Written Answers Nos. 125-130
125. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason his Department has delayed for over 12 months in carrying out the road safety audit which is required for Cork County Council's roads department to install a pedestrian crossing for a school (details supplied); when this audit will be carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22299/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school to which the Deputy refers was delivered under a Public Works Design & Build Contract which places the responsibility on the Contractor to submit the final compliance documents to the local authority.
Stage 1 and stage 2 Road Safety Audits were undertaken as part of the planning process.
My officials have sought clarification from the Contractors design team on the status of the Stage 3 Road Safety Audit. My officials will follow up with the Contractor to ensure that the Councils requirements are met as quickly as possible.
126. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the new primary school for Dublin south city, in which patronage has been awarded to Educate Together, will be located at Harcourt Terrace; the status of the building plans for the school intended for Harcourt Terrace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22301/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe new Educate Together primary school for Dublin South City Centre will open as scheduled in September 2018 in suitable interim accommodation. The school patron will be informed of the proposed permanent location for the school as soon as it is possible to do so.
The major building project referred to by the Deputy at Harcourt Terrace once complete will provide a new 24 classroom primary school with 2 special educational needs classrooms.
This project is included on the 6 year programme 2016 - 2021 announced on 17th November 2015 to proceed to tender and construction.
The project is currently at Stage 2A (the Developed Design Stage of early architectural planning). Upon the successful completion of Stage 2A and subject to no issues arising, the project will be authorised to proceed to complete Stage 2B (Detailed Design), which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents for contractors.
127. Deputy Brendan Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the provision of the second phase of a second level school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22303/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project referred to by the Deputy was authorised to proceed to tender in October 2016.
However, as the pre-qualification of contractors had first been conducted by the design team in April 2015, the design team, concerned about the possibility of legal challenges, asked the Office of Government Procurement for advice on this matter. The advice was that it would be prudent to run the pre-qualification again.
The Design Team has rerun the pre-qualification of suitable contractors and are due to go to tender later this month.
Subject to no issues arising it is anticipated that construction will commence in late 2017 and the project is scheduled to take approximately 18 months to complete.
128. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Skills the individual allocation in euro for each of the schools in County Tipperary announced by his Department for the summer school works programme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22315/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will appreciate that information in relation to the estimated cost of projects, referred to, is not released prior to tender stage as this is considered commercially sensitive information.
129. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans on the way to allocate special needs assistants to the new schools due to open for the first time in September 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22329/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
In considering applications for SNA supports for individual pupils, the SENOs take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its current level of resources. SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource.
Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are provided specifically to assist recognised schools to cater for pupils with disabilities, who have additional and significant care needs, in an educational context and where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in medical and other professional reports as being so significant that a pupil will require additional adult assistance in order to be able to attend school and to participate in education
Once allocated, the deployment of SNAs within schools is then a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
My Department's policy is to ensure that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such support.
All schools, including newly established schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2017/18 school year by 6th April 2017. The NCSE will consider all applications for SNA support which have been made by schools. SENOs will continue to process applications for access to SNA support which are received after this deadline. Such applications will be processed in the order in which the applications have been received.
Schools will be advised of their revised SNA allocations for the 2016/17 school year, prior to the end of the current school year.
All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
130. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on fears that the introduction of a new Irish language syllabus at junior certificate level will diminish the links between junior certificate and leaving certificate studies of our language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22345/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am confident that the introduction of the new Junior Cycle Irish subject specifications to first year students from September 2017 will enhance the teaching of Irish in schools and provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge that will support them to undertake successful learning in the subject at Leaving Certificate. A great deal of thought was put into the development of the junior cycle specifications in order to meet the needs of students. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, when developing the new Junior Cycle language specifications, has consulted with a wide range of stakeholders, including at a number of stakeholder consultation events. The specifications were developed by a subject development group whose membership included a number of practising teachers as well as other stakeholders. They are designed to build on best practices in the system and to support the further development of effective teaching, learning and assessment practices.
When studying Junior Cycle Irish, the aim is that students will be assisted to consolidate and deepen their understanding of the language and that they will be encouraged to use the language effectively and confidently, both personally and in communicating with other users in the language. They will also be encouraged to have an appreciation and respect for literature in Irish so that they may enjoy literature and benefit from it. In this way Junior Cycle Irish seeks to strengthen and develop the skills students bring to post-primary school and to provide a very effective link to learning in the language at Leaving Certificate.
Throughout the Junior Cycle, students will acquire and enhance their proficiency in the eight key skills of Junior Cycle, including the skills of communicating and being literate. These skills are key to learning in every area of junior cycle and beyond. They are closely linked to the skills required at senior cycle and those already developed for early childhood and primary education.
A dual approach to assessment is presented. The Junior Cycle will be underpinned by the further integration of formative assessment as a normal part of teaching and learning in classrooms, reflecting the effective practice that is already evident in many classrooms. The introduction of Classroom-Based Assessments will emphasise the importance of formative assessment in supporting teaching and learning. There will also be a final written examination. In this way lesson content and format in the new Junior Cycle will facilitate deeper learning. The implementation of the new Junior Cycle will bring a renewed focus on ensuring that all students are engaged and making progress in accordance with their potential.
A review of senior cycle is planned to ensure that students will have the opportunity to build on the skills and learning that they have acquired in their studies in junior cycle.
