Written Answers Nos. 96-110
96. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if her Department has identified a site in Glanmire, County Cork for a new special school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45358/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials in my Department have been working towards the acquisition of a permanent site to meet the needs of a new special school and have engaged with officials in Cork City Council in that respect.
A suitable site has been identified and engagement with the landowner is ongoing with a view to reaching agreement in principle as soon as possible.
I can assure the Deputy that my Department is working to advance the site acquisition process for the school in question as quickly as possible, however, due to the commercially sensitive nature of site acquisitions generally, it is not possible to comment further at this stage.
97. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education the steps taken by her Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within her Department who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; her plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45364/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraStaff of my department have been working in line with Government COVID-19 guidance, which had provided for home working to continue where possible with the exception of roles where the nature of the work did not lend itself to remote working. Following the Taoiseach's announcement on the 1st of September, my department is now in the process of introducing a phased return to the workplace.
In relation to the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work in my department, a central policy framework for Blended Working in the Civil Service will be finalised in conjunction with employee representatives over the coming months. This framework will inform the development of organisation level blended working policies tailored to the specific requirements of each Department and Office, whilst ensuring a consistency of approach across key policy areas.
Staff of my department have the ability to participate in video and web conferencing meetings on multiple platforms and can join a meeting on a desktop, laptop, mobile phone or landline. My Department has approximately 700 Cisco Webex seats to enable staff members to host meetings on the Webex platform, which are shared with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science*. The Webex seats were procured in accordance with the Office of Government Procurement’s guidelines for procuring goods and services.
*The Department of Education ICT unit provides ICT shared services for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
98. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education the steps taken by agencies under the remit of her Department to support the implementation of the national remote work strategy Making Remote Work; the approximate number or percentage of staff within these agencies who have access to cloud services for remote videoconferencing and the capacity to work remotely; if there are plans to increase this percentage; the framework under which procurement for this is managed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45381/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information sought in relation to the aegis bodies under the remit of my Department is not held by my Department. Contact details for the State Bodies under the aegis of my Department are set out in the attached document, should the Deputy wish to contact them directly with this query.
99. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education the assistance available to a DEIS school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45405/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraCurrently investment of some €13m is allocated annually for the provision of internet connectivity to schools through my Department's School Broadband Access Programme. As you will be aware, broadband capacity can vary across geographical locations and is dependent on local infrastructure which can impact on the service that can be provided in individual schools.
The school referred to by the Deputy currently has a private broadband connection having opted to not avail of a connection through the Schools Broadband Programme, however if the school is interested in re-joining the programme the school should record their request with the Schools Broadband Service Desk to be included in the next available tender for broadband services to schools. At that point it can be determined what the best level of connectivity available will be. The Broadband service desk is the Department's dedicated broadband service desk which is managed by the Professional Development Service for Teachers - Technology in Education (PDST-TiE). They can be contacted by phoning 1800334466 or by emailing broadbandservicedesk@pdst.ie.
My Department spends just over €150 million annually to provide a suite of supports to schools in the DEIS programme, of which €16.2 million, in the form of a DEIS grant was allocated to schools ahead of schedule for the 2020/21 school year. This is an annual grant to support learning in the context of DEIS for the academic year. In recognition of the difficulties faced by some students to engage with remote learning, at the time the grant issued last year all DEIS schools were informed by letter that they could consider using some of their DEIS funding to support pupils’ learning, for example to arrange access to additional materials of supports for students during the move to remote teaching and learning caused by Covid-19. It is a matter for each individual school to determine how best to use this funding, but it is intended to support the objectives of the DEIS programme.
My Department provided €100m in grant funding to recognised primary, special and post-primary schools to address their ICT needs during 2020, the final issue of funding under the €210m investment programme underpinning the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools. This included €50m in respect of the 2020-2021 school year brought forward and issued in December 2020. Schools were advised that they could use this funding to support the continuity of teaching and learning during the pandemic. Funding is paid to DEIS schools at a higher rate than non DEIS. The funding is intended to enable schools to implement their Digital Learning Plan through provision of appropriate infrastructure. This includes Desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or hybrid devices, projectors/flat screens, cloud-based tools and software applications, and learning platforms.
100. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education if she will expedite an intervention by the school’s broadband service for a school (details supplied) given the poor broadband service currently available and the large number of pupils adversely affected by same; if the school is in the contract area for a national broadband contract; and if so, when a fibre broadband service will be delivered to the school. [45441/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with the technical solutions available in the market and within financial constraints, through the Schools Broadband Programme. Currently investment of some €13m is allocated annually for the provision of internet connectivity to schools. As you will be aware, broadband capacity can vary across geographical locations and is dependent on local infrastructure which can impact on the service that can be provided in individual schools.
The school referred to by the Deputy is currently in contract with a provider of high speed broadband for a 100 Mbp/s fibre to the cabinet broadband connection which is the best available. This contract is in its final year, so services for this school will be included in the next available broadband tender, thus ensuring a new service will be in put in place once the current contract expires. This school is not in the National Broadband Plan intervention area.
I have asked my officials to request that the Schools Broadband Service Desk (1800 334466) contact the school to ensure that the maximum service on their current connection is being received, and to investigate if internal networking issues may be impacting services in the school be it the wireless or wired network.
101. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Education if children suffering from cyclical vomiting syndrome will be able to sit the 2022 leaving certificate in an alternative sitting should their illness flare up; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45464/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
102. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education the reason a child (details supplied) in County Donegal is not getting access to SNA support; if additional information supplied will be considered; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45524/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews.
The Special Needs Assistant (SNA) scheme is designed to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.
SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management of the school. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated.
It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
In light of the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the introduction of the new Frontloaded Allocation Model for SNAs for students in mainstream classes in primary and post -primary schools is to be deferred for a further year to the beginning of the 2022/23 school year.
In order to minimise disruption for schools, in the current circumstances, and to provide for continuity of allocations the following arrangements for the allocation of Special Needs Assistants for mainstream classes for the 2021/22 school year:
- Existing mainstream class SNA allocations in schools on 30 April 2021 will be maintained and will automatically rollover into the 2021/22 school year.
- No school will therefore receive an allocation less than that which they had on 30 April 2021.
- SNAs currently in mainstream settings can continue in post for the next school year in the normal way.
- Priority consideration will now be given by the NCSE to applications for increased support for the 2021/22 school year, in particular, applications from schools with no SNAs and developing schools will be prioritised. Determinations will be made before 30 June. Other applications will be processed in order of date received.
- As in previous years, where circumstances change during the course of the 2021/22 school year that materially increase the level of care need in a school to the extent that the school can clearly demonstrate that it cannot be met within the existing SNA allocation, the school may apply to the NCSE for a review. Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website ncse.ie/for-schools
The NCSE have published the SNA allocations on their website www.ncse.ie.
SNA allocations for special classes and special schools are not affected by this arrangement.
Circular 0029/2021 has been published and advises schools of the arrangements for the allocation of SNAs for the 2021/22 school year.
Provisions set out in Circular 0030/2020 has been extended for the 2021/22 school year.
Circulars 29/2021 and 30/2020 are available on the Departments website.
My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.
The NCSE have confirmed that the school made an exceptional review application for the school year 21/22. The review outcome was an increase of .5 of an SNA post, bringing to 3.33 the total mainstream allocation of SNAs to the school for the 2021/22 school year. This was communicated to the school by letter dated 29/06/2021.
The school appealed the decision which resulted in a new review, and a school visit that took place on 10/09/2021. The NCSE state that the outcome of the latest review was communicated to the school on 17/09/2021 advising that the total mainstream SNA allocation to the school now stands at 3.83, following a further increase of .5 of an SNA.
103. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a number of schools are awaiting payment for the DEIS literacy and numeracy summer camp; the number of claims made that have been paid; the number that have not been paid; the issues there are with payments being made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45613/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Summer Camp programme is a voluntary programme which has been delivered annually in approximately 70 DEIS Band 1 primary schools for many years. The aim of the Summer Camp Programme is to provide rich educational experiences for pupils, which foster a sense of belonging and creativity and confidence in their learning.
In the context of the school closures associated with Covid-19, the programme was extended in 2020 to all DEIS primary schools to provide additional and inclusive resourcing in DEIS Band 1, Band 2 and rural DEIS schools.
In 2021 the DEIS Summer Camp Programme was again made available to all DEIS primary schools. As in previous years, the emphasis of the programme is on supporting the wellbeing and the engagement of those pupils who are considered by the school as having the greatest level of need, following the interruption to schooling earlier in the year
Schools were invited to register their interest in the programme at the end of May and once they confirmed their participation, the Department immediately issued the full resource grant for each camp through Navan and Dublin West Education Centres.
220 schools registered for the programme to hold a total 353 camps involving more than 10,000 pupils over the summer months.
To date, the Department has received payment claims from 219 of the 220 schools that have taken part in the 2021 DEIS Summer Camp Programme.
The Department undertook a review of claim forms and where any issues arose the Department followed up directly with the relevant school. This review process is now completed and it is anticipated that all teachers who took part in the programme (and whose claims have been received) will be paid on the Department's Primary Teachers Payroll run on September 30th 2021.
104. Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Education the current position regarding the new school building and ASD unit for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45614/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project at Oaklands Community College has been devolved to Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board (LOETB) for delivery.
This project is currently at Stage 2a of the architectural planning process. Once the Stage 2a report submission is approved by my Department, the next step for the Design Team will be to obtain the statutory planning approvals.
While at this early stage it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of the project, LOETB will be engaging directly with the school authority to keep it informed of progress.
105. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if an appeal of an accredited grade in respect of a student (details supplied) in County Kerry will be registered and reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45616/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
106. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if she plans to introduce digital literacy and online safety into the core education curriculum at primary and secondary school level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45711/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraConsiderable work has been done in the development of curricula on digital literacy. At both primary and post-primary levels considerable scope for building the capacity of students in the area of digital literacy is provided for through the emphasis on dispositions, competencies and skills as foundational elements of the curriculum. Specifically, in the newly introduced Framework for Junior Cycle digital literacy skills are promoted through the eight Key Skills (all skills have an ICT/digital component) and through the Statements of Learning.
Currently at post-primary level, there are several programmes and courses in ICT and Digital Literacy already in place, particularly the Junior Cycle Short Course in Digital Literacy and the IT courses in the Leaving Certificate Applied programme. To a lesser extent, the recently-introduced Leaving Certificate subject in Computer Science also looks at aspects of digital literacy.
In addition, areas such as Wellbeing and its constituent programmes in Social, Personal and Health Education, Relationships and Sexuality Education and Civic, Social and Political Education also underpin skills of digital literacy in engaging with the subject material in these courses.
In addition, in the ongoing reviews of the Primary Curriculum and of the Senior Cycle the skills of, or skills closely related to, digital literacy, have featured strongly in all discussions on future provision.
The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 also promotes the development of digital literacy in our young people and the importance of respectful online communications. The development of a new Digital Strategy for Schools is now well underway and will be informed by the learnings from the current strategy and the experience of teachers, schools leaders, students and parents regarding the embedding of digital technologies across the curriculum as well as the impact of remote learning during school closures. The new strategy will also take into consideration government objectives and priorities, national and international experience and will look to address and incorporate new and emerging issues and trends in digital technology and online safety. To ensure a comprehensive review of the existing strategy and to take account of new and emerging themes from the point of view of all relevant stakeholders, a wide ranging consultation framework has been developed. The overall consultation process is an integral part of the development of the new strategy and key to ensuring its successful implementation. Publication is planned for later this year.
In addition development has commenced on a new Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy strategy for early years, primary and post primary schools, a successor to The National Strategy: Literacy & Numeracy for Learning and life 2011-2020 and Interim Review 2017, The strategy will be developed against robust research to include consideration of national and international practice, stakeholder consultations to include school leaders, teachers and learners and public engagement. The new strategy will set out a clear vision for raising standards of teaching and learning of literacy to include digital literacy and numeracy and identify key priorities and actions to be delivered over the coming years.
There are extensive training and curricular supports, including through the Social Personal Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and the Webwise Programme, to assist schools in the development of policies and practices on the safe use of the internet and on the prevention of bullying including cyber-bullying. The PDST and its Webwise team have developed dedicated resources for teachers, parents, children and young people which gives practical information and advice on the safe, ethical and responsible use of the internet and addresses key issues such as cyberbullying, sexting, image sharing, respectful communication, social media, popular apps and more. The Webwise resources are available at www.webwise.ie.
107. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education the steps she has taken to address the crisis of school bus places in the current school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45737/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time for the 2021/22 school year will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. In addition all post-primary pupils who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and who have applied and paid on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. This arrangement is in place for current school year pending completion of the full review of the School Transport Scheme.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and are offered seats where capacity exists after all eligible children have been catered for.
Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2021/2022 school year.
Bus Éireann has confirmed that to date 104,324 pupils have been issued tickets for the School Transport Scheme. This number is changing as tickets continue to be allocated to pupils.
My Department commenced a review of the School Transport Scheme in February 2021. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately.
Following commencement of this review the Steering Group recently presented me with an initial interim report on eligibility with an examination of issues for mainstream pupils relating to the nearest and next nearest school. Following consideration of this report, I approved the extension of temporary alleviation measures for transport for post-primary students who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and have applied and paid on time.
Wider considerations relating to operation of the scheme will take place in the next phase of the review which is now underway. The Steering Group will continue to report to me on an interim basis as the review progresses, with a view to presenting a final report with recommendations on the future operation of the Department’s School Transport Scheme.
108. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education the progress of the new secondary school build to be based in Charlesland, Greystones, County Wicklow; when planning permission to build will be lodged; and the planned timeline for completion. [45742/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project referred to by the Deputy is in early architectural planning which involves site surveys, school design stages and the preparation of Planning Permission.
As part of the conditions of sale, the lodgement of planning permission is under the remit of Vendor. My Department has been working closely with the vendor to expedite a planning application for the new school.
As with all school building projects, pre-planning meetings are required with the Local Authority in advance of preparing a planning application to ensure the highest probability of a successful planning application in the shortest time possible. A considerable amount of work is required following the pre-planning meeting to prepare a suitably detailed application. It is anticipated that the planning application for Greystones CC will be lodged in Q4 2021.
It is not possible to provide an indicative timeframe for the progression of the project to tender and construction stages until such time as the necessary statutory approvals have been secured.
109. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education if she will outline planned research into the impact on student learning from the disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45746/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Department of Education Inspectorate has monitored educational provision by schools in both remote and onsite schooling contexts. Research carried out by the Inspectorate has captured a range of perspectives, including those of principals, teachers, parents and students, on how schools have operated, on teaching and learning, and on pupils’/students’ experience of school and their engagement in learning. This research has included surveys of different stakeholders, discussions with school principals, and inspectors meeting with focus groups of students and parents.
A suite of reports on research on the return to school carried out by the Inspectorate in the September-December 2020 period is available at: www.gov.ie/en/publication/a0bff-reopening-our-primary-and-special-schools/#reports-and-other-information.
A further suite of reports on research on provision for remote teaching and learning during the period of school closure in January and February 2021 is available at www.gov.ie/en/collection/de987-remote-teaching-and-learning-reports/.
The outcomes of the Department of Education Inspectorate research, together with research carried out by a range of national research and academic institutions, have informed the ongoing supports and guidance provided by the Department of Education to schools to ensure that teaching and learning experiences are as meaningful as possible for all pupils/students in both a remote and a face-to-face schooling context.
The Department of Education will continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on learners in light of the ongoing research from its Inspectorate and from academic institutions and research agencies.
110. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education the details of the development of a new digital strategy for schools and measures in place to further support digital online learning for primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45747/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, I announced the development of a new Digital Strategy for Schools in April this year alongside a wide-ranging consultation process. To ensure a comprehensive review of the existing strategy and to take account of new and emerging themes from the point of view of all relevant stakeholders, a wide ranging consultation framework has been developed. The overall consultation process is an integral part of the development of the new strategy and key to ensuring its successful implementation. The various elements of the consultation framework are set out at www.gov.ie/en/consultation/7d09a-digital-strategy-for-schools/ and this process is now well underway. To further consider key issues arising from the initial elements of the consultation process it is intended to hold a series of focus groups in the coming weeks. The ultimate objective to have a new Digital Strategy for Schools finalised before the end of this year.
Learnings from the implementation of the current strategy and the experience of teachers, school leaders, students and parents regarding the embedding of digital technologies across the curriculum and the opportunities provided by this, as well the impact of remote learning during COVID-19, will inform the overall development of the new strategy.
It will also take into consideration government objectives and priorities, national and international experience and look to address and incorporate new and emerging issues and trends in digital technology to inform future policy in this critically important area of education.
In terms of measures to further support digital online learning for primary and secondary schools, I am sure the Deputy can appreciate that measures for remote learning were put in place due to school closures in response to Covid 19. It is not intended that remote learning would be a feature of the current school landscape now that schools are fully open other than in the one context of those pupils/students who are certified as being very high risk and cannot attend school. All schools have fully reopened safely. Public health has reviewed the measures put in place to ensure safe operation of schools and is satisfied that these infection prevention and control measures, when implemented correctly and adhered to, will continue to keep the school community safe.
