Written Answers Nos. 438-452
438. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Education if his Department will engage with DEIS 1 schools in the Dublin 8 area to see the way in which the band 1 designation can be improved and that the schools most capable of dealing with the complex issues some children have can do so, rather than children being diverted to schools without the facilities and so on to help them. [28123/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDEIS is the main policy initiative of the Department of Education to address educational disadvantage at school level.
The Department is in the final stages of refinement of the new DEIS identification model, based on school enrolment data and the latest data available from Census 2016 using the HP Deprivation Index.
A detailed quality analysis of the data has been carried out by members of the DEIS Technical Group which contains representatives of the Department’s Statistics and Social Inclusion Units, the Inspectorate and the Educational Research Centre. The work of this group is at an advanced stage and a consultation process with education stakeholder representatives on the technical aspect of this model has commenced. It is envisaged that this will then provide the basis for development of a DEIS resource allocation system to match resources to identified need and will be applied on the same basis across the country.
The culmination of this work will facilitate the ultimate aim of matching resources to identified need and will allow us to target extra resources at those schools most in need. It is not proposed to extend or to make any changes to the DEIS Programme until this work is complete.
Regardless of whether or not schools are in the DEIS programme, all schools receive allocations of additional special education teacher support, to provide extra teaching support to pupils who have additional learning needs.
DES Circular 007/2019 for primary schools and 008/2019 for post primary schools set out the details of the model for allocating special education teachers to schools.
The Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile.
The Special Education Teacher allocation, allows schools to provide additional teaching support for all pupils who require such support in their schools and for schools to deploy resources based on each pupil’s individual learning needs.
It gives greater flexibility to schools as to how they can deploy their resources, to take account of the actual learning needs pupils have, as opposed to being guided by a particular diagnosis of disability, and schools are guided as to how they should make such allocation decisions.
The Department of Education and Skills has published guidelines for schools as to how they should utilise and deploy their resources under the new allocation model, which are available at www.education.ie
All schools are therefore resourced to provide additional teaching support for pupils who may require extra support based on the profiled needs of schools.
439. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Education the criteria used by her Department when it compelled 39 schools across south Dublin in July 2020 to open special needs classes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28144/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra440. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Education the schools in an area (details supplied) that were compelled in July 2020 to open special needs classes by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28145/20]
Amharc ar fhreagra441. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Education when the outcome of the compelling orders that were issued to schools in south Dublin in July 2020 will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28146/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 439 to 441, inclusive, together.
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government. Currently, almost 20% of the total Education Vote or €1.9bn is invested in supporting children with special needs.
Notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country, including South Dublin, where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide. NCSE is continuing its engagement with schools, patron bodies, parents and others across South Dublin to bring the required additional special class and special school placements on stream. While progress has been achieved, the NCSE has identified the need for additional special class and special school places in South Dublin for the current school-year.
Normally, special class and special school places are established with the full cooperation of the schools in areas where they are required. However there are some parts of the country where the NCSE has faced challenges in getting schools and their patrons to provide new special class or special school places.
As Minister, I have a power under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998 (as inserted by Section 8 of the Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018), to direct a school to provide additional provision where all reasonable efforts have failed. The legislation contains a procedure through which the capacity of schools in an area can be tested and through which ultimately a Ministerial direction can be made requiring a school to make additional special education provision available.
The legislation was used for the first time in 2019, in respect of the Dublin 15 area. Significant progress has been made in that area on foot of action taken under Section 37. A new Special School was established and six schools have agreed to open special classes thereby meeting the need for additional places in the area. The experience of Dublin 15 shows that real and practical challenges can be addressed by working together to provide additional special class and special school places.
A Report from the NCSE, prepared in accordance with Section 37A (2) of the Education Act 1998 (as inserted by Section 8 of the Education (Admissions to Schools) Act 2018), confirming the need for additional special education places in South Dublin was submitted to the then Minister in April last. This Report is available on my Department’s website.
Statutory notices under the Act were subsequently issued on 26 June, 2020 to 39 schools identified by the NCSE. The issue of the notices is but the first step in a very transparent multi-step process, the purpose of which is to establish if the school has capacity to provide new places. At each stage of the process, schools are given the opportunity to make representations and there is also an option for arbitration at a later point. Statutory notices issued under the Act together with the representations received from the schools and their patrons are published on my Department’s website. The representations received to date have all been published and are a matter of public record.
It would not be appropriate for me to comment further at this stage on the legislative process which is currently underway.
442. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Education if a newly built school (details supplied) was compelled to open a special needs class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28147/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnsuring that every child has a suitable school placement is a key objective of my Department. Significant resources are allocated each year to ensure that appropriate supports are available for children with special educational needs.
Children with special educational needs are supported through placement in mainstream classes, special classes and special schools. At school, they receive a range of supports provided by teachers and SNAs. Other professional supports, including training for teachers, are provided by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to enable each school provide a holistic educational experience for each child. The HSE is responsible for the delivery of therapeutic supports.
NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide; has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents; and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special education placements. The NCSE is planning a further expansion of special class and school places nationally to meet identified need. This process is ongoing
It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school. School transport is also available. My Department works closely with the NCSE in this regard.
The school to which the Deputy refers opened as a 24 classroom school in September, 2019. While specific special class accommodation was not provided in the school, 8 Special Education Teaching (SET) rooms and 1 Resource Room were provided. Due to site constraints, it is not possible to construct additional accommodation on the site.
443. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education the number of post-primary school transport applications received by county after the closing date of 4 August 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28156/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 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 €219m in 2019.
The purpose of my Department's 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.
The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport and who applied and paid by the deadline have been accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
The School Transport Scheme Family Portal was temporarily closed for applications and payments on the 20th August 2020. This temporary closure was necessary to complete the work required to issue tickets to families who at that time remained due to be allocated a ticket for school transport services for the 2020/2021 school year. The School Transport Scheme Family Portal re-opened on the 7th September. However, parents/guardians making an application/payment at this time for the 2020/2021 school year are reminded that the closing date for payments for the 2020/21 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020.
The numbers of post primary applications submitted from 5th August 2020 onwards are detailed by county in the spreadsheet below.
It is important to note that with regard to the mainstream data provided, the numbers include those who applied but did not pay for transport, those where no service exists and those who subsequently closed applications.
|
County |
No. of Mainstream Post Primary Applications Received |
No. of SEN Post Primary Applications Received |
|
Carlow |
47 |
2 |
|
Cavan |
106 |
3 |
|
Clare |
70 |
5 |
|
Cork |
238 |
28 |
|
Donegal |
233 |
6 |
|
Dublin |
70 |
34 |
|
Galway |
170 |
8 |
|
Kerry |
125 |
4 |
|
Kildare |
64 |
2 |
|
Kilkenny |
55 |
0 |
|
Laois |
24 |
4 |
|
Leitrim |
25 |
2 |
|
Limerick |
132 |
4 |
|
Longford |
80 |
4 |
|
Louth |
62 |
3 |
|
Mayo |
136 |
3 |
|
Meath |
96 |
8 |
|
Monaghan |
91 |
4 |
|
Offaly |
47 |
4 |
|
Roscommon |
28 |
2 |
|
Sligo |
29 |
1 |
|
Tipperary |
143 |
8 |
|
Waterford |
60 |
2 |
|
Westmeath |
86 |
2 |
|
Wexford |
113 |
4 |
|
Wicklow |
63 |
1 |
|
Total |
2393 |
148 |
444. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education if a school is within its right to refuse admission to a student on the basis that the student is unable to wear a mask due to a medical condition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28164/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department received advice from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) on the use of face coverings in educational settings on the 6th August 2020.It is a requirement for face coverings to be worn by teachers, staff in schools and students attending post primary school. This advice is available at here
However Public health advice also provides that cloth face coverings should not be worn by any of the following groups:
any person with difficulty breathing
any person who is unable to remove the face-covering without assistance
any person who has special needs and who may feel upset or very uncomfortable wearing the face covering, for example persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, sensory concerns or tactile sensitivity.
A medical certificate must be provided to the school where an exemptions is sought on the above grounds. There is no capacity for schools to deviate from either the requirement to wear face coverings or the exemptions that apply. Students in these categories can continue to attend school as normal while observing arrangements in place to protect themselves though regular hand hygiene, maintaining physical distancing and the application of respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette.
Further information for parents and students/pupils on the wearing of face coverings including the proper use, removal and washing of cloth face coverings is available via the link: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/a04fc-advice-for-students-and-their-families/. Information is also set out in the Covid-19 response plans for primary, special and post-primary schools available at www.gov.ie/backtoschool.
445. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the number of primary school pupils who are in classes of more than 20, 25, 30 and 35 students by county, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28165/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraPlease find attached requested information. The data is for the 2019-20 academic year the most recent year we have data available for.
|
Local Authority |
Class Size 20-24 |
Class Size 25-29 |
Class Size 30-34 |
Class Size 35+ |
|
Carlow County Council |
2004 |
3693 |
1305 |
|
|
Cavan County Council |
3655 |
3631 |
1160 |
71 |
|
Clare County Council |
3717 |
4328 |
2539 |
178 |
|
Cork City Council |
3737 |
5136 |
1651 |
|
|
Cork County Council |
14198 |
19610 |
9262 |
860 |
|
Donegal County Council |
4747 |
6679 |
3416 |
70 |
|
Dublin City Council |
12389 |
19184 |
5791 |
107 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
4132 |
10859 |
4130 |
|
|
Fingal County Council |
7520 |
24293 |
4816 |
|
|
Galway City Council |
1833 |
3120 |
841 |
37 |
|
Galway County Council |
5928 |
8378 |
3955 |
463 |
|
Kerry County Council |
4283 |
5584 |
3051 |
219 |
|
Kildare County Council |
7550 |
14798 |
5277 |
70 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
2590 |
5368 |
1901 |
177 |
|
Laois County Council |
3465 |
4891 |
1567 |
70 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
869 |
1385 |
760 |
143 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
5860 |
8317 |
4844 |
283 |
|
Longford County Council |
1797 |
1836 |
849 |
|
|
Louth County Council |
4902 |
7504 |
2805 |
217 |
|
Mayo County Council |
3849 |
5038 |
2270 |
177 |
|
Meath County Council |
6437 |
12729 |
5837 |
248 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
2155 |
2984 |
1615 |
105 |
|
Offaly County Council |
3180 |
3376 |
1408 |
143 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
1799 |
3252 |
1122 |
142 |
|
Sligo County Council |
2256 |
2743 |
1322 |
35 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
9104 |
16374 |
6128 |
35 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
5484 |
6491 |
3110 |
280 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
4097 |
6076 |
2128 |
106 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
3134 |
4397 |
2098 |
328 |
|
Wexford County Council |
5594 |
7146 |
3372 |
248 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
4911 |
8303 |
2746 |
258 |
|
Grand Total |
147176 |
237503 |
93076 |
5070 |
The figures are based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and are collated from the relevant Class Size tables published on the DES website and can be found at the link below;
https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/
446. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the number of primary school classes with more than 20, 25, 30 and 35 students by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28166/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraPlease find attached requested information. The data is for the 2019-20 academic year the most recent year we have data available for.
|
Local Authority |
Class Size 20-24 |
Class Size 25-29 |
Class Size 30-34 |
Class Size 35+ |
|
Carlow County Council |
89 |
137 |
42 |
0 |
|
Cavan County Council |
165 |
136 |
37 |
2 |
|
Clare County Council |
167 |
162 |
81 |
5 |
|
Cork City Council |
170 |
191 |
53 |
0 |
|
Cork County Council |
640 |
726 |
297 |
24 |
|
Donegal County Council |
216 |
247 |
110 |
2 |
|
Dublin City Council |
561 |
712 |
188 |
3 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
185 |
399 |
135 |
0 |
|
Fingal County Council |
335 |
898 |
158 |
0 |
|
Galway City Council |
83 |
115 |
27 |
1 |
|
Galway County Council |
267 |
311 |
126 |
13 |
|
Kerry County Council |
193 |
208 |
97 |
6 |
|
Kildare County Council |
336 |
550 |
171 |
2 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
117 |
200 |
61 |
5 |
|
Laois County Council |
155 |
182 |
51 |
2 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
39 |
52 |
24 |
4 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
266 |
309 |
155 |
8 |
|
Longford County Council |
81 |
69 |
27 |
0 |
|
Louth County Council |
222 |
278 |
89 |
6 |
|
Mayo County Council |
174 |
187 |
72 |
5 |
|
Meath County Council |
288 |
471 |
188 |
7 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
98 |
110 |
51 |
3 |
|
Offaly County Council |
144 |
127 |
45 |
4 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
82 |
121 |
36 |
4 |
|
Sligo County Council |
102 |
102 |
42 |
1 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
411 |
607 |
200 |
1 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
249 |
242 |
100 |
8 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
183 |
226 |
69 |
3 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
141 |
162 |
68 |
9 |
|
Wexford County Council |
251 |
267 |
107 |
7 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
219 |
308 |
88 |
7 |
|
Grand Total |
6629 |
8812 |
2995 |
142 |
The figures are based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and are collated from the relevant Class Size tables published on the DES website and can be found at the link below;
https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/
447. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education the number of primary school classes in the State by county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28167/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraPlease find attached requested information. The data is for the 2019-20 academic year the most recent year we have data available for.
|
Carlow County Council |
303 |
|
Cavan County Council |
423 |
|
Clare County Council |
574 |
|
Cork City Council |
619 |
|
Cork County Council |
1991 |
|
Donegal County Council |
809 |
|
Dublin City Council |
2036 |
|
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown |
794 |
|
Fingal County Council |
1479 |
|
Galway City Council |
324 |
|
Galway County Council |
981 |
|
Kerry County Council |
677 |
|
Kildare County Council |
1162 |
|
Kilkenny County Council |
453 |
|
Laois County Council |
464 |
|
Leitrim County Council |
156 |
|
Limerick City and County Council |
946 |
|
Longford County Council |
234 |
|
Louth County Council |
693 |
|
Mayo County Council |
650 |
|
Meath County Council |
1062 |
|
Monaghan County Council |
321 |
|
Offaly County Council |
394 |
|
Roscommon County Council |
343 |
|
Sligo County Council |
327 |
|
South Dublin County Council |
1454 |
|
Tipperary County Council |
781 |
|
Waterford City and County Council |
592 |
|
Westmeath County Council |
464 |
|
Wexford County Council |
748 |
|
Wicklow County Council |
716 |
|
Grand Total |
22970 |
The figures are based on mainstream classes in mainstream schools and are collated from the relevant Class Size tables published on the DES website and can be found at the link below;
https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/
448. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education if she will make a commitment that the Covid-19 level of capitation funding for each primary school pupil will be maintained at a minimum in the upcoming Budget; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28168/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, on 27 July 2020 the Government announced the publication of Reopening Our Schools: The Roadmap for The Full Return to School, along with details of a financial package of over €375 million to support its implementation, following approval by Government.
The roadmap outlined a comprehensive range of measures that are being provided to support the full reopening of schools.
The roadmap was developed following intensive engagement with stakeholders from the education sector, including teachers’ unions, representatives of principals and deputy principals, school management bodies, representatives of parents and post-primary students and support staff.
The roadmap and the funding package recognise the challenges faced by schools in ensuring the safe return of over one million students and approximately 100,000 staff in 4,000 schools in the context of COVID-19. It sets out clear plans and practical guidance on the measures schools need to take to operate safely and minimise the risk of the introduction, or spread, of infection in schools.
The financial package approved by Government to support schools recognises that COVID-19 poses significant challenges with regard to staffing, particularly in regard to replacement of staff, substitution, supervision and the need for well-being supports.
449. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education when the number of primary school assistant principal posts will be restored to pre-2009 levels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28169/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility was lifted in 2017 and allowed for the commencement of restoration of middle management posts as part of an agreed distributed leadership model. This recognises the key role school leadership has in promoting a school environment which is welcoming, inclusive and accountable.
Since 2017, 1700 additional leadership posts have been invested in our primary schools which has led to 1 in 3 teachers now holding promoted positions. The Department has committed to revising the allocation of Posts of Responsibility to take into account retirements during the school year. This ensures that the current level of Posts of Responsibility are maintained in the school system.
Any further improvement must be considered in the context of budgetary matters, having regard to overall resource constraints and other competing demands in the education sector.
450. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education when a person (details supplied) in County Clare will receive a reply on their leaving certificate appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28206/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Calculated Grades Student Portal reopened on 14 September to allow students to view their estimated percentage mark and calculated mark to allow students to consider this data if they were considering an appeal of their Calculated Grade.
The appeals process is a process review focussed on looking for errors in the transmission and processing of student data through the process. It is not possible to appeal the information (estimated percentage mark or rank order) provided by the school. Due to the nature of the Calculated Grades system the professional judgement of the school is outside of the appeals process. It should further be noted that the design of the statistical model and the application of the national standardisation process is also outside of the scope of the appeals process.
At the time of closing the appeal application process on Wednesday 16 September, some 12,300 students had appealed almost 33,700 grades.
The appeals process will continue as normal following the announcement on 30 September regarding errors found in the Calculated Grades model. This applies whether or not a student received an improved grade following the rectification of the errors. This is because the appeals process is a technical appeal, focussed on looking for errors in the transmission and processing of student data through the process.
Every effort will be made to process appeals as quickly as possible but it is not possible at this time to commit to a date for the issue of the appeal results. Students will be notified of this date as soon as possible.
It is not possible to provide an expedited appeal for any student or group of students. All appeals will be processed and results released simultaneously to ensure fairness and equity to all.
The CAO will be automatically notified by the Department of the outcomes of the appeals process.
If, as a result of an upgrade, a student becomes eligible for a college place at a higher CAO preference than the one they were already offered, they will be eligible for that course.
It is not possible to guarantee at this stage that, following a successful appeal, a student will be able to take up such a place offered in the academic year 20/21. This depends on factors such as the number of appeals received, the nature of the appeal, and the higher education course being applied for. However, where possible, higher education institutions will attempt to facilitate students who are upgraded and receive a new offer.
451. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Education the number of applicants who applied for redeployment through GRETB; the number of successful applicants in the past three years; her plans to widen the scope for transfers between education and training boards in different counties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28272/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of surplus permanent teachers to other schools where vacancies exist. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers.
A voluntary redeployment scheme has operated on a pilot basis in specific regions in recent years. Permanent teachers employed in these regions were given an opportunity to volunteer for a transfer to other areas if such a transfer would free up a vacancy that would facilitate the redeployment of a surplus permanent teacher in the region.
In the past 3 years, counties Galway and Roscommon were included in the pilot voluntary redeployment scheme. 18 teachers from GRETB applied for redeployment and 1 of the applicants was redeployed under this scheme.
There are currently no plans to introduce a separate voluntary redeployment scheme or to widen the scope for transfers between the Education and Training Boards.
Separately, each of the 16 ETB Schemes operate their own internal teacher transfer schemes where teachers can apply to move within the ETB Scheme.
The criteria for the allocation of teachers to post-primary schools for the 2020/21 school year, including the redeployment arrangements, are available on my Department's website.
452. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the funding streams within her Department that provide for the construction of school sports halls; and the process by which the school applies for same. [28282/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the provision of PE Halls form part of the accommodation brief for all newly established schools. These facilities may also form part of the overall accommodation brief for major capital extensions to existing schools. Details of large-scale projects being delivered under the school building programme 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 main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. The second half of the NDP (from 2023 onwards) will see an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock. This will include a PE Hall build and modernisation programme to ensure that students in all post-primary schools have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision.
The immediate priority of my Department is providing new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place.
