Written Answers Nos. 88 - 100
88. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects the details of the 2017 summer works programme grant recipients to be announced; and if new applications will be taken in 2017. [6451/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the Summer Works Scheme 2016-17 is a multi-annual Scheme with applications being sought in late 2015. Nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the 2016-17 scheme which reflects a very high demand.
Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2 were announced in April last and are published on my Department’s website www.education.ie. Assessment of valid projects in further categories is now being undertaken by my Department, subject to the overall availability of funding, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme as outlined in Circular Letter (0055/2015), which may be accessed on my Department's website. It is my intention to publish a list of successful applicants in due course.
89. Deputy Mary Butler asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools which currently have prefabricated classrooms by county, in tabular form. [6452/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe data requested by the Deputy is currently being compiled and will be forwarded in the coming days.
90. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children per county who have applied over each of the past five years to either a special class or an autism class and were refused due to lack of space; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6457/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the enrolment of a child to a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parents/guardians of the child and the Board of Management of a school my Department does not hold details regarding the number of pupils that may have applied for or who may have been refused places in special classes due to lack of space in a school.
However, parents of children with special needs who may need advice or are experiencing difficulties in locating a school placement should contact their local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) as soon as possible for information on available places. The local SENO contact details are available on www.ncse.ie.
Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for 20 or more days in any school year. Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on the Department's website www.education.ie.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016, published on 6th July 2016 and passed second stage on 17 November 2016, provides that where a school has places available it must admit all applicants. The Bill also contains a provision for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to designate a school for a child who has no school place for reasons related to the child’s special educational needs, and for the Child and Family Agency to designate a school for a child who has no school place (other than a child with special educational needs). The NCSE or the Child and Family Agency will not be able to increase a school’s capacity, a school must have places available for a designation to be made.
Children with autism may be eligible for home tuition if a school placement is not available for them and/or where a determination is awaited in respect of an expulsion or refusal to enrol taken under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998. Details in relation to the Home Tuition schemes are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
Home Tuition will not be available where a school placement has been identified by the NCSE. Similarly, failure to enrol a child in school will not give rise to eligibility under this scheme.
It is general practice to include a Special Needs Unit in the accommodation brief for new school buildings, unless local circumstances indicate that it will not be required. In addition, my Department may also provide capital funding to schools to establish special needs provision e.g. reconfigure existing accommodation to provide a special class where this has been approved by the NCSE through its network of local SENOs.
The NCSE is responsible for organising and planning provision for children with Special Educational Needs, including establishing special classes in mainstream primary and post primary schools.
The NCSE has advised that there are almost 18,000 students with ASD attending schools nationally. Of these 3,484 are attending primary ASD classes and 1,118 are attending post primary ASD classes.
There are currently 1,153 special classes, which is an increase of over 100% on the number available in 2011. Of these, 127 are ASD early intervention classes, 525 are primary ASD classes and 237 are post-primary ASD classes. The remainder are non-ASD special classes.
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 opening special classes where there is an identified need for special class provision.
Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs are available on www.ncse.ie in county order.
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.
91. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with autism spectrum disorder per county currently in receipt of home tuition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6458/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of the Special Education Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as a significant medical illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement and provision is made for early educational intervention for children with autism.
Children aged 2.5 years with a diagnosis of ASD are not eligible for enrolment in an early intervention class and qualify for 10 hours tuition per week under the terms of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme, should the parent wish to avail of it. Home Tuition continues from their 3rd birthday if no placement in a school based autism early intervention class is available for them. The number of hours tuition per week will then increase to 20 for eligible children.
When a child with an autism diagnosis reaches 4 years of age they may be accommodated in a number of school settings. In such circumstances, a school placement can be a place in a mainstream class in a mainstream school, a place in a special class attached to a mainstream school, a place in an early intervention class for children with ASD (where the child will not reach the age of 6 during the school year), or a place in a special school. Where there is no educational placement available, my Department will consider applications under the Home Tuition Grant Scheme, where the child can receive 20 hours home tuition per week until a placement is available.
The Home Tuition Grant Scheme is an interim measure to provide for education until an educational placement becomes available. When a school placement becomes available the Home Tuition Grant will be discontinued.
Home Tuition has been approved to date in this school year for 629 children aged over 2.5 years with special educational needs, including children with autism. Of these, the vast majority of children are under the age of 6 years and are awaiting their first school placement.
The table contains information by county on the number of children with special educational needs, including autism, who have been approved for home tuition to date in this school year.
Number of children with Special Educational Needs approved for Home Tuition 2016/17
|
County |
Number of children with Special Educational Needs approved for Home Tuition 2016/17 |
|
Carlow |
2 |
|
Cavan |
3 |
|
Clare |
8 |
|
Cork County Borough |
111 |
|
Donegal |
7 |
|
Dublin County Borough |
245 |
|
Galway County |
19 |
|
Kerry |
10 |
|
Kildare |
26 |
|
Kilkenny |
2 |
|
Laoighis |
8 |
|
Leitrim |
2 |
|
Limerick County |
62 |
|
Longford |
5 |
|
Louth |
1 |
|
Mayo |
16 |
|
Meath |
36 |
|
Monaghan |
2 |
|
Offaly |
7 |
|
Roscommon |
8 |
|
Sligo |
1 |
|
Tipperary |
13 |
|
Waterford County Borough |
6 |
|
Westmeath |
29 |
|
Wexford |
6 |
|
Wicklow |
9 |
|
Total |
644 |
92. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason persons (details supplied) were not allocated sufficient home tuition hours for their child as recommended by a specialist; if he will review this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6459/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children with Special Educational Needs who are seeking an educational placement, either in a special school, a special class, including an early intervention class within a mainstream school, or a mainstream class. In the event that no such placement is available, home tuition can be provided until such a placement becomes available.
Home Tuition will not be available where a school placement has been identified by the NCSE. Similarly, failure to enrol a child in school will not give rise to eligibility under this scheme.
The child referred to by the Deputy was attending an early intervention setting in a pre-school, therefore, and as set out in Section 3 of the Home Tuition Circular 0046/2016, the home tuition hours allocated was the difference between the hours approved in the early intervention setting and the maximum home tuition hours for which the child would normally be eligible under the terms of this scheme.
As the child’s sibling had been approved for home tuition hours, due to the unavailability of a school placement, the sanction of tuition hours for this child was granted on a group basis. As set out in the Home Tuition Circular for 2016/17, 0046/2016, allocations to siblings are on a group/combined basis which is reflective of the school grouping principle i.e. where the pupil teacher ratio in school settings can result in one teacher being allocated to a class of six pupils with children of mixed age and ability at the appropriate educational level (i.e. primary or post primary). However, my Department may consider applications for separate allocations where evidence is provided which sets out the differentiated needs of siblings and reasons why they cannot be tutored together.
93. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider introducing an independent appeals mechanism for examinations at third level, particularly in the institutes of technology sector, in cases in which students feel that they were not awarded the mark that reflects their efforts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6460/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraHigher Education Institutions are autonomous institutions with responsibility for their own academic affairs. My Department does not have any function in relation to the conduct of examinations and assessments, decisions concerning examination results or the processing of appeals in Higher Education Institutions.
However, I am aware that all Institutions have their own appeals procedures in place. This is the appropriate channel for any student to utilise if they wish to request a formal review of their examination results.
94. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to enter into talks with the ASTI leadership in relation to the recent ballot result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6461/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI note the decision made by the members of ASTI to reject the proposals put forward aimed at resolving their dispute and in consequence, to reject the Lansdowne Road Agreement. It is regrettable that many ASTI members will now suffer permanent financial losses and loss of other benefits as a result of this choice.
The proposals represented the final outcome of the process and there will be no further offer made to ASTI. The Government is committed to continuing to work with unions inside the agreement in progressing consideration of pay and conditions issues. The work of the Public Service Pay Commission is now underway in this regard.
95. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he plans to take to ensure that junior certificate students do not suffer as a result of ongoing industrial action; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6462/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission is responsible for the administration of the Final Examinations that form part of the assessment procedures for Junior Cycle. The SEC has provided reassurance in relation to concerns that some Junior Cycle students may not have opportunities to complete all elements of the SEC’s Junior Cycle Final Examination, in English, in 2017. The Examination comprises an Assessment Task, undertaken in schools, which is worth 10% of the available marks and a Final Examination, in June 2017, representing 90% of the marks. Both elements are marked externally by the SEC.
Post-primary schools were advised in December 2016 of a second window for the completion by third year students of Junior Cycle English of the second Classroom Based Assessment (CBA) and Assessment Task. The new window for the Assessment Task, which forms part of the Final Examination and which is marked by the SEC, will be in the week beginning 24 April.
The SEC will provide guidance for the completion of the Assessment Task to schools. The SEC can assure parents and students that its guidance to schools will make clear that all their students will have an opportunity to undertake the Assessment Task, and in this way to complete all elements that are marked by the SEC within the Junior Cycle Final Examination.
I understand that the guidance to be provided by the SEC to schools closer to the time of this second window will make clear that completion of the Assessment Task in English involves candidates engaging with stimulus material and questions (provided by the NCCA, having been developed in conjunction with the SEC), and then completing a booklet provided by the SEC within the set timeframe. The NCCA and SEC materials are focused on candidates referring to their collection of texts, which they have undertaken as part of the reading strand over the period of their study of the Junior Cycle English subject specification and as part of the second CBA.
The class teachers' role in relation to the completion of the Assessment Task is to engage with their students in relation to the NCCA stimulus material and questions, and then to supervise the class in completing the SEC-provided booklet. Class teachers have no role in marking this work.
The completed Assessment Task booklets are then securely stored by schools for return to the SEC for marking. Schools will be required to complete an undertaking to authenticate that the completed Assessment Tasks are the candidates' own work and have been completed in accordance with the NCCA and SEC guidelines.
These arrangements are in line with those applying in schools for the conduct of externally assessed coursework in a range of subjects across both Junior and Senior Cycle. These longstanding arrangements provide for school supervision and authentication of the completion of work for external assessment by the SEC.
I welcome the reassurance provided by the State Examinations Commission on this issue, and I am satisfied that all students will have the opportunity to complete the Assessment Task and Final Examination.
96. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status that history will have as a subject under the new proposals for junior certificate reform; if it will remain a core subject for the junior cycle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6463/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra108. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the new junior cycle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6557/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 96 and 108 together.
Through comparing education internationally, it has been found that in high performing education systems such as New Zealand, Queensland, Estonia and Finland, schools have been given greater autonomy and flexibility in the programmes they offer.
When schools in Ireland are implementing the new Framework for Junior Cycle, they too will have the autonomy and flexibility to design programmes within the parameters of the framework, mindful in particular of the needs of their students and their teaching resources. I am in favour of leaving the decisions on what is offered to the discretion of the school, and of students having as broad a range of options to choose from as possible.
Because the total number of full subjects which can be done for assessment in junior cycle is ten, it is likely that schools will retain most or all of their current subjects in their junior cycle going forward.
Currently, over 90% of students choose History, although it is compulsory only in voluntary secondary schools, not much more than half our post-primary schools. Curriculum choice is important in motivating students to learn and to remain in school to completion of senior cycle.
Schools across all sectors offer History. History teachers attract students to their subject through their own love and passion for History, and by engaging the natural curiosity of their students in, for example, the lives of people, the origins of the modern world and in objects and documents from the past. History is generally the 5th most popular subject in the Junior Certificate examination.
I have every confidence that, through the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle the place of History will be retained and given a new impetus across the junior cycle curriculum. A new specification for Junior Cycle History is being developed by the NCCA. This involved extensive consultation with key stakeholders and the public, which finished recently, during which over 200 submissions were received. The new specification will be available for implementation in all schools from September 2018.
The Leaving Certificate History syllabus attracts about 25% of the total cohort of students. The aim is to make the new specification for Junior Cycle History more attractive, so young people can see it as a realistic option, rather than focusing on learning content by heart. Many people believe that uptake in senior cycle could be improved if the junior cycle History was made more attractive, more relevant and perhaps less of a race against time.
In the new Framework for Junior Cycle, all schools are expected to provide opportunities for students to achieve 24 statements of learning over the period of junior cycle. These statements include valuing local, national and international heritage and understanding the importance of the relationship between past and current events, the forces that drive change, and understanding the origins and impacts of social, economic and environmental aspects of the world around them. Even where students do not take History as a full subject, it is to be hoped that opportunities to achieve such statements through other forms of historical study can be provided to them.
The minimum time allocated for subjects such as History will be 200 hours over the three years of junior cycle, or the equivalent of three 40-minute periods per week over three years. For many schools, this will lead to an increased time provision for History as a subject, and it will no longer be nominally linked to Geography as previously.
This new minimum time stipulation for History as a subject should allow not only for a deepening of a student's historical knowledge but also of his or her ability to analyse, interpret, write and develop historical skills more thoroughly. Those very skills, and attitudes, can indeed be hugely important in ensuring that students are able to understand and interpret all forms of history, news and current affairs too.
97. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to accelerate the divestment of patronage of schools; if schools will be divested to the community national school model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6464/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra98. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the mechanisms his Department will utilise in order to ascertain the wishes of local communities for the purposes of divestment of patronage; if the process will be open to all of the various patrons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6465/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 98 together.
The Deputy will be aware that I announced last week new plans aimed at providing more multi-denominational and non-denominational schools across the country, in line with the choices of families and school communities and the Programme for Government commitment in this area.
This will involve the Education and Training Boards in the initial phase, as the State’s local education authorities, identifying areas where there is likely to be demand for greater diversity and they will work with pre-school services to establish evidence of this demand among the cohort of pre-school parents. There will then be discussions between individual ETBs and the existing patrons/landowners concerning the possible transfer of schools to accommodate this demonstrated demand for diversity.
Each ETB will then prepare a report for the Department outlining the levels of demand within their functional areas and the responses of the existing patrons as to how this might be accommodated through the reconfiguration of existing school provision.
In the subsequent implementation phase, where the level of demand for multidenominational schools is sufficient to justify transfer of a school from denominational to multi-denominational patronage, a process will commence to give effect to that. There will be a role for the existing patron/landowner in consulting with local community and school interests and taking into account proposals from different prospective multi-denominational patrons. It is envisaged that transfers will largely be by way of voluntary transfer of live schools by existing patrons.
This new process for supporting transfers of schools to multi-denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local families is based around principles of transparency and co-operation. Therefore, there will be a very substantial level of consultation of local communities in the process, both with the ETBs in the initial phase to establish evidence of demand by consulting pre-school parents and subsequently through the requirement for the existing patron to consult with local community and school interests in proposing to transfer patronage of an existing school to an alternative patron body. In that process, the existing patron will also take into account proposals from all prospective multidenominational patrons that wish to be considered.
99. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department has undertaken an analysis of the community national school model in terms of inclusion, particularly in terms of those children of minority faith and none at times of religious instruction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6466/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra100. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the safeguards in place in the community national school model to ensure that children of minority faiths and none are treated in an inclusive manner during religious instruction; if there is an opt out procedure in place for children whose parents do not wish them to receive religious instruction; if any guidelines or best practice model have been developed and documented as a result of the community national school pilot project; the evidence upon which his Department has considered the further extension of the model; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6467/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together.
Community National Schools were introduced in 2008 in response to the increasing demand for parental choice in the patronage of primary schools. The schools are multi-denominational, and they allow for belief nurturing during the school day. The Community National School (CNS) model was initially piloted in two schools. Since then it has expanded with a total of eleven new Community National Schools, located in four ETB areas across the country (Dublin and Dun Laoghaire, Cork, Kildare and Wicklow, and Louth and Meath), being established in line with the patronage selection process operated by my Department. Patronage of all the schools formally transferred from the Minister to the relevant ETB in 2016.
Community National Schools are multidenominational, and aim to accommodate parents who wish to have their children learn about different faiths and beliefs while at the same time nurturing children in their own beliefs. The schools do not prioritise any particular religion or belief.
The ‘Goodness Me, Goodness You’ (GMGY) curriculum is the patron’s programme that underpins the characteristic spirit of CNS schools, and is being developed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). GMGY is a common programme suitable for pupils of all faiths and beliefs and none. Children learn together about the same themes and the schools communicate with parents so that families can talk at home about the different themes from their own faith and belief perspective. The GMGY programme has evolved since the establishment of the schools, taking account of feedback from teachers, parents, pupils and faith and belief leaders.
Parents can opt for their child to receive belief-specific teaching for a time during the school year and may request additional supports around specific rites of passage. This approach is open to parents and pupils of all religions and beliefs and none. The approach that a school takes to belief-specific teaching and rites of passage may be different in each Community National School, depending on the needs of the school community and the practices of local belief communities.
Article 44 of the Constitution and Section 30 of the Education Act 1998, which apply to all recognised schools, provide that parents have a right to have their children opt out of religion classes if they so wish. The manner in which any school ensures that the right to opt out of religion classes is upheld is a matter for the school concerned. Each individual school determines the particular arrangements which are most appropriate in its individual circumstances having regard to local issues such as, for example, available space and supervision requirements.
The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2016, which completed second stage in the Dáil in November, includes a specific requirement that school enrolment policies must include details of the school’s arrangements for any students who do not wish to attend religious instruction. This is an important measure which will help ensure transparency from the outset as to how a school will uphold the rights of parents in this regard.
The operation of Community National Schools, like all other recognised schools, is subject to ongoing inspection and evaluation. My Department's school inspectorate inspects the schools on an ongoing basis and this has included a Whole School Evaluation in certain cases. The findings of such Whole School Evaluations are published on my Department's website. In addition, the schools all engage in school self-evaluation, the findings of which are published on school websites.
