Written Answers Nos. 414-433
415. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of teachers working in primary and secondary schools, respectively not including special education teachers in tabular form. [26092/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraPlease find attached allocated posts for the 2021/2022 academic year, broken down by primary/post-primary. As requested, "Language/Learning Support Teachers" and "Special Classes/Schools Teachers" are excluded. As the academic year is not complete this data is provisional.
|
Sector |
Total posts excluding "Language/Learning Support Teachers" and "Special Classes/Schools Teachers" |
|
Primary |
26,315 |
|
Post-primary |
25,579 |
416. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of special education teachers working in primary and secondary schools, respectively, in tabular form. [26093/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 number of special education teachers working in primary and post primary schools at 31st March 2022 is as follows.
|
School type |
Posts |
|
Primary |
4,409 |
|
Post Primary |
9,340 |
|
Total |
13,749 |
417. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education the Ministerial contact details for persons (details supplied). [26106/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can be contacted at the following address;
Minister's Office
Address:Minister's Office, Department of Education, Marlborough Street, Dublin, D01 RC96
Email: Minister@education.gov.ie
Phone number:(01) 889 6400
Minister Madigan can be contacted directly at;
Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Department of Education, Marlborough Street, Dublin, D01 RC96
Email: Josepha_madigan@education.gov.ie
Phone number: (01)-889 2301
418. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the estimated cost of providing one additional guidance counsellor position for schools with over 500 pupils. [26145/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTeacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts (including Guidance Counselling) are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.
My Department has committed considerable resources towards the restoration of guidance counselling hours to post-primary schools, to the provision of CPD for guidance counsellors and to the provision of a national guidance counselling supervision service for post-primary guidance counsellors in recent times.
The guidance allocation is provided separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the guidance needs of the school.
As part of the COVID-19 operational supports to schools for the 2021/22 school year, approximately 120 posts were provided for guidance to support student wellbeing. Budget 2022 implemented this change as a permanent adjustment to the allocation of Guidance to schools. These posts bring guidance provision in schools back to the level last seen before the financial crisis in 2012.
Current expenditure on guidance counsellors posts in second level schools stands at €55.2 million.
There are 371 post primary schools with an enrolment in excess of 500 pupils. The average cost of a post primary teacher is currently €67,600.
419. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education the estimated cost of providing 2,000 additional bus places for the 2022-2023 school transport scheme. [26166/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 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 €289m in 2021.
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 average cost of providing transport for a child to a primary or post-primary school is estimated at €1,000 per annum. The average cost to provide transport for a child who requires Special Educational Needs transport is estimated at €9,000 per annum.
The estimated cost of providing 2,000 additional bus places for the 2022-2023 school year would be dependent on the breakdown of the numbers of children that require transport for the primary and post primary schemes and the Special Educational Needs transport scheme.
420. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the aggregate capacity of secondary schools in the Killester, Raheny and Clontarf catchment area; and the extent to which it exceeds current enrolment. [26174/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra421. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the number of secondary schools in the Killester, Raheny and Clontarf school catchment area which are mixed and non-denominational; and the capacity of each school. [26175/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 420 and 421 together.
I 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 increased demand in school planning areas with an increasing 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.
There are 7 post primary schools in the Killester, Raheny, Clontarf School Planning Area.
- Two of these are mixed schools, one whose ethos is Church Of Ireland and one whose ethos is Catholic.
- One is a boys school whose ethos is Catholic.
- Four are girls schools whose ethos is Catholic.
While the implementation of enrolment policies and publication of annual admissions notices is a matter for each of the school authorities, my Department is projecting 2028 as the peak enrolment year for post primary schools in the Killester, Raheny, Clontarf School Planning Area with 4,087 places required. This compares to September 2021 aggregate enrolment of 3,789 post primary pupils in the school planning area.
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 in addition to that already in train.
A number of school building projects are progressing or proposed in the School Planning Area referred to by the Deputy as outlined below:
- St Paul's College Raheny RN 60290B. A project has been approved in July 2020 for 2 Construction rooms and a prep room, 1 music room, 1 Home Economic rooms, 2 Art rooms, 3 Project stores and a 2 Class SEN Base.
- Ard Scoil La Salle Raheny RN 60291D. A project has been approved in April 2022 for 1 music room and a 2 Class SEN base.
- Mount Temple Comprehensive School RN81002K. A major building project for a new school building to cater for 1,000 pupils and a 2 Class SEN Base.
422. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the existing pattern of children entering or leaving the Killester, Raheny and Clontarf school catchment area for secondary schooling. [26176/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor the 2020-21 academic year, there were 588 sixth-class pupils with home addresses in the Killester, Raheny and Clontarf school planning area (SPA). For the 2021-22 academic year, 325 pupils remained in the SPA to attend their first year in a post-primary school within the catchment, while 263 pupils left the SPA to attend schools in neighbouring SPAs. There were 683 first-years in the SPA, with 358 pupils entering the catchment area from neighbouring SPAs to attend first-year of post-primary.
This joining of primary and post-primary pupils is based on PPSN, with pupils' addresses based on Eircodes. Not all PPSNs or Eircodes are provided, which may lead to slight underestimation.
|
SPA.Name |
YEAR_PP |
total.6th.year |
stay |
pupils.leave |
total.1st.year |
pupils.enter |
net |
|
Killester_Raheny_Clontarf |
2016 |
525 |
287 |
238 |
610 |
323 |
85 |
|
Killester_Raheny_Clontarf |
2017 |
513 |
273 |
240 |
599 |
326 |
86 |
|
Killester_Raheny_Clontarf |
2018 |
534 |
301 |
233 |
594 |
293 |
60 |
|
Killester_Raheny_Clontarf |
2019 |
537 |
289 |
248 |
619 |
330 |
82 |
|
Killester_Raheny_Clontarf |
2020 |
577 |
334 |
243 |
638 |
304 |
61 |
|
Killester_Raheny_Clontarf |
2021 |
588 |
325 |
263 |
683 |
358 |
95 |
423. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if the CSO has provided her Department with a projection of population for the Killester, Raheny and Clontarf school catchment area over the next five years. [26177/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe CSO compiled population projections for the 8 NUTS3 Regional Authority Areas classified by age and sex for the period 2017 - 2036. The further breakdown by area (e.g. Killester, Raheny and Clontarf ) is not available. The regional CSO projections data, based on 2016 Census results, is published here: https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rpp/regionalpopulationprojections2017-2036/.
Additionally, Department compiled schools enrolment projections by NUTS3 regions, that are based on the CSO regional projections, and report/tables can be found here: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/projections/.
For further information please contact by e-mail at Statistics@education.gov.ie
424. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of physical education halls that have been built and or modernised to date in 2022; the number that were built and or modernised in 2021; the number that are expected to be built and or modernised in the full year 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; and the cost, under the National Development Plan funding. [26180/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides PE halls with the construction of all new post primary schools. These facilities may also be provided where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school.
My Department is working to compile the available data requested by the Deputy and I will arrange for this information to be sent directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department continues to implement the capital programme under the National Development Plan. Investment and expenditure on PE halls is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. The main focus of resources over the last decade has been on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics, particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision.
However, under Project Ireland 2040 there will be 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, as committed to in the Programme for Government.
The Deputy may also be aware of the very significant school building programme that is currently underway. Overall, there are in excess of 1,300 school building projects at various stages of design, planning, and construction. Details of large-scale projects being delivered under the school building programme may be viewed on my Department's website at, www.gov.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.
As the Deputy may be aware, at a national level, primary enrolments are projected to decrease significantly over the coming decade, from a peak in 2018. While there will be local and regional variations, and the impact of Ukrainian arrivals will mitigate this reduction somewhat, there will be strategic opportunities to consider the overall accommodation needs of schools.
My Department will continue to work to ensure that capital investment in our schools is targeted in the most efficient and effective way to support schools in meeting the education needs of their students and communities.
425. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of schools built prior to 2008 that have been deep energy retrofitted to date in 2022; the number that were deep energy retrofitted in 2021; the number that are expected to be deep energy retrofitted in the full year 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; and at what cost, under the National Development Plan funding. [26182/22]
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.
Schools that are designed and built in accordance with the Departments Schools technical guidance documents must achieve an A3 Building Energy Rating and have typically up to 20% higher energy performance and up to 25% carbon 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 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. The Departments policy is supported by a strong research programme with fifty three research projects at various stages including its joint SEAI partnership energy website project www.energyineducation.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.
My Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are involved in an energy efficient retrofit pathfinder scheme for schools since 2017. This Pathfinder programme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger national programme for the energy retrofit of schools built prior to 2008 as included in the current 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 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 pathfinder programme builds on significant investment by the Department of Education in energy efficiency through the 2009/10 Cavity and Attic Insulation/Water Conservation Scheme and ongoing Summer Works and refurbishment projects.
The upgrades target a Building Energy Rating of B, 50% energy efficiency improvement and 51% emissions reduction. The works typically involves upgrades to the building fabric including wall and roof insulation, doors and windows, air tightness improvements, LED lighting and heating upgrades as well as renewable technologies.
The schools for the 2022 programme are:
- Ennis Community College
- Bishopstown Community School
- St Mary's Secondary School Killester
- Our Lady of Consolation Killester
- Scoil Mhuire NS Abbeyleix
- St Anne's Primary school, Tallaght
The upgrades target a Building Energy Rating of B, 50% energy efficiency improvement and 51% emissions reduction. The works typically involves upgrades to the building fabric including wall and roof insulation, doors and windows, air tightness improvements, LED lighting and heating upgrades as well as renewable technologies.
The Department recognises that transition to full decarbonisation raises the bar even higher in terms of requirements with feedback from our pathfinder projects as noted above indicating a greater depth of challenges at a significantly enhanced cost for primary and post primary schools.
The Climate Action Plan 2021 Annex of Actions published earlier this year actions the Department to confirm its decarbonisation pathway trajectory to meet 2030 and 2050 targets for the schools sector by end of 2022.
426. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 105 of 6 April 2022, if contact has been made with the National Council for Special Education as no direct reply has been issued to date. [26211/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can assure the Deputy that officials from my Department will follow up with the NCSE to request that a response issues as soon as possible.
427. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the specific funding that will follow to schools that are subject to section 37A of the Education Act 1998 (details supplied); and the number of schools that her Department has identified to be served with such notice by county in tabular form. [26212/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.
As the deputy will be aware I have met with the National Council for Special Education to discuss measures to further increase the number of special school and special class places for children with special educational needs.
There has been extensive work and collaboration between the Department of Education and the NCSE to increase the provision of new school places for children with additional needs.
I intend to utilise all options available to me to ensure that we increase the number of special school and special class places for the children who need them. I will be working closely with the Department and the NCSE to provide solutions for children with special educational needs and their families.
The preferred solution is that schools proactively open special classes.
If the NCSE has not been able to secure the necessary placements in an area, it can activate a statutory provision contained in Section 37A of the Education Act 1998. Under this provision, and after a period of engagement the Minister can direct a school to open a special class. These provisions have already been used twice in the Dublin area to good effect.
All parties prefer that schools volunteer to open a special class; where all reasonable efforts fail, the Minister has power under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998 to compel a school to provide additional places.
The legislation was used for the first time in 2019 in respect of the Dublin 15 area and was activated for a second time following a report by the NCSE which identified a shortage of special school and special class places across South Dublin.
The section 37A process is currently being reviewed within the overall context of the review of the EPSEN Act 2004 review to establish if the process can be better streamlined to ensure sufficient specialist places can be made available in an efficient manner.
The NCSE through its local network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) provide assistance to schools in planning for new special classes, particularly in terms of the accommodation needs for these new classes. Where building or refurbishment works are required, SENOs provide assistance to the schools in preparing their application to the Department, and follow up on their progress. This is an important part of ensuring that the new class can open in time.
A programme of professional support for schools with newly established special classes has been developed by the NCSE. This programme is available to schools as soon as is practicable upon completion of their recruitment process.
This is in addition to the extensive programme of Professional Teacher Learning available at ncse.ie/teacher-professional-learning and the In School Support Service available at ncse.ie/school-support.
Funding for the fit out of newly established special classes is also provided for by means of a special class start-up grant, furniture grant, specialised furniture/equipment and ICT grants.
428. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the number of capital projects under her Department’s control that have requested increased funding due to supply costs increases; and the status of each project that requested such funding. [26213/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has a large pipeline of projects for delivery under the school building programme. The main elements of this pipeline currently involve in excess of 1,300 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. 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. Most of which are expected to be either under construction or completed in the period up to 2025.
My Department is aware of the challenges presented by Covid-19, the fall-out from the war in Ukraine and the challenging market conditions currently underway, and is working proactively to ensure that all school building contracts are awarded as expeditiously as possible, while working within the parameters set by the Office of Government Procurement and principles of public procurement set out at both national and EU level.
It is not unusual for a Contractor to claim an increase in the contract sum during construction. These claims can be for a wide range of factors, including inflation.
The Office of Government Procurement (OGP), on Friday last, published details of the “Inflation/Supply Chain Delay Co-operation Framework Agreement” for the Public Works Contract. The publication follows the announcement on the 10 May 2022 of new measures for ex gratia payments to address the risk posed by exceptional inflation and supply chain disruption on projects being delivered under the Public Works Contract.
On Monday 23rd May, the OGP published the workbooks to assist contracting authorities in calculating the Ex Gratia Payments.
It is likely that following publication of the guidance, claims may be made by Contractors in line with the published guidance. My Department will assess claims received in line with the published guidance.
429. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an overview of the circumstances that allow a teacher to extend their career break beyond the five-year limit, as specified in Circular 0054/2019. [26220/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe terms and conditions of the Career Break Scheme for teachers is contained in my Department’s Circular Letter 54/2019 (Chapter 7).
Where a Career Break is approved, it must be for a minimum period of one school year. The Career Break may be extended, subject to employer approval, on an annual basis not to exceed five years at any one time, up to a maximum of 10 years absence in the course of the teacher's career. A subsequent Career Break may not be taken until the teacher has served for a period equal to the duration of the previous Career Break. However, in the case of a teacher wishing to avail of a Career Break to undertake voluntary service abroad/missionary/diplomatic/military/Oireachtas or study leave this requirement will be waived.
Employers must have a policy on teacher absences, including the Career Break Scheme. The welfare and education needs of the pupils must take precedence over all other considerations and they must take account of the availability of appropriate qualified replacement teachers. The capacity of the school to meets its obligations to its pupils can mean employers may apply a limit to the number of teaching staff that may avail of Career Break at any one time.
Under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998, the Minister for Education, with the concurrence of the Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, is authorised to determine the terms and conditions of employment for teachers employed in approved teaching posts funded by monies provided by the Oireachtas. The Teachers Conciliation Council (TCC) forms part of the Scheme of Conciliation and Arbitration for Teachers, the purpose of which is to provide a forum for claims and proposals relating to the salary, and other terms & conditions of service for teachers. The Council is comprised of representatives from the Teacher Unions, the School Management Bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education. The TCC is independently chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.
The terms and conditions of teachers employed in State funded teaching posts are formulated at TCC and are of general application to all teachers appointed to such posts. The Career Break Scheme exists by virtue of a collective agreement, concluded under the auspices of the TCC.
430. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the start date for the construction a project (details supplied) given that the contracts have been signed; and the timelines that have been agreed. [26236/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Letter of Acceptance (LOA) issued to the preferred tenderer on the 18th May 2022 commencing the school building contract for the school referred to by the Deputy.
The construction programme underpinning the contract will be provided by the Contractor shortly and my Department will advise the school as soon as possible in this regard.
431. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the lack of autism classes in secondary schools in the Dublin 12 area; her plans to increase the number of available places for autistic young people in post-primary education; the expected timeframe for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26259/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.
This includes additional teaching and care supports.
As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
Over the last two years, my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year.
I am satisfied that this more joined up approach is delivering. Through this intensive intervention, we have seen over 300 special classes, providing over 1,800 new places, opened nationwide for the 2021/22 school-year.
I also acknowledge that notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.
I can confirm that the NCSE is aware of an identified need for additional special classes for students with autism in the Dublin area referenced by the Deputy. Work has been underway with stakeholders for a number of years in this area to meet the demand for places.
NCSE 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 class placements.
NCSE is continuing to engage with schools regarding the establishment of additional special classes for 2022/23 and beyond. There are specific plans in place to open additional special classes and every support will be made available to progress their opening in the shortest possible timeframe with a particular focus on September next.
It is of course open to any school to engage with the NCSE to establish a special class.
My Department is committed, in conjunction with the NCSE, to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.
I also want to reassure the Deputy that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.
432. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education the number of female ASD unit places in the Coolock and Kilmore areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26260/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra433. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education the number of primary schools within Dublin that have ASD units that have capacity available for the academic year 2022-2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26261/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 432 and 433 together.
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.
This includes additional teaching and care supports.
As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
Over the last two years, my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year.
I am satisfied that this more joined up approach is delivering. Through this intensive intervention, we have seen over 300 special classes, providing over 1,800 new places, opened nationwide for the 2021/22 school-year.
I also acknowledge that notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.
I can confirm that the NCSE is aware of an identified need for additional special classes for students with autism in the Dublin areas referenced by the Deputy. Work has been underway with stakeholders for a number of years in this area to meet the demand for places.
NCSE 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 class placements.
NCSE is continuing to engage with schools regarding the establishment of additional special classes for 2022/23 and beyond. There are specific plans in place to open additional special classes and every support will be made available to progress their opening in the shortest possible timeframe with a particular focus on September next.
It is of course open to any school to engage with the NCSE to establish a special class.
My Department is committed, in conjunction with the NCSE, to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.
I want to reassure the Deputy also that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education
I should clarify, however, that the NCSE does not maintain waiting lists for schools. Boards of management of individual schools are responsible for such enrolment matters.
The list of special schools is available on the NCSE website at the following link:
ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/NCSE-Special-School-Allocations-21-22-website-03-12-2021.pdf
and for special classes at:
ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Final-2021_2022-Sp-Class-list-25_03_22.pdf.
