEIS Status. 7 were surveyed at the time DEIS was introduced in 2005 and were judged not to have met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in DEIS. 4 Primary Schools have opened in the area in question since 2005.
There are 22 Post Primary schools in the Dublin 8, 10 and 12 areas, 13 of which have DEIS status. 4 were examined at the time DEIS was introduced in 2005 and were judged not to have met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in DEIS. 5 are classified as colleges of further education.
As the Deputy may be aware, a review of the DEIS programme is currently underway and, as I have recently announced, a New Action Plan Educational Inclusion will be published before the end of this year. The review is looking at all aspects of DEIS, including the range and impact of different elements of the School Support Programme, particularly the scope for increased integration of services provided by other Departments and Agencies, in order to improve effectiveness.
Among the measures to be included in the plan are a series of pilot schemes aimed at introducing measures which have been shown to work well in improving results for disadvantaged children and students. The plan is expected to include targeted measures in the areas of:
- Supporting school leadership.
- Developing Networks and clusters for DEIS teachers and schools.
- Supporting new teaching methodologies. There is evidence that, for example, changing the way literacy is taught to children who struggle can achieve major improvements in results
- Exploring ways in which the work of schools can be better integrated with other state supports within the community
The results of pilot programmes will be carefully monitored before any decisions around mainstreaming are considered.
Also under consideration is the development of a new assessment framework using centrally held CSO and DES data for the identification of schools for inclusion in a new programme to tackle educational disadvantage. The number of schools to be included in the programme will be determined by this proposed new identification process which will assess all schools in the country, including those not currently participating in DEIS. It will not be necessary for schools to make an application.
Implementation of actions arising from the Plan for Educational Inclusion will begin in the 2017/18 school year, and will be a continuing theme in our wider Annual Action Plan for Education.
234. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider supporting a national roll-out to second level schools to teach children about healthy eating and cooking; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30366/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department welcomes and values the engagement of providers in supporting all aspects of curriculum delivery, in particular in the important area of healthy lifestyles for young people. Much is being done already in this area by my Department both in terms of the curriculum delivery and in resourcing. My Department issued guidance to post primary schools in September 2015 on promoting healthy lifestyles, which includes healthy eating policies. Similar guidance was provided to primary schools in February 2016.
The issue of promoting healthy eating is addressed in schools through subjects such as Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE), and Home Economics as well as in Physical Education. With such skills and knowledge, it is hoped that our young people will make appropriate choices so that this informed approach will help to reduce the incidence of obesity in our young people. The SPHE syllabus at both primary and post-primary levels contains modules which educate students on the elements of a balanced diet and the importance of healthy eating for physical and mental well-being.
Schools and the wider education sector have a vital role to play in contributing to the Government's 'Healthy Ireland' agenda set out in the Framework for Improved Health and Wellbeing 2013-2025. Healthy Ireland was published by the Department of Health in 2013, and is one of the most ambitious programmes we have ever seen focused on improving the health of the nation.
Teachers are supported through quality continuous professional development provided by my Department in order that they can equip students with the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make healthier life choices. Schools' efforts should be complemented by students' families and their community. My Department is not in a position to support a national roll out of the initiative referred to by the Deputy. However, schools have the discretion to supplement the Department provided supports with other external resources as they wish.
