Written Answers Nos. 143-152
143. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the details of the communications issued by his Department to the trustees of the three amalgamating schools (details supplied) at the time this process was undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14463/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought by the Deputy is not readily available and I will arrange for it to be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
144. Deputy Maria Bailey asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application by a school (details supplied) for an extension to the school building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14466/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school referred to by the Deputy was approved funding for the provision of mainstream classrooms and resource rooms. The school authority has since contacted my Department seeking additional funding for an alternative building project.
Further information requested by my Department has recently been supplied by the school and is currently being considered. My Department will be in direct contact with the school authorities regarding the matter shortly.
145. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports that are available to install 3 phase electricity to a secondary school (details supplied). [14491/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the most appropriate funding stream for the works referred to is the Summer Works Scheme (SWS). The SWS is designed to allow post primary schools to carry out small and medium scale building works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings. This scheme is additional to other capital funding schemes that are operated by my Department such as the Additional Accommodation scheme and Emergency Works scheme i.e. for projects of such urgency that they would prevent some or all of the school from opening.
The current SWS is being applied on a multi-annual basis for the years 2016 and 2017. Nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the current SWS which reflects a very high demand. We are therefore, unfortunately, not accepting further applications at this time.
146. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied); his plans going forward; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14498/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of special classes has more than doubled, from 548 in 2011 to 1153 across the country now, of which 889 are special Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) classes. The number of special classes at post-primary level has doubled in the past five years and continues to rise rapidly.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is the body 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 informed my Department that, in general, they are satisfied that there are sufficient ASD special class placements to meet existing demand.
Careful evaluation needs to be carried out before any policy decision is considered to give the Department or the NCSE the power to compel a school to open a special class or an ASD unit. In particular, there should be convincing evidence that the school system in an area is failing to make provision for ASD students before any such move should be considered.
However, it should not be presumed that there should be a special class placement in post primary school for every child that leaves a special class in primary school as many of these children should be able to consider transferring to mainstream or special schools as appropriate.
In many cases, refusal to open classes arises because the school has either no space; is currently full; is awaiting a new building or renovation of existing buildings or rooms, or cannot access suitably trained teachers. Where the difficulties are infrastructural or relate to the availability of suitably trained teachers or SNAs, it is clearly preferable that my Department would work to ensure that these difficulties are addressed and overcome.
I will continue to work with my officials to address all issues in this area, supporting children with special educational needs is a big priority for my Department and this will continue to inform all actions in this important area.
147. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if consultations will be carried out with children and young persons, parents and the wider community with regard to the new plan for reconfiguration of the denominational school system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14508/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra148. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an independent mechanism will be established, with the necessary resources, that will act transparently to oversee the transfer of patronage and the reconfiguration of the denominational school system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14509/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra149. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if any working group has been established to discuss the details of the reconfiguration plan for primary schools; and if so, the details of the membership of this group and its terms of reference. [14510/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 147 to 149, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy will be aware I have announced 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.
I believe that the Education and Training Boards, as the State’s local education authority, is precisely the right organisation to undertake the consultation with pre-school parents in this process. One of the criticisms of the last process was that it did not take sufficient account of local communities and local stakeholders. The ETBs, as statutory education authorities, present in every county, with representation from local groups on their boards, are ideally placed to carry out this process. The protocols surrounding how the consultation will be carried out will be carefully designed by my Department, in consultation with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, and each ETB will submit a report to the Department showing the results of these consultations, including details of how they were carried out in accordance with the protocols.
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 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 multi-denominational 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 cooperation. 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 multi-denominational patrons that wish to be considered. I would urge all parties to engage in this process constructively, with a view to reaching solutions to meet parental preferences.
150. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status in relation to a school (details supplied) which has applied for additional accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14537/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my Department is in receipt of an application for additional accommodation from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application is under consideration and my Department will be in contact with the school authority in the matter shortly.
151. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being implemented to address a skills shortage in construction employment opportunities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14550/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe education system at all levels has established a number of strategies to meet the existing and future skills demands in the workplace, including the National Skills Strategy 2025, the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019.
The National Skills Strategy 2025 and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 provide for the establishment of the National Skills Council (NSC) as a key element of a new national skills architecture. The Council, when established shortly, will oversee research and provide advice on the prioritisation of identified skills needs and how to secure the delivery of identified needs.
As part of this new skills architecture, nine Regional Skills Fora were established in 2016 with a view to providing an opportunity for employers and the education and training system to work together to identify and meet the existing and emerging skills needs of their regions. Employers in the construction sector are represented on many of the Fora.
The apprenticeship system is a major supplier of craft skills to the construction sector. Following a number of years of decline, registrations in the 27 existing apprenticeship trades are rising as the employment and economic situation improves. As economic activity in the relevant sectors continues to strengthen, registrations are forecast to continue to increase in these trades in the coming years. SOLAS forecast that registrations will increase to 3,390 in 2016, 4,219 in 2017 and 5,089 in 2018. Both the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 and the National Skills Strategy 2025 contain specific measures in relation to the apprenticeship system.
Further Education and Training providers deliver a range of specific skills programmes for the construction sector outside of the apprenticeship system. SOLAS are engaging with the Education and Training Boards to continue to expand provision in identified areas of skills needs.
A broad range of courses are also available in the area of construction and the built environment in the Higher Education sector. There were 56 construction related courses offered to full-time level 8 (honours bachelor degree) students in 2015/16 and 46 at levels 6 and 7 (undergraduate ordinary degree and certificate enrolments). In total 10% of all HEA-funded higher education graduates in 2015 were from the “Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction” disciplines.
Construction-related courses have also featured in the Springboard+ programme, which funds short form higher education courses primarily for unemployed people. In 2016, a total of 246 construction-related places were approved.
152. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if funding will be made available to a group (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14331/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is a matter in the first place for the group in this case to apply to Kerry County Council for funding support, which I understand has not happened to date. It would then be a matter for the Council to consider the project in terms of suitability, value-for-money and priority.
