Written Answers Nos. 973-989
973. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of primary schools with classrooms in prefabricated buildings in each county in 2019, 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29392/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra974. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of primary schools with classrooms in prefabricated buildings for more than ten years in each county in tabular form. [29393/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra975. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of secondary schools with classrooms in prefabricated buildings in each county in 2019, 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29394/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra976. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of secondary schools with classrooms in prefabricated buildings for more than ten years in each county in tabular form. [29395/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 973, 974, 975 and 976 together.
Temporary accommodation in schools may be rented or purchased and funded by the Department or by the school authority itself, with or without Department sanction. For that reason it is not possible to provide the Deputy with a complete picture in respect of all temporary accommodation at schools as requested.
As the Deputy will appreciate, within the context of a rapidly increasing school population combined with arriving Ukrainian children, my Department's priority is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place. In this regard, it is sometimes necessary to make use of temporary accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools.
The timing and duration of the accommodation need is also considered in determining the optimum accommodation solution – a short-term accommodation requirement does not require a long-term accommodation solution. For example, a school may require a temporary building in circumstances where a major school construction project is planned. Such temporary accommodation is removed when the major project concerned is completed. The length of time it is necessary to make use of temporary rented accommodation will vary from project to project.
My Department is taking an integrated approach with the Prefab Replacement Programme through the replacement of prefabricated units as part of large-scale and devolved projects and as part of new projects approved under the Additional School Accommodation scheme.
There are over 1,300 school building projects within the current pipeline 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 2021 to 2025. The progression and completion of these projects is and will make further inroads on the replacement of rented sites and buildings with knock-on savings on the rental budget. Good progress continues to be made with the rollout of projects, and the current status of projects being delivered is listed in tabular format, on a county by county basis, on the Department’s website at www.gov.ie and is updated regularly.
Many schools based in rented buildings and on rented sites are already part of the pipeline of projects under the school building programme and their longer-term accommodation will be addressed as part of these projects. Maximising the opportunities to achieve value for money involves matching, as best as possible, the accommodation requirement with the appropriate accommodation solution. This is relevant for all accommodation projects progressed by the Department.
The changing landscape in relation to enrolments including that of arriving Ukrainian children means that accommodation requirements can vary locally and regionally and between short, medium and long-term and this is a relevant factor considered by the Department in determining the type of accommodation solution to be put in place.
977. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the proposed closure of the special education class in a school (details supplied) for children attending a mild general learning disability class; if her officials will engage with school management regarding any appeals avenues available; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29399/22]
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 additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.
The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.
The local SENOs remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list .
As the query refers to an individual school, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
978. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education if she has informed herself and conducted any analysis in relation to the number of primary schools that have vacant places in ASD units currently which cannot be availed of due to the waiting times for children of school going age waiting for an assessment of need; and if she has discussed the issue with the Minister for Health and the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29415/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Assessment of Need (AON) process is provided for under the Disability Act 2005. Assessment Officers under the remit of the HSE are charged with organising the Assessment of Need. The Assessment Officer makes the determination as to whether or not a child or young person meets the definition of disability contained in the act. The Assessment Officer coordinates and completes the Assessment Report.
Following a recent High Court ruling in October 2021 there is now a requirement on the education system to provide an assessment of Education Needs as part of the Assessment of Need Process.
The Department is considering its implications. The Department are working with the Department of Health, the NCSE and the HSE and taking legal advice.
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.
Throughout 2020 and 2021, 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 an additional 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.
The 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.
Budget 2022 provided for the creation of 287 additional special classes for the 2022/2023 school year. These additional classes will provide over 1,700 new places in 2022.
It is of course open to any school to engage with the NCSE to establish a special class.
I 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.
979. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that an appropriate school place is provided for a pupil (details supplied). [29433/22]
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 with special educational needs 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 an additional 300 special classes, providing 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.
The 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.
It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.
The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.
Parents seeking special class or school placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.
As your query refers to an individual placement case, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
980. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Education the number of additional special needs assistant posts for County Wexford for the 2022-2023 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29436/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in our schools is at unprecedented levels.
Budget 2022 provides for an additional 1,165 SNAs to provide support to children with special educational needs. This will bring the total number of SNAs to 19,169 by the end of 2022. This represents an increase of 81% in SNA numbers since 2011 when 10,575 SNAs were working in our schools.
The availability of SNAs is critical to the inclusion of students with significant care needs in education and in school life.
SNAs carry out very important care functions for children with care needs in the school. The purpose of their role is to enable children with significant care needs to attend school and participate in school activities to the maximum possible extent.
The purpose of the SNAs in the classroom is to address the immediate physical care needs of the student and encourage their independence. Over time, with their assistance and support, students will become more independent and self-autonomous in these matters.
SNAs are whole school resources to be allocated to meet the needs of those students in greatest need.
A key consideration in the allocation of SNAs is to ensure that those students with the greatest level of care needs receive the most support. This is a key principle underlying Department policy on special education. The allocation system must be objective and fair with the capacity to take account of local and individual circumstances.
The SNA allocations for all schools for the 2022/23 school year were published on the 31st May and are available on the NCSE website
SET Hours and SNA Allocations – National Council for Special Education (ncse.ie)
Many students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) enrolled in mainstream classes do not have significant care needs and are supported through the Special Education Teacher (SET) allocation in line with their need.
In mid-April Department officials issued updated staffing allocations for the 2022/23 school year to include SET allocations. This ensured that schools were aware of their teaching resources and this allowed them to make the necessary arrangements to ensure that the teaching and learning needs for pupils with SEN can be properly supported. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has also provided guidance and support to schools to assist them in ensuring that the resources being provided are best managed to meet the needs of pupils with SEN. The support includes training and advice from special education professionals within the NCSE as part of the NCSE regional support teams.
The National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) are also available to support schools and teachers in providing a Continuum of Support to their students with SEN.
981. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education if the July Provision will go ahead for a student (details supplied) attending a school in County Sligo. [29447/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn May 2022 the Government announced this year's Summer Programme to allow all primary and post-primary schools to offer a summer programme for students with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage.
The programme aims are to support pupils to maintain their connection with education, to build their confidence and increase their motivation, promote wellbeing and for those who are at key transition stages, helping to ensure they continue their education journey in September either in school or in further/higher education or training.
Building on the 2021 programme, all primary and post primary schools can offer a summer programme and in line with last year’s funding, there is up to €40 million available to provide for this year’s programme.
A key objective of this year’s scheme is to increase the number of schools offering the summer programme to their students. Steps have been taken to afford schools as much flexibility as possible, and to ease administrative requirements.
An online registration portal was for schools to register their participation in this year’s programme with a closing date of June 9th. The school referred to by the Deputy has since registered to provide the Special Class and Special School programme so the family should liaise directly with the school regarding participation on the programme.
982. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if she will request the State Examinations Commission to address an issue in relation to the cohort of students who are due to sit their Leaving Certificate and Leaving Certificate applied exams in June 2023 who have never sat a State examination, by extending the same adjustments to the State written examination for 2023 as are in place for the 2022 examinations (details supplied). [29500/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetailed planning for the 2023 examinations will start immediately following the completion of the 2022 examinations. At present no changes to the 2023 assessment arrangements for the State Examinations have been made by the State Examinations Commission and this will be kept under review.
The decisions made, and which I announced in February, regarding the assessment arrangements and overall grade outcomes for Leaving Certificate 2022 reflect the disruption to their learning that has been experienced over the last two years by those students taking their Leaving Certificate examinations this year, including periods of school closures whilst those students were in the Senior Cycle, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
983. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Education the plans her Department has to facilitate improved walking and cycling access to schools (details supplied) from Waterside along the reservation indicated in the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29541/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is my Department's intention to engage with the local authority as part of the overall plan to develop Department owned lands that adjoin the area in question.
984. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Education the date decisions on appeals to the DEIS programme will be communicated with schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29551/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI announced on the 9th March that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools.
Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data have the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed.
Circular 0019/2022 outlining the details of this appeals process was published recently by my Department and is available at www.gov.ie/en/circular/7e7ca-deis-identification-2022-appeals-process-for-schools/
My Department is committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which they have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS programme and all appeals which were submitted to my Department are currently being processed.
When all appeals have been processed, schools will be informed in writing of the outcome of the appeal. It is my Department’s intention that schools will be provided with the outcome shortly to allow schools time to plan for the 2022/23 school year.
985. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Education the date a school (details supplied) will receive a decision on their primary staffing appeal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29552/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 24 pupils which is a historical low ratio.
The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
The appeal submitted by the school referred to by the Deputy has been successful, pending confirmation of enrolment on 30th September. The school was notified of this decision at the end of last month.
986. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education if she will advise in relation to an application for an incremental credit claim for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29572/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe criteria for the award of Incremental Credit for previous experience is outlined in Circular 0139/2006 for special needs assistants (SNAs), and was agreed in the first instance, by the Teacher Conciliation Council (TCC). This Council is comprised of representatives of the teacher unions, school management bodies, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, and the Department of Education chaired by an official of the Workplace Relations Commission.
An application for previous service as a school secretary was received in the incremental credit section on 24th May 2022. When an application for incremental credit is received in the Department, it is checked to ensure that it is fully completed. Applications are managed in date received order. Applications can take up to 20 weeks to be fully processed but most are dealt with well within this timeframe. Please be advised that if this person meets the criteria set out in Circular 0139/2006, incremental credit will then be backdated.
987. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education the reason that a minor (details supplied) cannot be guaranteed a secondary school place in east Cork when the schools open after the summer recess; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29574/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is the responsibility of my Department to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. Parents can choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted.
It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to draft, publish and implement a school admission policy in accordance with the Education Acts 1998 to 2018. In schools where there are more applicants than places available a selection process may be necessary. This may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in their school of first choice.
The admission policy, including the selection criterion to be used where the school is oversubscribed, must comply with the Education Acts 1998 to 2018, be non-discriminatory and be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.
Where a board of management make a decision to refuse admission, a parent/guardian can appeal that decision under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, and an independent appeals committee will be appointed to consider the appeal. The role of the section 29 hearing committee is to examine the application for enrolment and consider if it was correctly processed by the school, in accordance with the school’s Enrolment Policy. The section 29 appeals committee cannot consider matters that are not provided for within the school’s Enrolment Policy. If a parent/ guardian consider that a school has erred in their processing of their enrolment application, a section 29 appeal committee can examine how the application was processed by the school and identify if the school did not follow its Enrolment policy. In cases where an error occurred the section 29 appeal committee will consider if the error had a material effect on your application. Where an error had a material effect on the enrolment application, the section 29 appeal committee can direct the school to enrol the student or adjust the students ranking on the waiting list.
My Department has no authority to compel a school to admit a student, except in circumstances where an appeal under section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 has been allowed and the appeals committee directs that the school admit the child concerned.
A section 29 appeal must be made no later than 63 calendar days from the date of the school’s decision to refuse admission. It is important to note that if a student have been refused admission due to the school being oversubscribed, and the parent / guardian wish to appeal this decision the parent / guardian must firstly make a written request to the school seeking a review of the board of management’s decision. This request for a review to the board of management is time bound and must be made within 21 calendar days from the date of the decision by the school to refuse admission to the student .
If the student has been refused admission for a reason other than the school being oversubscribed, the parent/ guardian may, but is not required to, request a review by the board of management within 21 calendar days from the date of the decision by the school to refuse admission to the student .
Where the student have been refused admission for a reason other than the school being oversubscribed and does not choose to seek a review by the board of management the parent/ guardian may make an appeal to an independent appeals committee no later than 63 calendar days from the date of the school’s decision to refuse admission.
Full details on the section 29 appeals process for refused enrolment are available on the Gov.ie website at the links below:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/8248c-appeals-in-relation-to-refusal-to-admit-a-student-due-to-a-school-being-oversubscribed/
www.gov.ie/en/publication/31c4f-appeals-in-relation-to-refusal-to-admit-a-student-for-a-reason-other-than-the-school-being-oversubscribed/
In addition, Tusla Education Support Services (TESS) the Educational Welfare Service is the legal body which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school placement for their child. Contact details for TESS are available at the following link www.tusla.ie/tess/get-in-touch/ or by email at tessinfo@tusla.ie
988. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education if she will approve the retention of a classroom teacher in a primary school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29594/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 24 pupils which is a historical low ratio, with lower thresholds applying to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools.
The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Details of the appeal process are available in Circular 25/2022.
989. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education if he will review correspondence (details supplied); her views in relation the specifics of this case; and if she will provide an update on the review of the school transport scheme. [29604/22]
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.
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest school/Education Centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time (apply on time and pay on time) are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. Children who are not eligible but who apply for school transport are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
Bus Éireann, who operates the school transport scheme on behalf of the Department, review all school transport services over the summer months. Arising from this review, routes may be altered, extended or withdrawn depending on the number and location of eligible children who will be availing of school transport for the following school year.
Bus Éireann have confirmed that generally, pupils residing in the area referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for transport to their school of attendance as it is not their closest school/Education Centre. There are matters raised in the correspondence submitted in the details supplied which the Department will follow up on separately.
As the Deputy is aware, the 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 and how it currently operates, its broader effectiveness and sustainability and that it adequately supports the provision of services to students and their families.
The review encompasses the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs and the Primary and Post-Primary School Transport Schemes in terms of how each element of the schemes currently operate, to include eligibility criteria, trends, costs and cost drivers, and overall effectiveness in meeting the objectives of the schemes. The review will also examine the potential for integration of different strands of the scheme and a more co-ordinated approach with other Government Departments that also use transport services.
Following commencement of this review the Steering Group presented me with an initial interim report in June 2021. Following consideration of this report, I approved the extension of temporary alleviation measures for the 2021/22 school year for transport for post-primary students who were otherwise eligible for school transport but were attending their second nearest school and had applied and paid on time. Wider considerations relating to operation of the scheme are now taking place in the next phase of the review which is currently underway.
Decisions in regard to measures for the 2022/23 school year will be made shortly. The Steering Group will continue to report to me on an interim basis as the review progresses.
