Written Answers Nos. 76-85
76. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the operation of school bus transport with particular regard to children using the system on a concessionary basis will be reviewed; if he will review the operation of the school transport for Celbridge (details supplied); if he will extend the service to facilitate children living in Newcastle village; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52357/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 114,000 children, including over 11,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The purpose of the School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
In general, children are eligible for school transport if they meet the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.
The children referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for school transport and may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only which is subject to a number of conditions, including the following:
- Routes will not be extended or altered, additional vehicles will not be introduced, nor will larger vehicles or extra trips using existing vehicles be provided to cater for children travelling on a concessionary basis; no additional State cost will be incurred.
Arising from commitments in the Programme for Government, a review of the Concessionary Charges and Rules element of the School Transport Scheme was undertaken.
The review was published in December 2016 and made recommendations on both the charges and the rules element of concessionary school transport.
With regard to the charges for concessionary school transport the recommended course of action was to continue with the current position whereby charges remain in place for those in receipt of concessionary places. I agree with this recommendation on the basis that those applying for concessionary transport are making a conscious decision to do so and understand the implications of this choice at the time of application.
The report also recommended that the number of concessionary places should be reduced in line with the rules introduced in 2012 on a phased basis. Previous plans to advance this option were put on hold, pending the completion of the review.
However upon consideration of the review and following discussions with the Cross-Party Working Group which I established to feed into the review, I decided that there should be no planned programme of downsizing in the coming years except in line with normal operational decisions within the current scheme.
The terms of the Post-Primary School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.
78. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to review his Department's approach to applied behaviour analysis schooling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52385/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, in school settings.
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.
My Department therefore provides for a continuum of provision which includes mainstream school placements with additional supports, or for pupils who require more specialist interventions, special class and special school placements.
As each child with autism is unique, they should have access to a range of different approaches to meet their individual needs. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes which can be supported by Special Needs Assistants and fully qualified professional teachers who may draw from a range of autism-specific interventions, including Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA), Treatment and Education of Autistic Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) and Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) as well as the appropriate school curriculum with the option, where possible, of full or partial integration and interaction with other pupils.
The use of ABA as part of the range of interventions may be particularly useful for addressing behavioural issues. My Department supports the use of ABA and training is provided for teachers in its use.
However, my Department does not accept, based on research, advice and best practice, that ABA should be the only approach used. While ABA may help to improve behaviour, other approaches, such as a number of those to which I have referred, are just as important in developing children's communication and speech skills.
All recognised schools must operate in line with this policy. This policy has been informed by published research, including the Report of the Task Force on Autism (2001), the Evaluation of Educational Provision for Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (2006) and the NCSE’s policy advice on Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (2016). I have no plans to further review this policy.
79. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children with autism spectrum disorder and similar conditions who have been granted home tuition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52386/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra80. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to centralise the home tutor selection and allocation process. [52387/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 80 together.
The purpose of the Home Tuition Grant Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for
(a) Early educational intervention for children with autism who meet the schemes eligibility criteria
(b) Students with special educational needs seeking an educational placement in a recognised school
(c) Students, enrolled in schools, with significant medical conditions which has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, major disruption to their attendance at school
The preferred approach is that children are educated in school settings where children may have access to fully qualified teachers, individualised education programmes, special needs assistants, school curriculum with the option, where possible and appropriate, of full or partial integration and interaction with other students.
Accordingly, Home Tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not available and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.
In relation to the early intervention strand of the scheme, the Home Tuition Grant is provided for children aged between 2.5 and 3 years of age with an ASD diagnosis.
When these children reach the age of 3 they will be eligible to enrol in a state supported early intervention or preschool setting. Home Tuition is provided for children with ASD over 3 years of age (who will not reach the age of 6 during the 2016/17 school year), who meet the scheme's eligibility criteria, and for whom an early intervention placement is not available, as confirmed by the NCSE.
Children with Special Educational Needs, including those with ASD, who are over the age of four may avail of Home tuition where a school placement is not available as confirmed by the NCSE, through the local Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO).
My Department sanctioned home tuition grants for 1,038 children with ASD in the 2016/17 school year. A breakdown of these children by age is provided in Table 1 below.
Table 1. Home Tuition Grants for Children with ASD 2016/17 school year
|
Age |
No. of Children |
|
2.5-3 Years |
182 |
|
3 - 5 years (incl. 131 children who turned 3 during school year) |
798 |
|
6 years and over |
58 |
|
Total |
1,038 |
The Home Tuition grant scheme allows Parents/guardians to engage eligible tutors for the provision of Home Tuition in a private arrangement.
As tuition takes place outside the usual school structure it is important that the educational programme provided generally reflects that which would be provided in a school environment.
It is appropriate therefore that the qualification standard for Home Tuition generally reflects that required in a school environment. Accordingly, it is a condition of the scheme that parents/guardians must recruit a tutor who is qualified in the relevant sector, and is registered with the Teaching Council, similar to the requirement for teachers in schools.
Where all efforts have failed to secure the services of a teacher qualified to teach in the sector concerned, the Department may consider the engagement of a person who is registered with the Teaching Council and has a primary degree (minimum Level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications) in a relevant area.
As it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to source a tutor to provide tuition for their child, tutors do not have a contractual relationship with my Department. This Department acts solely as a payroll agent on behalf of the parent/guardian by issuing the home tuition grant directly to the approved tutor.
I have no plans at present to change this arrangement.
83. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the proposed major building project at a school (details supplied). [52406/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school project referred to by the Deputy was recently approved to proceed to Stage 2B - Detailed Design Stage.
Stage 2B - Detailed Design Stage, includes applications for all statutory consents, including Planning Permission, Disability Access Certificate and Fire Safety Certificate and also the preparation of tender documentation.
84. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will request the HSE to take over a former health clinic (details supplied) to facilitate a school expansion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52426/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the school referred to has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for additional accommodation. My Department will be engaging with the school authority shortly in the context of assisting the school to meet these needs.
My Department has no remit over services operated by the HSE.
85. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 186 of 21 November 2017, when his Department will correspond with the school in question; if the status of the school will change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52445/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that further enquiries have been made with the NCSE regarding the staffing position in the school in question.
There are 26 students currently enrolled. There are five teaching posts allocated to the school for five classes.
There are three classes designated for students with Severe - Profound General Learning Disability. There are two classes designated for students with Autism and Moderate - Severe General Learning Disability.
The school also has 17.5 SNA posts.
This provides a ratio of 22.5 adults for 26 children.
The NCSE has advised that the staffing has been reviewed and there has been no change to the staffing at the school. There is therefore no basis for the granting of administrative status to the Principal of the school in question.
In the meantime my officials are in contact with the school concerning arrangements for an individual child.
