Written Answers Nos. 163 - 175
163. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the uptake in the number of apprenticeships by females; if his Department has proposals to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10705/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, in order to be registered as an apprentice by SOLAS, a person must be employed by an approved employer in one of the 27 craft trades. Recruitment to apprenticeship is therefore driven by employers rather than by SOLAS or by education and training providers. The 2014 Review of Apprenticeship in Ireland acknowledged that the number of women employed in craft apprenticeships is low as they operate in sectors that have traditionally low levels of female employment. SOLAS offers a bursary to employers to encourage them to employ female apprentices in these areas. Despite this the number of female apprentices remains low.
Currently the Apprenticeship Council is overseeing the expansion of the apprenticeship system into a range of new areas, following a call for proposals from employers and education and training providers. In recent months, we have seen the first of these new apprenticeships with the new Insurance Practitioner Apprenticeship launching in September 2016 and the Industrial Electrical Engineer Apprenticeship commencing in November 2016. 13 Further new apprenticeships will get underway in 2017, many of which are in sectors where there is a different gender balance in the workplace and I am confident that this will lead to a strong increase in female participation when these new apprenticeships are launched.
As set out in the recently published Action Plan to Extend Apprenticeship and Traineeship in Ireland 2016-2020, my Department will, in conjunction with SOLAS, review the pathways to participation in apprenticeship in a range of diverse groups, including female participation, in light of the broadening of the apprenticeship system into new areas. The review will be completed in 2018 and any recommendations made will be implemented immediately.
As part of the plan to expand apprenticeship, SOLAS will introduce a new branding and marketing campaign which will, in particular, focus on attracting more women to take up apprenticeships.
164. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has read the USI position paper on the funding of higher education regarding the effects a loan scheme would have on students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10706/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware of the USI pre-budget submission and its recommendations for increased funding to the sector. The Report of the Expert Group on the Future Funding for Higher Education sets out a number of funding options for the sector with income contingent loans being just one of those options. Other options include a predominantly State-funded system or a State-funded system supplemented with continuing student fees.
As the Deputy will be aware the Report is currently with the Joint Oireachtas Committee for consideration where each of the funding models will be examined and the process will include input from all stakeholders. I understand the Union of Students in Ireland are one of the groups who have made a submission.
It will be important to obtain political and societal consensus on achieving a sustainable funding model for the higher education sector in the future and my Department and I continue to work with the Committee as it undertakes this important job. However, it is important to recognize, as the Cassells Report has done, that doing nothing is not an option and that other measures to improve equality of access would also be necessary.
Funding overall for the higher education sector is a key concern for me, particularly in light of the additional pressure that will fall on the system over the next decade or so. That is why I am pleased, that I have for the first time in nine years secured additional funding for the sector with €36.5m additional being made available this year and €160m additional overall over the next three years. This includes an increase in the funding available to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and other under-represented groups to assist them in overcoming financial barriers to accessing and completing higher education.
In addition, in Budget 2017 the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and I, announced a policy review with the aim of designing and implementing a sustainable and predictable multi-annual funding model for higher and further education and training involving increased Employer and Exchequer contributions from 2018. The review will be undertaken as part of the overall response to meeting the anticipated skills needs in the economy over the coming years, in line with the policy framework set out in the National Skills Strategy.
It will include an analysis of the business case for enhanced investment in the higher and further education and training sectors and of the most effective funding mechanisms to deliver outcomes in respect of our ambitions in this area. In this context it will identify key elements of the new funding model and of the expected impacts including those on employers. The review will include consultation with stakeholders. It is expected that the policy review will be published by the end of April 2017, and will complement the ongoing work by the Oireachtas Committee in relation to the Cassells report.
165. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the shortage of substitute teachers for primary schools and the serious difficulties this is causing for school principals and managers throughout the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10707/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware that some schools are experiencing difficulty in recruiting adequately qualified substitute teachers, and I am committed to examining all possible means of addressing this issue.
In overall terms, however, the Department has no evidence of a recent or current shortage of primary teachers, including for substitution positions.
There are many different variables which affect the supply of, and demand for, teachers in our schools, such as number of new graduates, number of retirees, Government policy on the pupil teacher ratio, pupil demographics, teacher leave/work patterns (e.g. career breaks, job sharers), geographical location; these are just some of the relevant variables.
In 2015, there was a once off reduction in the number of newly qualified teachers graduating due to the reconfiguration and extension of the programmes of initial teacher education which may have put pressure on supply.
The Deputy should note also that the focus of policy, under the last Government, was to ensure that, to the greatest extent possible, young teachers at the start of their careers, including unemployed teachers, were given priority when it came to recruiting substitute teachers. Circular 31/2011, published in May 2011 and still in force, directs school managers to prioritise unemployed teachers over retired teachers when it comes to recruiting substitute teachers.
The policy objective of my Department is to provide an adequate supply of teachers to meet the demand of schools and, in that regard, a Technical Working Group (TWG) was set up by the Teaching Council to formulate advice on teacher supply. The TWG’s final report was submitted to my predecessor, Minister Jan O’Sullivan, in December 2015.
The Report sets out an approach to planning for teacher supply in the medium to longer term. The approach provides for the identification, collection and validation of data from a range of sources to be followed by a period in which a model for projecting demand and supply of teachers is developed and tested. This work will involve consultation so there is buy in from relevant stakeholders, including teacher education providers.
The Report recognises that the implementation of its recommendations will have significant resource implications, including staffing, and I will not be in a position to progress this aspect in the current year. In the Action Plan for Education for 2017, I have committed to the publication of the Report in quarter 1 together with the actions necessary for the implementation of the recommendations. This approach will provide further clarity for addressing this complex matter.
166. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the assistance he will provide to a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10708/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school to which the Deputy refers applied for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to replace windows and doors as opposed to the yard works mentioned in the details supplied.
As the scope of the works was outside the terms and conditions of the scheme, the application was refused. The mechanism for applying for funding for works of this nature, and indeed yard works, is my Department’s Summer Works Scheme when the next round is available.
In the meantime, schools have access to the minor works grant i.e. €5,500 for each primary school plus €18.50 per pupil or €74 per special needs pupil, which all primary schools received last November. This funding may be used to carry out both of the types of work mentioned in full or on a phased basis as that grant permits.
167. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for funding under the summer works scheme by a school (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the fact that in September 2016 a senior environmental health officer found sanitary accommodations servicing all classes to be no longer fit for purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10719/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of a Category 5 (toilet upgrade) application under the Summer Works Scheme (2016-2017) from the school to which he refers.
Nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the 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. The application from the school in question is available to be considered in this context.
168. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the procedures for an appeal system in respect of the new model for access and support scheme, which is to replace the learning support and resource hours schemes, to take into consideration complex needs cases that require immediate early intervention that have come to light and been verified recently but may not have been taken into consideration when the allocations for the new model for access and support scheme were announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10720/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn 18th January last, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017.
The aim of this new model is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs. Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone in to the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.
I also announced that an additional 900 teaching posts will be provided to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools. This is additional to an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers allocated to schools annually by the NCSE since 2011, when 5265 teachers were allocated, as opposed to provision for 7542 posts in the current school year.
The additional funding will provide additional supports to over 1000 schools who are identified as needing additional supports as a result of the new model. Supports for children with special educational needs is a huge priority for this Government. We currently spend €1.6 billion, or one fifth of the total education budget, on supports for children with special educational needs.
It will ensure that all schools receive a sufficient allocation of special education needs resources to provide additional teaching support to all pupils in their school who require such support.
Under the new allocation model schools will be provided with total allocation which includes a baseline allocation for the school and an allocation based on the school profile.
The provision of a profiled allocation will give a fairer allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the actual level of need in each school.
Schools will be frontloaded with resources, based on each school’s profile, to provide supports immediately to those pupils who need it without delay. This will reduce the administrative burden on schools as schools will no longer have to complete an application process annually and apply for newly enrolled pupils who require resource hours. Children who need support can have that support provided immediately rather than having to wait for a diagnosis.
Schools will therefore no longer have to make applications for newly enrolled pupils for whom resource teaching hours may have been provided under the old model, as schools will now receive a single allocation for all of their special education teaching needs based on their school size and profile. This includes provision for junior infants who are newly enrolling to the school or pupils who may transfer from another school including children to whom the Deputy has referred.
It should be noted that this is a brand new model of allocation and is not comparable to the existing model. By using a broad range of attainment and socio-economic criteria, it is expected that generally, a school’s profile will remain relatively constant from year to year. Each year, some students with additional teaching needs will leave and others will enrol, broadly balancing the school profile. Resources allocated under this model will not normally be adjusted between allocations.
The model will, however, allow for some additional provision for exceptional circumstances or where a school’s enrolment levels increase very substantially prior to the next review of the model. The Inclusion Support Service, established under the National Council for Special Education will support schools in managing their special education teaching allocations in the first instance. Only in very exceptional circumstances, where it can be demonstrated that the school’s profile has changed very significantly since the allocation was made to the school, may an additional allocation of hours be made to the school.
A new Circular will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details of how the scheme will operate while details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools.
The NCSE will advise schools of details of how the appeal process will operate in conjunction with the allocations to schools.
Schools will also be provided with guidance on how to manage their resources to ensure that all pupils who have additional learning needs can be provided with support.
169. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the school building programme at primary and second level in County Kildare continues to proceed as planned having particular regard to the urgent requirement for school places; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10739/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra170. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he has received communication from the various primary school authorities throughout north Kildare in the context of the provision of new buildings or extra facilities to meet requirements; the extent to which he expects to be in a position to respond in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10740/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra176. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which primary school places and class requirements in County Kildare continue to be met; if class sizes fall within the national average; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10746/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 169, 170 and 176 together.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department consistently monitors demographics to identify where additional school places will be required.
My Department’s six-year capital programme priorities building projects for these areas, including County Kildare. The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed.
There are currently 29 major capital projects that are being progressed in Co Kildare. This is in addition to over 50 smaller scale projects that have been approved devolved funding under my Department’s additional accommodation scheme.
Budget 2017 sets out the resources available for schools for the 2017/18 school year. This Budget represents the start of a major 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 budget provides for over 2,400 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. This includes additional teaching posts to meet demographic need, curriculum reform, additional guidance posts, additional resource teaching posts, addition teaching support for DEIS schools and the strengthening of school leadership.
The 2017/18 school year will see a significant increase in teacher numbers (almost 4,700) in our schools compared to the 2015/16 school year.
The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class sizes at primary level and it is my intention to make further improvements to class sizes over the life of the Government.
171. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which new primary and second level teaching posts have been approved in respect of primary and second level schools throughout the country; the extent to which this is expected to favourably impact teaching conditions in the schools in question; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10741/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The 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.
Budget 2017 sets out the resources available for schools for the 2017/18 school year. This Budget represents the start of a major 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 budget provides for over 2,400 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year.
This includes 680 posts to meet rising demographic needs at both primary and post primary level, 900 additional resource teachers to cover both sectors, 550 additional posts arising from Junior Cycle professional time, 100 posts arising from enhancements to guidance and 170 posts arising from enhancements to school leadership.
The 2017/18 school year will see a significant increase in teacher numbers (almost 4,700) in our schools compared to the 2015/16 school year.
172. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total number of special needs places available at primary and second level schools throughout north Kildare; the extent to which further improvements are required in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10742/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra173. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which adequate school places are available at primary and second level for children with autism throughout the various schools in north Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10743/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra174. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which adequate SNAs are available throughout the primary and second level schools in north Kildare; the extent to which it is expected to address specific deficiencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10744/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra175. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which his Department continues to monitor the special needs teaching requirements in terms of teachers and SNAs at primary and second level in all schools throughout County Kildare; the extent to which he expects to be in position to meet the increased demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10745/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra177. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which children with autism continue to have ready access to primary and second level school places throughout the country with particular reference to County Kildare; the extent to which any difficulties have arisen in meeting the ongoing requirements in the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10747/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 172 to 175, inclusive, and 177 together.
Funding for special education provision in 2017 will amount to some €1.68 billion, which is equivalent to over 19% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training and an increase of 12% in spending in the past two years. This funding provides for a range of supports and services including additional learning and resource teaching support, access to Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support, special transport arrangements, building adaptations, enhanced capitation in special schools and special classes, specialised equipment, additional teacher training and the services of the National Educational Psychological Service.
Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to mainstream Primary, Post Primary schools and to Special Schools to assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the full participation of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills. The 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. The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
The NCSE has published details of the SNA and Resource Teaching Posts allocated to schools, including schools in Co. Kildare, for the current school year, 2016/2017, on its website: www.ncse.ie.
As part the Budget announcements, I announced that an additional 115 SNA posts at an annual cost of €3.75m will be provided for allocation from January to June 2017, bringing the total number of SNAs available for allocation to schools to 13,015 to the end of 2017, which represents an increase of 23% over the numbers allocated in 2011. This is a higher level of SNA support than ever before, which ensures that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.
There are currently over 12,500 learning support and Resource Teacher posts in mainstream primary and post primary schools of which 7430 are Resource Teaching posts; this represents an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers which have been allocated since the 2011/12 school year, at which point 5265 posts were allocated. In addition, over 5000 learning support posts have been allocated to schools under the General Allocation Model for primary schools and Learning Support allocations for post primary schools. I announced that an additional €18 million will be provided in 2017 to provide for around 900 additional resource teacher posts.
I also announced that, following development and piloting over the past number of years, a new model for the allocation of teaching resources for children with special educational needs will be implemented from September 2017, the aim of which is to deliver better outcomes for children with special educational needs.
Large amounts of research, analysis, consultation with service users and stakeholders, and piloting have gone in to the development of this model and all the evidence points to the fact that this new system will deliver better outcomes for children.
Under the new allocation model schools will be provided with a total allocation which includes a baseline allocation for the school and an allocation based on the school profile. The provision of a profiled allocation will give a fairer allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the actual level of need and pupils in each school. A new Circular will be issued to schools in the coming weeks which will provide details of how the scheme will operate while details of the allocations for each school will also be provided to schools.
The NCSE, in consultation with the relevant education partners, also has responsibility for the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas, as required. The NCSE continues to engage with schools in relation to opening special classes where there is an identified need for special class provision. Progress in developing the network of Special Classes has been significant; approximately 150 new Special Classes were sanctioned for the 2016/17 school year which means there are currently 1,153 special classes in place, compared to 548 special classes in 2011. There are currently 889 ASD Special Classes which offer a supportive learning environment to students with ASD who are unable to access the curriculum in a mainstream class, even with support, for most or all of their school day.
125 special schools also provide specialist education for those pupils who need it.
With regard to Kildare in particular, there are 942 students with ASD attending schools in the County, 520 of those attend mainstream schools and are accessing in-school supports including Resource teaching and SNA support, 322 students are attending 59 ASD special classes consisting of 6 early intervention classes, 41 primary ASD classes and 12 post primary ASD classes, while a further 100 students with ASD are placed in 4 special schools.
The NCSE has indicated that it is currently satisfied that there will be sufficient ASD special class placements available to meet demand in the region for the forthcoming school year
The combination of supports provided means that school places are available for all children with special educational needs, including children in County Kildare.
