Written Answers Nos. 270-279
270. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education the progress that has been made under her Department’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017-2026, including the planned initiatives; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13491/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Education’s STEM Education Policy Statement 2017–2026, published in November 2017, set out the ambitious goals and actions required to achieve and improve the STEM education experience and outcomes for all learners from early years to post-primary school.
The STEM implementation plan 2017-2019 built on a range of reforms and initiatives already underway in STEM, in areas such as curriculum and assessment reform, teacher professional development, embedding digital learning and advances in initial teacher education. The areas of policy development and action in relation to STEM education span 4 pillars as follows:
- Nurture Learner engagement and participation;
- Enhance early years practitioner and teacher capacity;
- Support STEM Education Practice; and
- Use Evidence to support STEM education.
A number of subgroups to the STEM Education Implementation Advisory Group were established in order to give a particular focus to a number of key areas identified for progression, these groups include the Gender Balance in STEM Advisory the STEM and the Arts Advisory Group and the Business/Industry working group.
Notwithstanding the delays in the implementation of a number of actions due to Covid-19, the following includes some of the achievements made to date:
- STEM related curricular reform, including; Primary Mathematics development ongoing, Junior Cycle Mathematics (September 2018), Leaving Certificate Applied Mathematics (September 2021), Leaving Certificate Art (September 2020) and Leaving Certificate Agricultural Science (September 2019), Leaving Certificate Computer Science (nationally from September 2020)
- Teachers are provided with opportunities to develop STEM learning throughout the school year by the Department’s support services - Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) and PDST. A continuing professional development (CPD) Framework which supports the cross-sectoral design and delivery of STEM CPD has been developed and informs all of the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) STEM professional development design.
- Ongoing support by the Department of informal STEM education such BTYSTE, ESB Science Blast, and Scifest
- Under the three year School Excellence Fund, some thirty Digital and ten STEM clusters, have been established. The clusters work together on innovative projects in teaching and learning using digital technologies.
- Development of STEM resources for the Aistear/Síolta practice guide to support STEM practices within early years settings
- A dedicated section has been created within Scoilnet (the central repository for teaching resources) covering STEM, there are currently over 4,000 Post-Primary and over 4,000 Primary STEM resources here, all tagged to specifics of the curriculum.
- ‘A Review of Literature to Identify a Set of Effective Interventions for Addressing Gender Balance in STEM in Early Years, Primary and Post-Primary Education Settings’ was published in November 2020. The report set out what is known about critical barriers to girls’ participation in STEM education and STEM learning, while also highlighting effective interventions to increase participation of girls in STEM.
- Development and publication of a set of recommendations informed by the gender balance literature review and the the Gender Balance in STEM Advisory Group, in order to guide national actions that will ensure STEM education in Ireland is world class in improving gender balance, equity and inclusion effectively for our young people.
- A literature review, commissioned by the STEM and the Arts Advisory group commissioned which looked at effective interventions that address key barriers to and build critical assets and skills in relation STEAM learning is being finalised and it is intended that it will inform the direction of STEAM education in Ireland.
- Guidelines in relation to forming business/industry . These provide the basis for schools to form quality, inclusive and relevant linkages with business and Industry.
- STEM awareness campaigns in conjunction with Science Foundation Ireland, such as #IGetPaidToDoThis and ‘This is STEM’
- The Department has engaged in a partnership with SFI’s Discover Programme to support effective interventions from early years to post-primary education and public engagement projects in STEM across the country. The Department will contribute up to €500,000 towards successful projects under the call.
- Assessment of Transversal Skills in STEM (ATS STEM) is an Erasmus+ funded project being conducted across 8 EU countries and involving a partner network of 12 educational institutions. ATS STEM aims to provide teachers and students with necessary and efficient digital assessment approaches in development of students’ transversal skills in STEM education. The Department of Education is the strategic lead on the project with DCU the project co-ordinator for Ireland
After being delayed due to Covid19 the development of the second implementation plan 2022-2026 is underway with public consultation from 13 December 2021 to 26 January 2022. Further consultation with key stakeholders to include pupils/students, schools, early years settings, higher and further education institutions, teachers, early years practitioners, parents, business and industry, education partners, STEM related organisations/associations and out-of-school STEM providers is underway. The implementation plan will also be informed by the Gender balance in STEM recommendations (published 8 March 2022) and STEM and the Arts recommendations that are being developed at present.
271. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education her Department’s supports to help combat online bullying and harassment of children and young persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13492/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in January 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying and promoting an anti-bullying culture in schools. The Action Plan contains 12 actions that focus on the provision of support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aims to ensure that all forms of bullying are addressed. A number of these actions have been implemented in full while others, which by their nature involve continuous action, are the subject of ongoing implementation.
There are currently 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.
The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 has promoted the development of digital literacy in our young people and the importance of respectful online communications. A new digital strategy is under development with planned publication later this year. Online safety will be an important feature of the new strategy.
In 2021, on Safer Internet Day, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (Coco’s Law) was enacted. On that day, the Minister for Justice announced that an agreement had been reached between her Department, the National anti-bullying centre at DCU and my Department, to establish a ‘Research Observatory on Cyberbullying’ focused on providing up-to-date research, advice and resources related to cyberbullying, cyberhate, and online harassment, and the implementation of Coco’s Law.
The Observatory team has put together an online research repository of resources on cyberbullying, cyberhate and online harassment which are available on their website for researchers and the general public. The Observatory has hosted online webinars, one of which focused on cyberbullying and which involved national and International experts sharing their knowledge on cyberbullying and online abuse with researchers and with the broader general public, including teachers, parents, and young people.
My Department also provides direct funding to external organisations to raise awareness of safer internet use and for the delivery of support and information through various anti-bullying initiatives. This includes the provision of an annual grant to the National Parents Council (Primary) for anti-bullying training and information for parents. My Department also provides funding for Stand Up! Awareness Week , an anti-homophobic and anti-transphobic bullying campaign, organised by BeLonGTo, the National Youth Service for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people in Ireland.
An annual grant is also provided by my Department to the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre in DCU towards funding its research and training programmes and to meet the running and development costs of the national anti-bullying website, www.tacklebullying.ie. This website provides a single point of information on the types of bullying as well as supports and information on how to deal with bullying for young people, parents and teachers.
As the Deputy may be aware, I recently established a Steering Committee to review the 2013 Action Plan on Bullying.
This review will involve significant consultation and collaboration across my Department, with other Government Departments and Bodies including the Ombudsman for Children, and will also involve consultation with a broad range of education stakeholders, including parents and students, school management bodies and teacher and school staff unions.
The review will take account of the significant developments and relevant research since the action plan was published in 2013. It will specifically consider cyber bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas.
The review will also give detailed consideration to the recommendations contained in the Oireachtas Joint Committee Report on School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health which was published last August.
272. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education the status of the successor to the literacy, numeracy and digital literacy strategy 2011-2020; the consultation mechanisms and the planned timeframe for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13504/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Strategy: Literacy & Numeracy for Learning and life 2011-2020 and Interim Review 2017 set out a clear vision for raising standards of teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy for all learners including those with additional needs in our early years, primary and post-primary schools. The strategy has resulted in reforms in initial teacher education, dedicated support for professional learning and curriculum reform. The interim review identified areas for particular focus for the remainder of the strategy to include a set of discrete targets for DEIS schools focussed on reducing the literacy and numeracy achievement gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools.
To fulfil the programme for Government’s determination that all young people will leave school with the literacy and numeracy required for everyday life and further studies a successor Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy for all learners is being developed. Development of the strategy was delayed due to the challenges faced by school communities and all education stakeholders from the Covid pandemic. Development is now underway. The strategy will be informed by robust research to include consideration of national and international practice, extensive stakeholder engagement and public consultation.
Following a public procurement process the research element of the strategy commenced in Q3 2021 and is expected to conclude in the coming weeks with the consultation process to follow. Publication of the new strategy is planned by end of 2022.
273. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education the number of external consultants' reports commissioned by her Department in each of the years 2019 to 2021 and to date in 2022; the cost of same; the company involved; the title and publication date of the report in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13558/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation in relation to consultancy expenditure in my Department is compiled annually in respect of the previous year and published online at www.gov.ie/en/collection/department-of-education-and-skills-expenditure-on-consultancy/. The data in respect of 2021 is being compiled at present and will be published online as soon as it is available.
274. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education the status of a site and development for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13573/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has previously identified State-owned lands as a possible site for a new permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy following an unsuccessful site identification process a number of years ago for this school.
Given the passage of time since the original site identification process, the Department considered it prudent to carry out a further site identification exercise for a 1,000 pupil school in this area and this process is ongoing at the moment. The purpose of the current exercise is to establish if the situation has changed in the intervening period and if other site options have become available.
In respect of a solution for the permanent school the Department is examining all options. In order to better inform these deliberations the Department has undertaken a site identification process in the greater Bray area. The site identification process has identified one site with some potential. However to advance to negotiations the Department is currently seeking clarification on a number of issues which would impact on the deliverability of this site in a timely manner. Due to commercial sensitivities the Department cannot provide further information at this time.
275. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to concerns among parents and school management in an area (details supplied); and if sufficient planning is in place in order to avoid a repeat of the challenges faced in getting first year secondary school allocations for September 2021. [13575/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that 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, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level.
The level of demand volume across school planning areas with an increasing net requirement ranges from small to medium increases that are likely to be accommodated by existing schools through to significant projected growth that may require additional provision. Where data indicates that additional provision is required at primary or post primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may 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.
My Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in a number of school planning areas. Where capacity issues arise it may not be as a result of lack of accommodation but may be driven by the following factors:
- Duplication of applications – pupils have applied for a place to a number of schools in the area
- School of choice – pupils can’t get a place in their preferred school while there are places in other schools in the town/area
- Some towns/areas have single sex schools and while places are available in the school there are not available to all pupils
- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
Similar to the process adopted in advance of the current academic year, my Department is engaging with patron bodies to identify particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming year(s) which may necessitate action including, where required, the provision of modular accommodation solutions.
The post-primary school planning area for Greystones is served by 3 post-primary schools including a new regional solution for the Kilcoole and Greystones area which opened in Greystones for the 2020/2021 school year.
The following post-primary schools currently serve the Greystones School Planning Area:
- TempleCarrig Secondary School – this is a co-educational school with capacity for 750 pupils and was established in 2014. The Department has recently approved an extension to this school to expand the capacity of the school to 1,000 pupils plus 3 special education needs bases. The school enrolled additional first year pupils in September 2021 on this basis. My Department has approved additional accommodation to the school for special educational needs purposes.
- Greystones Community College – this new co-educational school was established in 2020 as a regional solution for the Kilcoole/Greystones area and is currently located in interim accommodaton pending the construction of a permanent school building that will cater for 1,000 pupils. The school already has additional interim temporary accommodation available for 2022 and further accommodation is currently being planned for.
- St. David’s Secondary School, Greystones is a co-educational school and a major building project to expand the school to cater for 750 pupils commenced on site in October 2020. This project is expected to be completed by November 2022.
In addition, there is the existing school in the adjacent Kilcoole School Planning Area, Coláiste Craobh Abhann, which currently has accommodation for 750 pupils and for which there is a major project approved to expand the school to 1,000 pupils. This project is at stage 2a of the architectural planning process. Additional temporary accommodation was approved for the school to cater for expanding enrolments pending completion of this extension.
In relation to places for 2022 at 1st year level - the annual admissions notice for each of the schools in the school planning area is available on the individual school website. My Department understands that there are currently places available for 1st year applicants in the Greystones School Planning Area for 2022.
My Department is satisfied that with the establishment of Greystones Community College as a new regional school for the Greystones/Kilcoole area and with the completion of the building projects at St. David’s Secondary School, Greystones, Templecarraig Secondary School and Coláiste Craobh Abhann, Kilcoole, that the resulting additional permanent accommodation will meet the future accommodation needs at post primary level in the area.
276. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the detailed breakdown of Vote 26 subhead A15 across new primary schools, post-primary schools, special schools, school halls, canteen facilities, laboratories and any other relevant information. [13584/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland. This investment will also build on the good progress being made on adding capacity to cater for demographic changes and provision for children with special educational needs. This investment will also facilitate an increased focus on the modernisation of existing school stock and help transition the school system for an era of net zero carbon by 2050.
My Departments Capital planning and budgeting is undertaken on a multi-annual basis and provides an inclusive allocation to all school projects on the School Building Programme. The capital allocation for my Department in 2022 is €792.4m of which €695m has been assigned to the School Building Programme (A.15 subhead)
The 2021 capital allocation under the School Building Programme subhead was €665.5m. A further €156m was sanctioned for the School Building Programme through the Supplementary Estimate process and from savings in other subheads due to the strong spend and delivery on this programme. This funding also facilitated the provision of a €62 million enhanced Minor Works Grants to Primary and Post Primary schools to assist schools with the continued operation of schools in the Covid environment.
During the period 2018 to 2021 691 school building projects were completed under the Large Scale Capital Programme (LSCP) and the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA). 539 of these projects delivered were Primary projects and 152Post Primary. These projects delivered in excess of 64000 school places.
Currently there are approximately 1,200 school building projects for delivery under the Department’s Large Scale and Additional Accommodation Scheme. These projects are currently in progress across the various stages of planning, design, tender and construction - most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period up to 2025. There are currently in excess of 250 school building projects at construction (on site) with a continuous stream of other projects at or near the tendering stage.
Additional information, including the current status of projects being delivered, is listed on a county by county basis on www.gov.ie and is updated on a monthly basis to reflect their progress through the various stages.
Supplementary accommodations (school halls, new canteen facilities, new laboratories) are incorporated into overall project delivery. In excess of 80% of funding is allocated towards Large Scale projects, Additional Accommodation Scheme, and Site acquisition which is ensuring provision of additional capacity across the school system. In addition €65 million has been allocated to fund 497 Summer Works Scheme projects for delivery in 2022.
277. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of new special needs assistants hired since 12 October 2021. [13585/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra278. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of new special education teachers hired since 12 October 2021. [13586/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 277 and 278 together.
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.
When a school has been allocated an SNA, the Board of Management, as the employer, is responsible for filling the vacancy and the decision on whether to employ a full time SNA to fill a full time post or to employ an equivalent number of part time SNAs rests with the employer.
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 Special Education Teaching (SET) allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile. This model has replaced the previous model of allocating resource teaching support and learning support to schools based on a diagnosis of disability.
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.
The allocation 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 school will take account of learning needs of children as evidenced by performance in schools but also supported where relevant by information provided regarding the nature of a condition that a pupil may have.
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. The guidelines support schools in how they identify pupils for additional teaching support and decide how much support to provide for pupils who need it.
A process is available where schools can seek a review of their allocations by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), including the utilisation of their allocations, in circumstances where a school considers that very exceptional circumstances have arisen subsequent to the development of the profile. Detailed information on the NCSE review process is published on the NCSE website ncse.ie/for-schools
The NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.
As this question relates to the allocation of support by the NCSE, I have referred the question to the NCSE for their direct reply.
279. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education if she will provide information on the capital expenditure allocated by her Department for the purpose of retrofitting schools and for the purpose of erecting solar panels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13587/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is at the forefront of design with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in Design and Specification.
My Department’s Technical Guidance Documents set the benchmark for sustainable design in school buildings with a clear focus on energy efficiency and they are based on solid energy research projects.
Schools that are designed and built in accordance with the Department’s schools technical guidance documents have been achieving A3 Building Energy Ratings since 2009 with current schools typically achieving up to 20% higher performance than required by the current Building Regulations, along with 10% of primary energy provided via photovoltaics and infrastructure provision for electric vehicle charging.
All new technologies and approaches are tested to ensure compatibility with school design and operational requirements. Successful and repeatable results are then incorporated into all new school designs and refurbishments. The Departments policy is supported by a strong research programme with fifty three research projects at various stages including the energy website www.energyineducation.ie which is a joint partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
In the interest of sustainability, it is critical that renewable applications are properly suited to the schools needs so as to reduce energy costs and carbon and not just applied for the sake of having renewables. It is also critical that we minimise the demand for energy before we invest in renewable energy applications. This has been assisted in previous years with the wall and attic insulation programme and the water conservation programme.
My Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications established a jointly funded pathfinder programme with the SEAI, testing and demonstrating energy efficiency and decarbonisation retrofit approaches. This pathfinder is a great example of collaboration ensuring the deployment of new design approaches and technologies are introduced to the educational environment on an evidence based approach.
This Pathfinder programme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger national schools’ programme for the energy retrofit of schools built prior to 2008 as included in the National Development Plan. It is facilitating research on a range of typical retrofit options, which will have been tried and tested. It is providing valuable development information for a solution driven delivery strategy which will be founded on a solid evidence base that has proven the robustness and scalability of renewable solutions within the schools’ sector.
The longer-term outcome of the pathfinder will be to create an accurate and scalable model for energy efficient retrofits of schools across Ireland. The deep energy retrofit programme for schools built prior to 2008 is due to be rolled out as included in the National Development Plan.
The pathfinder programme has retrofitted 41 schools across Ireland to date with work on an additional 9 schools added in 2021 underway. 2022 sees six additional schools undergoing deep retrofit to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B with renewable heating systems.Each school undergoes a comprehensive assessment to ensure that the measures are suitable for that school and will deliver value to both the school and learnings for the national retrofit programme.
The Energy in Education website portal and advice programme (Joint programme between SEAI and Dept. of Education) also assists schools reduce their energy consumption and empowers participating schools and pupils to learn the benefits of sustainability. www.energyineducation.ie . Typically savings of between 5 to 10% are identified through low and no cost measures, while some schools participating have identified potential savings of up to 15 % or more.
Furthermore my Department provides capitation funding to all recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme. The main grant is the capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs including heating costs.
My Department has also ensured that centrally negotiated rates are available to schools for electricity and bulk heating fuels. These rates are available through existing frameworks sourced by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). OGP has run competitions specifically for Schools at a national level and the Schools Procurement Unit and the Department has communicated with schools and school management bodies informing them of the options available to them through these national arrangements. Information on how to avail of these arrangements is available via the Schools Procurement Unit website, www.spu.ie .
Under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland. This investment will also build on the good progress being made on adding capacity to cater for demographic changes and provision for children with special educational needs. This investment will also facilitate an increased focus on the modernisation of existing school stock and help transition the school system for an era of net zero carbon by 2050.
The total budget for the Pathfinder programme of works from 2017 - 2022 is €78m.
