Written Answers Nos. 77-95
77. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 342 of 8 May 2019, the breakdown of figures to include the initial tender price for supplying the TENRCS system; the status on the operation of the TENRCS system nationally; if the system has been shelved due to the fact it was not fit for purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48373/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has requested the information sought by the Deputy from SOLAS and it is currently being compiled. I will arrange for the information to be forwarded to the Deputy.
78. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address a matter regarding on-call counselling at second -level schools (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48374/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department does not currently have plans for a national school-based counselling programme at post primary-school level. NEPS provides consultation for school staff who may have concerns about individual pupils or students. NEPS supports schools in putting interventions in place for individuals with clearly identified and serious difficulties. Consultation in relation to appropriate therapeutic interventions delivered in the school setting is also available. When counselling is considered to be required a referral is made to an outside agency. Schools are advised to have identified appropriate referral pathways in consultation with HSE and other mental health services in their local community. NEPS helps schools in the process of making referrals to external agencies as appropriate for students who require more specialised interventions. NEPS Guidelines for Schools on Responding to Critical Incidents provide advice for schools in handling critical incidents and also advises about prevention and early intervention strategies for students at risk.
The Department of Education and Skills promotes a comprehensive and whole-school approach to the promotion of wellbeing and positive mental health focusing on the entire school community, as well as groups and individual young people with identified need.
School guidance counselling service plays a valuable role as an integral part of the school’s pastoral care and student support structures to promote student wellbeing at whole-school level. Every post-primary school is required to publish a whole-school guidance plan in which the school outlines how students can be supported.
My Department’s Wellbeing Policy and Framework for practice has given recognition to the importance of promoting wellbeing in education. It outlines a comprehensive, whole school approach to promoting wellbeing and positive mental health. It focuses on the school community, as well as groups and individual students with identified needs. Schools promote wellbeing through a range of activities and approaches to support the academic, physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual development of all students.
79. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures his Department takes to ensure that courses undertaken at universities and institutes of technology remain relevant to the changing workforce trends here; if there is data available which identifies the number of students that gained full-time employment directly as a result of their institute qualification; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48375/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe tertiary education system has a number of key strategies in place at all levels to ensure we meet existing and future skills demands in the workplace and equip young people and the working population more generally with the skills and capacity to meet these demands, to enhance the level of human capital in Ireland and provide a solid basis for long-term economic sustainability and rising living standards. These strategies include, in particular, the National Skills Strategy 2025 and the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019.
According to an OECD 2017 Report, the employment prospects and expected financial benefits from completing tertiary education in Ireland are higher than in most other European countries, indicating that the education system provides skills that are relevant to the labour market. This finding is supported by the analysis contained in the recent independent impact assessment of Irish universities carried out by Indecon and commissioned by the Irish Universities Association.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) have been tracking graduate outcomes since 1982. This annual survey tracks student outcomes 18 months after graduation with findings published by the HEA on www.hea.ie. The HEA have also partnered with the CSO to produce longitudinal reports of graduate experience 1, 3 and 5 years post-graduation. These are available on www.cso.ie
The January 2019 version of the HEA graduate outcomes report tracked the 2017 graduate class. Of this cohort who were employed 18 months post-graduation - 70% of Level 6 & 7 graduates, 77% of Honours Bachelor Degree (L8) graduates and 84% of taught postgraduate graduates rated the area of study as relevant to their area of employment (somewhat relevant to very relevant).
In relation to graduate supply, in 2017 there were a total of 48,931 graduates from the Higher Education system. Of this number, a significant proportion were in key skills areas, 2,765 were in ICT, 5,729 in Engineering Manufacturing and Construction and 4,200 in Science and Maths.
The National Employer Survey completed in Q2 2018, has shown that employers are very satisfied with graduate recruits across a range of personal and workplace attributes, including computer and technical literacy, working effectively with others and numeracy/processing numerical data. Overall satisfaction with higher education graduates was 86% and for further education and training graduates overall satisfaction was 84%. The satisfaction with the computer and technology literacy of graduates is very high (88% for Higher Education, 83% for Further Education and Training).
I recently launched the Human Capital Initiative, the primary objective of which is to underpin the provision of additional capacity across the Higher Education Sector to meet priority skill needs for enterprise. It represents an additional investment of €300m (€60m per annum from 2020 to 2024) from the surplus in the National Training Fund in line with the recommendation contained in the independent review of the National Training Fund.
The HCI will also incentivise continued reform and innovation in third level provision building on best practice nationally and internationally, strongly supporting innovation in programme design and delivery. It aims to future proof graduates and ensure that there is a greater focus across the whole spectrum of Higher Education course provision on promoting and embedding transversal skills.
Priority skills will be identified though the detailed and comprehensive framework now in place under the National Skills Council, including publications from the Skills and Labour Market Research Unit (SLMRU), the work of the Regional Skills For a, the NTF Advisory Group, and the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, and direct involvement of employers.
Technology Skills 2022: Ireland’s Third ICT Skills Action Plan which is a collaborative effort by Government, the higher and further education and training system and industry to meet Ireland’s high level ICT skills needs was recently published. The plan has devised measures that will boost the supply of ICT graduates to meet the ambitious level of demand forecast for the coming years. By 2022, the interventions outlined in this plan aim to deliver up to an additional 5,000 graduates per annum through indigenous supply, with the remainder serviced by inward migration.
I am satisfied that these and other important elements of my Departments strategies, developed in collaboration with key stakeholders, will help ensure that we are well prepared to meet our skills needs on an ongoing basis and to support the long-term success of our economy.
80. Deputy Jan O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which the implementation of the bullying policies of post-primary schools is monitored by his Department to ensure that the policies are implemented and followed through; the remedy available if a parent is concerned that the various steps outlined in a policy are not taken; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48378/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department’s Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils. The procedures recognise that a positive school culture and climate is key and set out a very practical way on what schools must do to both prevent bullying and to deal with bullying when it occurs.
In accordance with the Anti-Bullying Procedures, where a parent is not satisfied that a school has dealt with a bullying case in accordance with the procedures the parents must be referred, as appropriate to the schools complaints procedures.
Also in accordance with procedures, in the event that a parent has exhausted the schools complaints procedures and is still not satisfied, the school must advise the parents of their right to make a complaint to the Ombudsman for Children.
All Boards of Management are required to adopt and implement an anti-bullying policy that fully complies with the requirements of these procedures. A template policy is provided in the procedures to help facilitate schools in this regard.
The Board of Management must ensure that the school has clear procedures for the formal noting and reporting of bullying behaviour and these must be documented in the schools’ anti-bullying policy.
The procedures for schools include important oversight arrangements that involve the school principal reporting regularly to the Board of Management and a requirement for the Board to undertake an annual review of the school's anti-bullying policy and its implementation. Confirmation that the annual review has been completed must be provided to the Parents' Association and published on the school website.
My Department’s Inspectorate, as part of its whole-school evaluation inspections of schools, specifically examines schools’ compliance with the anti-bullying procedures including the actions taken to create a positive school culture and to prevent and tackle bullying. Typically, in the course of whole-school evaluations, inspectors review the school’s code of behaviour and anti-bullying policy (including evidence of the principal’s report to the board of management on incidents of bullying and evidence of an annual review of the policy.) Where inspectors encounter non-compliance with the anti-bullying procedures relevant findings are included in whole-school evaluation reports published on my Department’s website.
In the course of their whole-school inspection work, my Department’s Inspectorate gathers information about how schools deal with bullying in a number of ways through:
- Review of relevant school documentation, including the school’s Code of Behaviour and Anti-Bullying policy;
- Meetings with parents and student representatives at which there is an opportunity for parents and students to raise issues where relevant and
- The inclusion of parent and student Questionnaires on items relating to bullying.
Students and parents are also asked to respond to questions about how the school deals with bullying and discipline in the school and whether or not the school provides a safe environment for children.
Where responses indicate that students and/or parent do not believe that bullying is dealt with effectively, inspectors raise this issue with school management who have ultimate responsibility for anti-bullying policies and procedures.
Inspection models for evaluating SPHE and for whole-school evaluations (WSEs) have been adapted to include more evidence gathering concerning the effectiveness of the school's actions to create a positive school culture and to prevent and tackle bullying.
Furthermore, the Department’s Inspectorate has, since February 2019, been conducting in-depth inspections of the implementation of child protection procedures in schools. During those Child Protection and Safeguarding Inspections, inspectors check if the minutes of board of management meetings contain a record of a child protection oversight report being provided in line with the requirements of the Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools 2017 and if, in the case of child protection concerns arising from alleged bullying behaviour amongst pupils, the board is provided with relevant documents for its consideration in line with the 2017 Procedures.
81. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the arrangements being put in place to accommodate 86 pupils that failed to obtain a place in a school (details supplied); when building will commence on the school extension; when the extension will be complete; the capacity the school will increase to following the completion of the extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48380/19]
Amharc ar fhreagra98. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the degree to which his Department is engaged with various school authorities in Kilcock, County Kildare with particular refence to fully identifying the needs at preschool, primary and post primary level in view of the current and rapidly expanding population; the extent to which existing schools are equipped to meet the challenges of the future and primary and second level; if his attention has been drawn to enrolment difficulties at either level; his proposals in response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48498/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 81 and 98 together.
In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in an area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, my Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date information on significant new residential developments in each area. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes as there is a constantly evolving picture with planned new residential development.
Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, depending on the circumstances, be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools.
As the Deputy will be aware, in April 2018, the Government announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022) including a new 500 pupil post-primary school to be established in 2020 to serve the Kilcock school planning area to be located in Enfield which, it is anticipated, will have the effect of reducing pressure on the existing post-primary school in Kilcock.
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.
The requirement for new schools will be kept under on-going review and in particular will have regard for the increased rollout of housing provision as outlined in Project Ireland 2040. My Department will also continue to monitor areas where the accommodation of existing schools may need to be expanded in order to meet the needs of the local population.
Under Project Ireland 2040, my Department continues to make progress to increase the infrastructural capacity in the schools sector, in order to meet demographic and other demands.
The Capital Programme details the school projects that are being progressed under Project Ireland 2040. I wish to advise the Deputy that the current status of large-scale projects being delivered under Project Ireland 2040 may be viewed on my Department's website, www.education.ie and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.
The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms, if required, for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed. Details of schools listed on this programme can be found on my Department's website www.education.ie and this information is also updated regularly.
In relation to the school to which the Deputy refers I have approved a project under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme 2018. This project will provide for 9 Mainstream classrooms, 9 WC's, 1 Assisted Users WC, 2 Science Labs and Prep Area, and 1 x 119m2 Arts & Crafts Room.
This project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority. It is a matter for the Board of Management to advance this project in that context.
82. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the stages for the extension of a school (details supplied) from initiation, including dates for each stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48381/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school referred to by the Deputy was approved a project under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme in September 2018 and its delivery has been devolved to the school authority. When completed the project will deliver 9 Mainstream classrooms, 9 WC's, 1 Assisted Users WC, 2 Science Labs and Prep Area, and 1 x 119m2 Arts & Crafts Room.
I can confirm that the project is currently at pre Stage 1 (Preliminary Design). Once the Stage 1 submission is submitted to my Department and approved the project will move to Stage 2A (Developed Design) and following approval to Stage 2B (Detailed Design) and then to Stage 3 (Tender Action) and Stage 4 (Construction).
It is not possible at this early stage to give a definite timeline for construction.
83. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the new secondary school for Enfield, County Meath is expected to open; if the patronage has been decided; the catchment for the school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48382/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
As the Deputy will be aware, in April 2018, the Government announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the four years from 2019 to 2022, including a new 500 pupil post-primary school for Enfield (in the Kilcock school planning area) to be established in 2020.
New schools established since 2011 to meet demographic demand are required, in the first instance, to prioritise pupil applications from within the designated school planning area(s) which the school was established to serve. This does not preclude schools from enrolling pupils from outside of the school planning area where they have sufficient places, rather it reflects the need to accommodate in the first instance the demographic for which the school was established.
A patronage process is run after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required. This patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. Parental preferences for each patron, from parents of children who reside in the school planning areas concerned, together with the extent of diversity currently available in these areas, are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of this process.
The Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) has been developed by my Department to provide objective information to parents and guardians which will allow them to make an informed choice in expressing a preference for their preferred model of patronage for their child’s education.
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 will submit a report with recommendations to me for consideration and decision.
The Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) closed for parental preferences on the 4th October 2019 for the six post-primary schools to be established in 2020, including the school referred to by the Deputy. It is anticipated that the successful patrons will be announced in the coming weeks. The assessment reports, including details on the number of parental preferences received for each of the areas, and the NSEG recommendations will be made available on my Department's website.
84. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which pupils that have been turned down for a school place due to capacity issues and have accepted a place in another location can be reconsidered if a place becomes available in the original location; if such arrangements are school specific; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48383/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area. In relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998.
Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
The enrolment of a child to a school is a matter, in the first instance, for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. It is open to the parents to contact the school, and request that their children are maintained on the waiting list. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment or maintenance of waiting lists in schools.
85. Deputy John Brassil asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the timeframe in which students with disabilities that are wheelchair users, visually impaired and hearing impaired could complete their degree course will be extended by at least one extra year without incurring extra costs or fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48385/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraStudents with disabilities are one of the target groups identified in the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (NAP).
Various access supports are available to students with disabilities such as:
- The Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) which allocates funding to further and higher education colleges for the provision of services and supports to students with disabilities. The FSD was extended in 2018 to cover students studying on a part-time basis;
- Students can also apply for financial support through the Student Assistance Fund (SAF);
- The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) has allocated a number of 1916 Bursaries to NAP target groups such as students with disabilities and students who wish to undertake their studies on a part-time basis.
All eligible undergraduate students are covered by the Free Fees Initiative whereby the State provides funding towards tuition fees for students undertaking approved courses in eligible institutions. Under the rules of the initiative, tuition fees are not paid in respect of students undertaking a repeat year of study at the same level. However, this condition may be waived where there is evidence of exceptional circumstances, such as cases of certified serious illness. Decisions in such cases are made at a local level in each higher education institution in line with the criteria of the scheme. A similar approach applies in respect of grant support. In this regard, SUSI cannot extend funding past the normal duration of the course which is set out by the institutions themselves, unless the applicant is repeating the same year of a course under exceptional circumstances.
86. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department contacted ETBs to put a hold on SNA posts from 20 August to 15 November 2019; if so, the ETBs contacted; the number of posts for which the request was made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48386/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for the SNA allocation process, I will forward the Deputy's question to the NCSE for their direct reply.
87. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will report on the delivery of sample examination papers for the Irish junior certificate examination for 2020 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48393/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraStudents that entered 1st year in September 2019 were the first cohort of students undertaking a full programme under the new Framework for Junior Cycle.
As all new subject specifications include ongoing feedback, formative assessment, CBAs, assessment tasks as well as final examinations, there is a need to avoid ‘over-assessment’ and to minimise the cumulative burden on students and teachers of multiple assessments across the full range of subjects.
In this context, the Classroom-Based Assessments will substitute for other assessments currently undertaken in the school such as in-house examinations. Schools should examine their own assessment policies and must plan for the replacement of in-house examinations with Classroom-Based Assessments for students, where relevant.
It has been longstanding SEC policy, and DES policy (prior to the establishment of the SEC), to provide sample papers in the autumn of the examination year for the programme in question.
This to allow the curricular changes, and the associated changes to teaching and learning to become embedded. This is supported by the programme of continuous professional development that is specifically focussed on the systemic curricular and pedagogical changes involved.
To introduce the specifics of the final assessment at any earlier point in the process would distract from this fundamental requirement to focus on the teaching, learning processes, and content aspects of the curricular change. The consequence of acceding to requests for earlier publication of sample papers would result in an examinations focus too early in the change process, rather than on the curriculum content, and critically on the teaching and learning processes. This is particularly important in the context of Junior Cycle Reform, which is promoting a very different approach to assessment and feedback to students to assist their learning over the course of Junior Cycle, away from the traditional focus on external terminal assessment through the state examinations.
88. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will calculate a split in the figures to show the school transport net surplus profit for each year separately from the combined commercial and school net surplus deficit as reported in the Bus Éireann statutory accounts in the annual reports from 1997 to 2016 in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48405/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2018/2019 school year over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €200m in 2018.
The 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements form the basis of the payment to Bus Éireann for the operation of the School Transport Scheme. The school transport scheme is a demand-led service based on the number of eligible children who apply to avail of transport. Re-imbursement to Bus Éireann is on a cost recovery basis only and the Department of Education and Skills do not pay any profit to Bus Éireann relating to the School Transport Scheme.
The Department reimburses Bus Éireann for a range of costs incurred in the operation and administration of the scheme, together with other direct and indirect costs attributable to the work carried out for the Department, referred to as the Transport Management Charge. Actual expenditure is finalised in the Bus Éireann annual statement of account which is independently audited by the Bus Éireann auditors in accordance with the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. Balances, where they occur, are accounted for in the following year’s projected cost.
Information relating to Bus Éireann statutory accounts are a matter for Bus Éireann and information in relation to these accounts is published annually and is available Bus Éireann's website.
89. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position of his Department with regard to the recommendations of an employment appeals tribunal on the use of summer holidays in the context of maternity leave; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48406/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing legal advice my Department has appealed the decisions of the Employment Appeals Tribunal referred to by the Deputy.
As the decisions are now the subject of ongoing legal proceedings it would not be appropriate for me to comment further.
90. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount spent on the promotion of the human capital initiative on 7 November 2019 and associated advertising campaigns in relation to the launch; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48414/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Human Capital Initiative (HCI) was launched on Thursday 7th November 2019 at the Future Jobs Summit in the Tangent Centre, Trinity College, Dublin.
The HCI which represents an additional investment of €300m (€60m per annum from 2020 to 2024) from the surplus in the National Training Fund will incentivise continued reform and innovation in third level provision and strongly support innovation in programme design and delivery. It aims to future-proof graduates and ensure that there is a greater focus across the whole spectrum of higher education course provision on promoting and embedding transversal skills.
To date €196.80 has been spent on promoting and associated advertising campaigns in connection with the launch of the HCI.
91. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools which have not opened in September 2019 due to a lack of enrolments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48415/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, the Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data from the Department of Social Protection and the Department's own school enrolment databases, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. With this information, the Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
Information on school enrolments and Child Benefit data allows the Department to map where children are living or attending school and this information provides a degree of certainty in projecting demand in an area in future years.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand (and timing of demand) in an area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, the Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain up-to-date information on significant new residential development. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is aligned with the demographic changes in an area.
The pace of completion of planned housing and occupancy of houses is by its nature less predictable and can vary. Accordingly, while the Department takes into account planned additional residential development, the timing of completion of such development can be subject to change depending on local circumstances.
As the Deputy will be aware, in April 2018 the Government announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years (2019 to 2022). This announcement follows nationwide, demographic exercises carried out by my Department into the future need for primary and post-primary schools across the country.
From time to time for operational or other reasons the patron of a new school due to open in a certain year may choose to defer the opening.
Of the 14 new primary schools to be established in 2019, two were deferred by the patron as follows:
- A new 8 classroom primary school to serve the Swords/North school planning area - the patron of the new school advised that there were no enrolments for September 2019 and that the opening of the school has been deferred to September 2020. The patron indicated significant parental interest in relation to enrolments for 2020.
- A new 8 classroom primary school to serve the Dunshaughlin school planning area - the patron of the new school advised that there are currently no enrolments for the 2019/20 school year and that the opening of the school has been deferred from September 2019. The patron body expects enrolments from a new local housing development which has been delayed in the area and they have received significant interest for September 2020 enrolments for the new school.
My Department will continue to liaise with the patrons of these schools. In addition, in the context of further strengthening the demographic analysis process, the Department intends to have additional engagement with patron bodies in relation to their local knowledge on school place requirements.
92. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills when permanent accommodation will be provided for a school (details supplied). [48434/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project to deliver the school’s permanent accommodation requires the acquisition of a suitable site and engagement with a landowner in respect of an identified site option is currently underway.
Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to comment further at this time. I can, however, assure the Deputy that the acquisition of a new site for the school is a priority for the Department and the patron body will be informed of the location for the school as soon as it is possible to do so.
93. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason enrolment caps were put in place at a school (details supplied). [48435/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project to deliver the permanent accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers requires the acquisition of a suitable site and engagement with a landowner in respect of an identified site option is currently underway.
A planning application was submitted to the Local Authority for the school to be located on third party lands at Colpe, in interim accommodation pending purchase of the permanent site. Final Grant of planning was issued on 16 September 2019.
In the meantime the school opened in September 2019 in interim accommodation in a building in Laytown, which is owned by the Department of Education and will remain there until they relocate to the site at Colpe.
Having reviewed the planning permission granted, my Department is satisfied the school could accommodate up to 72 pupils in first year intake from September 2020.
The temporary accommodation has been tendered. There are significant elements of new road access requirements which are currently under discussion with the landowner. It is anticipated that the installation of the temporary accommodation together with the ground works and road access will commence early in the New Year.
94. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will take action to ensure a school building project (details supplied) which is at stage 2b progresses as quickly as possible; if the project will proceed to construction as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48451/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is part of a joint project. The project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2(b) Detailed Design which includes the application for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been secured.
In June 2019, at a meeting with the schools, their design team and officials from my Department, discussions took place regarding the current conditions at the schools. My Department advised the schools to submit an application for consideration, for replacement/additional temporary accommodation required to address their current accommodation needs pending the delivery of the major school building project.
At that meeting the consultant Design Team Quantity Surveyor advised that the company is withdrawing from the project.
In early October 2019, the Design Team Consultant Architect advised that it is forced to withdraw from the project as the firm has gone into liquidation. A tender process to replace both the design team Architect and Quantity Surveyor will commence shortly.
When the replacement consultants have been appointed the Design Team will complete work on the Stage 2(b) report which will be submitted to the Department for review.
Upon review of the Stage 2(b) submission my Department will be in contact with the school regarding the further progression of this project, including pre-qualification of contractors.
95. Deputy Tony McLoughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the application by Sligo Institute of Technology for university status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48470/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe establishment of technological universities (TUs), including in the Connacht Ulster region, is an important part of the Government’s higher education policy.
TUs are a core part of Government’s plan to meet the challenges facing us as an economy and a society with the objective of having a TU presence in every region of the country. This will provide increased choices for students, an enhanced student experience and greater access for potential students tackling educational disadvantage with TUs offering a broad range of teaching from apprenticeship to doctoral degrees. They will also support an increased intensity of research activity which will provide increased opportunities for collaboration with industry and deliver benefits for the economy and wider society. TUs will marry both an attractive physical multi-campus presence with state-of-the-art digital connectivity, providing new modes of learning where the student and learner is placed centre-stage and can access course content and avail of first-class tuition irrespective of location or circumstance. Each TU will serve as an anchor institution in the development and advancement of its region. Drawing frontier technological developments to regions through intensive collaboration, engagement with and connectedness to national and international researchers will be fundamental to TUs acting as regional knowledge hubs. These hubs will, in turn, act as major catalysts for further direct investment, research, innovation and employment growth.
On 18 October I announced €14.25 million in funding to Higher Education Institutions under the HEA 2019 call for submissions for higher education landscape restructuring, consolidation and collaborative projects. The majority of this investment, €11.8 million, is aimed at progressing the creation and expansion of TUs. The Connacht Ulster Alliance (CUA), comprising the Galway Mayo, Letterkenny and Sligo Institutes of Technology, was allocated €2 million under this call bringing total Exchequer funding to date for their project to €5.92 million. In total since 2013 some €31 million in Exchequer funding has been invested in TU creation and development.
Launched earlier this month, the report of the high level working group, the TU Research Network (TURN), entitled ‘Technological Universities: Connectedness & Collaboration enabled by Connectivity’ sets out the case for a state change in higher education reform for the delivery of national strategic priorities such as are elaborated in Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan and Future Jobs Ireland. This state change is to be achieved through the connectedness, particularly at regional level, collaboration and connectivity of TUs and their unique delivery of programmes across the full range of the National Framework of Qualifications. The report makes a series of 12 recommendations for outcomes that will provide TUs with a solid foundation for their development. These centre upon three thematic areas identified by TURN as the essential building blocks for successful TUs : -
- investment in integrated multi-campus digital infrastructure to provide regional cohesion and to facilitate new modes of learning and the prioritisation of capital investment in TUs;
- investment in research capacity building by developing researcher human capital, facilitating research activity and opportunities for existing academic staff and implementing a researcher career development and employment framework, addressing infrastructural deficits and prioritising research strategies within TUs, exploiting fully the mutually supporting roles of teaching and research; and
- re-alignment of the policy framework and funding for TUs including an expansion of institutional autonomy and reform through the implementation of TU-apposite career structures, the reform of the grant allocation model to accommodate TUs, the creation of a dedicated TU funding stream including in the post-establishment phase and the creation of a borrowing framework for TUs.
The report recognises that relevant priority actions can only be achieved through a structured, system-wide, relevant and dynamic process that will ensure value for money, underpinned by a robust and evidence-based set of monitoring and evaluation arrangements. The TURN report can be accessed on the Department’s website
As announced during Budget 2020 and in response to the TURN report the Government is providing €90 million over the next three years under a new TU Transformation Fund to support consortia such as CUA to achieve TU designation and to support the further advancement of established TUs.
The TURN report and the ongoing work of the group, whose remit is being extended, will continue to be of considerable assistance and benefit to consortia such as the CUA towards achieving TU designation, as will access to the new TU Transformation Fund being developed currently in consultation with TURN.
As such further TU creation, establishment and progression will be achieved by the relevant stakeholders delivering on the TURN report recommendations and the transformational multi-annual funding underpinning such delivery.
The Department met with the Presidents and Chairs of the IoTs involved in the CUA in recent weeks in relation to TU related system-wide issues and to support and encourage the consortium in the progression of their TU development proposals. However, ultimately it remains a matter for a consortium to lead on the progression of their plans to seek TU designation under the Technological Universities Act 2018 and to ensure that they have a shared unitary vision and purpose for TU development and can demonstrate compliance with the relevant eligibility criteria and related legislative requirements prescribed in the 2018 Act.
In this context it is understood from the recent discussion that an application by the consortium is anticipated to be made by CUA in the latter half of 2020.
