Written Answers Nos. 417-433
417. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to improve access to adult literacy and numeracy classes; his Department's current budget and projected budget in the period ahead; and the initiatives he will take to enhance lifelong learning for adults and early school leavers. [16022/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe delivery and enhancement of adult literacy and numeracy provision is being driven through the implementation of the Further Education and Training (FET) Literacy and Numeracy Strategy which is contained in the FET Strategy 2014-19.
My Department, along with SOLAS, the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) and partner agencies are collaborating on the ongoing development and enhancement of the structures required to progress its implementation. The strategy sets out 12 inter- related elements which aim to promote, develop and encourage literacy and numeracy skills in the adult population. Progress to date includes the development and launch of the national awareness campaign, ‘take the first step’, development of national guidelines for the initial and on-going screening and assessment of participants and the publication of a number of research projects including the examination of integrating literacy and numeracy in FET programmes and an examination of barriers to participation in FET programmes .
Adult literacy provision is delivered through a number of dedicated programmes including adult literacy groups and intensive tuition in adult basic education. Last year, over €33million was provided to support adult literacy and numeracy provision for over 60,000 beneficiaries. The detail of resourcing and planned beneficiary numbers for overall adult literacy provision is not yet finalised, but will be similar to that provided last year.
Increasing participation in life-long learning is a key priority for this Government. The Higher Education System Performance Framework 2018-20, which I published earlier this year, reinforces the target set in the National Skills Strategy 2025, to increase by 10% the number of those aged 25-64 engaged in lifelong learning by 2020 and by 15% by 2025. Lifelong learning can comprise formal, non-formal and informal learning. Research findings have indicated that lowering the barriers to adult participation in learning calls for increased modes of delivery that help overcome time constraints. Flexibility in FET provision will continue to be expanded and enhanced. Last year almost 160, 000 beneficiaries engaged on part time FET programmes – of which 15,000 were facilitated through evening training and a further 10,000 online through eCollege. As part of the National Strategy for Higher Education and the implementation of a system performance framework for the sector HEIs have agreed objectives for access and lifelong learning with the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Since 2014 HEIs have reported on these objectives through a strategic dialogue process with the HEA. Overall analyses of progress have been published in reports on higher education system performance (www.hea.ie).
Finally, my Department has begun work on the development of a plan for the implementation of the EU Council Recommendation on Upskilling Pathways: New Opportunities for Adults Recommendation – which aims to help adults with less than upper second level education acquire a minimum level of literacy, numeracy and digital skills. Details of the implementation arrangements will be finalised later this year and will be submitted to the Commission.
418. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to provide a second level Educate Together school in County Galway in view of the fact there are five such primary schools in the county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16050/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, I announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next 4 years (2019 to 2022), including a new post-primary school to serve as a regional solution for the Galway City and Oranmore school planning areas. This announcement follows nationwide, demographic exercises carried out by my Department into the future need for primary and post-primary schools across the country and the 4-year horizon will enable increased lead-in times for planning and delivery of the necessary infrastructure.
With regard to demand for particular models of school provision, it should be noted that the patronage process for new schools is a separate process. This process is run after it has been decided that a new school is required. Parental preferences are central to this process. The process is fair, transparent and open to all patrons, patron bodies and prospective patrons to apply for patronage of any planned new school under this process.
The patronage process for new schools is overseen by an external independent advisory group, the New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG). Following their consideration of my Department’s assessment reports, the NSEG submits a report with recommendations to me for consideration and final decision. The assessment reports and the NSEG recommendations for all such patronage processes are made available on my Department's website.
419. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) will be allowed to enrol on a programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16057/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraHEAR is a college and university admissions scheme offering places on reduced points and extra college support to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
The HEAR scheme has been operated by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) and regulated by the higher education institutions themselves and not by my Department. The operational management of HEAR has transferred from the Shared Services Unit in the IUA to the CAO.
For all information required in relation to admission through the HEAR scheme the person should contact the CAO.
420. Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there will be a summer works scheme in 2018; when the details will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16062/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Summer Works Scheme is designed to allow schools to carry out small and medium sized building works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings.
The current Summer Works Scheme 2016 -2017 was applied on a multi-annual basis. The Deputy will be aware that nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the scheme which reflects a very high demand.
Almost €80 million has been approved to date under the Summer Works Scheme, in respect of over 640 school projects in categories 1 - 6. Details of the successful school applicants are published on my Department's website www.education.ie.
The 2018 budgetary provision will allow my Department to meet the carry over costs of summer works projects already approved.
421. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills why painter and decorator apprentices from County Cork must travel as far as Ballyfermot Training Centre, Dublin 10, for the 20 week SOLAS training period (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16065/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe SOLAS apprenticeship scheduling management system aims to call apprentices for their off-the-job training, on a longest waiting basis on the day of scheduling to the nearest available Education and Training Board or Institute of Technology. Whilst every effort is made to eliminate unnecessary travel, unfortunately for some apprentices it is impossible to avoid having to attend training facilities that are not convenient to their locality. All apprentices are advised at their mandatory induction briefings of the scheduling process.
In situations where apprentices are required to move from their current place of residence, in order to take up an offer of a training place, they are entitled to make an application for an accommodation allowance, in addition to their weekly training allowance, for the duration of the course.
In addition, given the relatively small numbers of annual registrations for the Painter and Decorator Apprenticeship it is not feasible or cost-effective to offer the off-the-job training phase in multiple locations.
422. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if successful contractors supplying furniture and equipment under the schools bundle 5 contract will have their contracts honoured in view of the fact that they will have already purchased equipment and furniture; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16070/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the case of all school building projects, it is a matter for sub-contractors and suppliers to agree terms and conditions and a schedule of payments with the main contractor as their direct employer or customer.
In the context of the Schools Bundle 5 PPP Project, Sammon Construction Ireland Ltd (SCIL) was subcontracted by Carillion Construction Ltd to undertake the school construction and fit-out. SCIL, in turn, entered contractual arrangements with suppliers of furniture and equipment.
Contractual/payment issues arising under these and any other sub-contracts are for the relevant contracting parties to resolve. The Department of Education and Skills is not party to these contracts and does not have any authority to intervene.
SCIL is now subject to the direction of a court appointed examiner.
423. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he is taking to ensure the awareness of dyspraxia among teachers in publicly funded schools. [16076/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra424. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports provided to schools and teachers to enable them to support children and students with dyspraxia. [16077/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 423 and 424 together.
My Department provides for a range of services and supports to ensure that children of school going age with Special Educational Needs, including children with Dyspraxia, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. These supports include additional teaching and care support, enhanced capitation, specialist school transport arrangements, assistive technology and/or specialist equipment, adaptations for school buildings where necessary and additional training for teachers of children with special educational needs.
The functions of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE include planning and coordinating the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs in conjunction with schools and the Health Service Executive (HSE).
The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports as required. The NCSE is aware of emerging need from year to year and where special provision is required it is planned and established to meet that need.
The NCSE’s SENO responsibility includes planning and coordinating the provision of education and support services to children with special educational needs, including supporting children and parents in identifying school placement options and resource needs. Each SENO works in an assigned local area with parents, schools, teachers, psychologists, health professionals and other staff who are involved in the provision of services in that area for children with special educational needs.
From 21st March 2017, the Special Education Support Service (SESS), the National Behavioural Support Service (NBSS) and the Visiting Teacher Service for Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Children who are Blind/Visually Impaired (VTHVI) transferred from my Department to the NCSE and joined with the services already being provided by NCSE’s SENOs and administrative staff to form a new NCSE Support Service. This new service aims to develop schools’ capacity to include students with special educational needs and to promote a continuum of educational provision which is inclusive and responsive.
Children with Dyspraxia may be entitled to additional teaching provision in school, under the new model for allocating special education teachers, which was introduced since September 2017. Under this model, schools are provided with an allocation for special educational support teaching to support all students who need such support.
Schools now have greater discretion as to how they can deploy resources, to take account of the actual learning needs students have, as opposed to being guided by a particular diagnosis of disability.
My Department recently published guidelines for schools as to how they should utilise and deploy their resources under the new allocation model. These guidelines are available at http://www.education.ie/en/The-Department/Announcements/Guidelines-for-Schools-Supporting-Children-with-Special-Educational-needs-in-Mainstream-Schools.html
The guidelines will support schools in how they identify students, including students with Dyspraxia/DCD for additional teaching support, and decide how much support to provide, taking into account the extent and severity of their needs.
Where students have additional care needs, which are so significant that they require additional adult support in order to attend school and access the curriculum, they may be supported by Special Needs Assistants.
SNA support is provided specifically to assist recognised primary, post primary and special schools to cater for the care needs of students with disabilities in an educational context, where the nature of these care needs have been outlined in professional reports as being so significant that a student will require adult assistance in order to be able to attend school and to participate in education, in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 30/2014.
In circumstances where students with Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) have care needs to the extent that the school considers SNA support is required for them to attend and access the curriculum, the school may apply to the NCSE for SNA support.
Funding is also provided to schools towards the cost of assistive technology, for children with special educational needs which is essential for educational purposes, to assist children with special educational needs in Primary, Post Primary and Special schools, in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0010/2013.
The NCSE provides for support for additional training needs in the area of Dyspraxia for teachers through the Special Education Support Service (SESS) which manages, co-ordinates and develops a range of supports in response to identified teacher training needs. The SESS provides Continuing Professional Development (CPD) support for teachers of pupils with Dyspraxia through an Inclusive Learning Resource Teachers course as well as an online resource facility and an online book borrowing facility.
All primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are available on the Department's website. Where a NEPS psychologist is not assigned to a school, authorities therein may access psychological assessments through SCPA. Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will pay the psychologist the fees for this assessment directly.
Post primary school students with special needs may have special arrangements made for them while sitting State examinations such as the Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate. Candidates with disabilities can apply through their school for reasonable accommodation during examinations. Further details of supports are available from the State Examinations Commission (SEC) Reasonable Accommodations Section.
At third level, the National Office for Equity of Access to Third Level Education, within the Higher Education Authority (HEA), administers a number of access measures including the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD), the purpose of which is to assist students with disabilities. A range of supports are available at third level colleges to support students who have disabilities or special educational needs. Details of the additional support and services that are available for students with medical conditions/disabilities at third level colleges will be provided by the Disability Officers at each college.
The supports which will be provided for students with special educational needs, including Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), will take account of the needs that each pupil has and the type of college or course that they are attending.
Students with disabilities or severe medical conditions should contact the Disability Office before the beginning of the academic year to find out what disability supports will be available to them and will need to discuss with the Disability/Access Officer in the college/university details of their needs based requirement in college.
425. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the privatisation of bus routes (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16078/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 116,000 children, including over 12,000 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 at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.
Bus Éireann is obliged to tender all works, goods and services in line with the European Directives on public procurement, which includes school transport services performed by contractors under the School Transport Scheme.
In this regard, Bus Éireann has advised that the school transport service referred to by the Deputy is currently out to tender.
Bus Éireann has also confirmed that the scheduled public bus services referred to will continue to operate as per the scheduled timetable.
426. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the additional accommodation application by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16101/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my Department has received an application for additional accommodation at the school referred to by the Deputy.
The application is currently being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process is completed.
427. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for additional accommodation by a school (details supplied); the timeframe for a decision on this application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16102/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my Department has received an application for additional accommodation from the school referred to by the Deputy. The application will be considered as soon as possible and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.
428. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an application for additional accommodation by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16153/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application for additional accommodation from the school in question.
The application will be assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.
429. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of an appeal for additional funding for a second home economics room by a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16156/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received correspondence from the school in question relating to a home economics room.
In this regard, my Department has sought additional information from the school authority and once this is received and considered, a decision will be conveyed to the school.
430. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if funding in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kildare will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16277/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that my Department has received an application for additional accommodation from the school referred to by the Deputy.
The application is being considered and my Department has been in recent contact with the school authority in this regard. A decision on the application will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.
431. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the tender process and awarding of a contract to construct a new school building (details supplied) will proceed as soon as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16279/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the local Education and Training Board (ETB).
The project has been tendered and the ETB recently submitted the Tender Report. This Report is currently being evaluated by my Department. My Department will be in contact with the ETB as soon as possible in relation to the outcome.
432. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the value of individual contracts for school buses (details supplied) in each county; if there are large differences from county to county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16280/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 116,000 children, including almost 12,000 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 at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.
Bus Éireann is obliged to tender all works, goods and services in line with the European Directives on public procurement, which includes school transport services performed by contractors under the School Transport Scheme.
The value of Contracts for school buses for each county is dependent on a number of factors such as the number of eligible children, size of vehicle and length of the journey.
As part of the procurement process, the rate for each Contract is evaluated through a defined tender process where the Contractor establishes the rate, in line with prevailing market conditions.
The information in relation to individual contracts is commercially sensitive, however, the current procurement process complies with all guidelines associated with EU directives and is subject to Independent audit.
433. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the site acquisition process in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Cork; when a planning application will be lodged; the person or body carrying out the detailed design work; the timeline for the construction of the new school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16283/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, a suitable site has been identified to accommodate the school to which he refers. The conveyancing process is currently underway and all parties are working with a view to the property transferring into the Minister’s ownership at the earliest possible date.
The school building project for the school in question is included on the 6 year schools construction programme and is scheduled to commence construction in 2019-2021. The school building project is currently in architectural planning. Plans are at an advanced stage and officials in my Department will be inviting the school to view these plans in the coming weeks in advance of lodging the planning application. It is not possible to provide a timeframe for proceeding to tender and construction until such time as all statutory approvals have been secured.
