Cormac Devlin
Ceist:225. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5909/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraDepartmental Data
Ceisteanna (225)
Freagraí scríofa
My officials have been in contact with the individual concerned and are dealing with the request.
Question No. 226 answered with Question No. 191.
Question No. 227 answered with Question No. 192.
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
Ceisteanna (228)
Martin Browne
Ceist:228. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Education if she is aware of the increase in class sizes in a school (details supplied). [5934/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the Deputy is aware from Budget 2023, the staffing schedule will be 23:1 in mainstream primary schools from the 2023/24 school year, with lower rates applying in the DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. This is a further reduction on the already historically low level and the first time such a reduction has been made in three consecutive Budgets.
The school to which the Deputy refers currently has a project at Stage 1 which will deliver three mainstream classrooms, two SET rooms, and two classrooms for pupils with special educational needs.
The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for further additional school accommodation, from the school authority in question. Based on the school’s enrolments on 30 September 2022, it is expected that the staffing cohort will remain at the current level. In that regard, an additional mainstream classroom is not required at this time.
Teacher Training
Ceisteanna (229)
Cathal Crowe
Ceist:229. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will consider introducing a bursary in order that registered post-primary teachers can upskill in order to teach home economics, given that a bursary scheme is currently being offered to registered teachers to teach mathematics, physics and Spanish; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5943/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In 2018, my Department established a Steering Group on Teacher Supply to facilitate multi-agency engagement and to lead on a coordinated programme of actions to support the supply of teachers. Arising from the work of this Group and its various substructures, the Teacher Supply Action Plan was published in November 2018.
The Action Plan called for the development of upskilling programmes in targeted subject areas for existing teachers and, following a request from my Department, the HEA issued a funding call to providers of initial teacher education for upskilling programmes in mathematics, physics and Spanish in late 2019. These were identified by the Steering Group as among the most challenging subjects in terms of teacher recruitment. Following the successful completion of the funding call, these programmes commenced in January 2021.
Upskilling programmes are provided over two years on a part-time basis. They are free of cost to participants. The first cohort of participants, approximately 170 teachers, completed these programmes in 2022 and more than 300 teachers are due to graduate in 2023. My Department has agreed to extend funding in 2023 and to provide for additional capacity.
Funding for these programmes was put in place following a competitive call to all initial teacher education providers for proposals. Funding is provided directly to the HEIs and not by way of a bursary scheme for participating teachers.
It is intended to commence an upskilling programme in Irish in 2023/24 and consideration will be given to programmes in other subjects. The allocation of funding for any future programmes will be dependent on a competitive process for potential providers.
Separate to the direct funding to these upskilling programmes, the Teacher Fee Refund Scheme provides funding to teachers towards the cost of participation and examination fees on successful completion of professional development courses. Funding under the scheme is being prioritised for those taking courses in particular areas, including upskilling for post primary teachers leading to registration with the Teaching Council in an additional subject. The maximum refund under the scheme is €5,000 per year and the level of refund depends on the volume of eligible applications that are received. Department Circulars 0005/2023 and 0015/2021 relate to this Scheme.
School Accommodation
Ceisteanna (230)
Emer Higgins
Ceist:230. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on a school development project (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5961/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The project to which the Deputy refers has been devolved for delivery to the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), as part of the project bundle known as "Project Lee".
A letter was issued by the Department to the school authority in 2022 to advise that the school in question had been included in the programme. The NDFA has since been in contact with the school to introduce the team, communicate arrangements and discuss the project briefs.
The next step is for the NDFA to procure a Design Team for the project bundle to progress the project through the design stages.
This appointment will be a key step in the design and construction stages. While at this early stage, it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion of the project, the NDFA will be engaging directly with the school authority to keep it informed of progress.
School Transport
Ceisteanna (231)
Michael McNamara
Ceist:231. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education if she will address a school transport matter in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5963/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €332.2m.
Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
The closing date for applications for the 2022/23 school year was Friday 29th April 2022. Late applicants are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available.
Bus Éireann have advised that there is no record of an application received on behalf of the family referred by the Deputy. An application for school transport must be submitted on Bus Éireann’s website in order for their request for transport to be considered.
School Funding
Ceisteanna (232)
Catherine Murphy
Ceist:232. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if she will provide additional resources and capitation in respect of a school in Maynooth, County Kildare in order for it to accommodate increased demand on the school for places (details supplied). [5966/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The funding arrangements made by my Department for post primary schools reflect the sectoral division of our second-level system. At the core of all arrangements is reliance upon capitation as the principal determinant of funding.
With regard to the ETB sector a financial allocation is made to each ETB to fund its schools and head office non-pay running costs. The grant is based on the overall student numbers across the ETB and its non-pay head office running costs.
ETBs are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of this grant and each is allowed to distribute its allocations in line with its priorities and identification of need.
School Funding
Ceisteanna (233)
Catherine Murphy
Ceist:233. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education her plans to provide schools in Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth with additional resources to assist with their ability to provide education for persons seeking international protection. [5967/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Special Education Teaching allocation, as outlined in Circular 0020/2022, (primary schools) and 0021/2022 (post primary schools) provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years. All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled pupils can be met from within existing allocations.
The Department also provides specific English Language support to schools with pupils newly arrived into the country that have English as an additional language.
Further language support may also be provided, through the staffing appeals process, to schools that have a high concentration of pupils enrolled who have received less than 3 years EAL support and currently have less than B1 (level 3) proficiency in English.
Staffing arrangements for the 2023/24 school year, including information on EAL supports available to schools, have been published on the Department website.
School Transport
Ceisteanna (234)
Paul Kehoe
Ceist:234. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education the status of the payment of the remote area grant for a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5984/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €332.2m.
Under the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
The purpose of school transport is to provide a reasonable level of transport service for eligible pupils to and from school. Bus Éireann, which manages school transport services on behalf of the Department, is responsible for the establishment, contracting and operation of those services. Where it is not possible to provide a reasonable level of service the Department may offer a grant towards the cost of organising a private transport arrangements.
Routes are planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible child will have more than 3.2 kilometres to travel to a pick-up point. Children are generally expected to make their own way, or to be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route. Where an eligible child has to travel further than 3.2kms to the pick up point, the Department sanction a remote are grant toward the cost of travelling to the pick up point.
Bus Éireann has advised that the family referred to by the Deputy are eligible and reside 10.1 kms from a pick up point of a school transport service. School Transport Section will liaise directly with the family in relation to a remote area grant to the pick up point from the commencement of the 2021/22 school year.
Question No. 235 answered with Question No. 183.
School Transport
Ceisteanna (236)
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:236. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education when an appeal in respect of school transport will be adjudicated upon in the case of a person (details supplied) who lodged an appeal in September 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6002/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €332.2m.
In reference to your correspondence regarding the above referenced appeal I wish to advise that decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Department of Education regarding the provision of school transport services and/or grant-aid under the terms of the School Transport Schemes may be appealed to the School Transport Appeals Board.
An appeal was lodged with the School Transport Appeals Board on 13th September 2022.
This Board is independent in the performance of it’s functions and a report has been provided by the School Transport Section of the Department of Education in accordance with the terms of the Board’s Operating Procedures. The Board will liaise directly with the appellant regarding the appeal date and their subsequent deliberations.
Education Policy
Ceisteanna (237)
Pauline Tully
Ceist:237. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education the timeframe for the completion and publication of the review of the Summer Programme 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6010/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The 2022 Summer Programme built on the expanded programmes of the previous two years. Since 2021, all primary and post-primary schools were given the opportunity to run at least one scheme under the programme.
The Department has listened carefully to feedback from stakeholders and is working to make the scheme as inclusive as possible and available to as many eligible students as possible, whilst retaining a focus on children and young people with the most complex needs. The programme that has been provided in recent years was developed following extensive engagement with education stakeholders, parents, and disability advocacy groups. For instance, in 2022, to support more schools to participate, greater flexibility was given to schools, additional supports were provided to alleviate administration burdens, and staff who took part were paid earlier than ever before. The programme has gone from strength to strength, with over 42,000 pupils benefitting from a programme either in the school-based or home-based strands.
I am however conscious that parents want this programme to be available in more schools in 2023.
My Department as part of this review are ensuring we can build on the success of recent years. There has been much engagement with the management bodies, schools, and parents with a view to encouraging more schools to participate in 2023. Department officials met with the principals of Special Schools in meetings around the country. They also met with officials from Malta on two occasions to utilise some of the learnings from their system in terms of the planning and organisation. There will be particular focus on Special Schools in 2023. Additional supports will be made available to them to run a programme, in recognition of the additional complexities involved in doing so.
An additional €20 million funding has been approved under Budget ‘23 to continue the expanded summer programme for next year, bringing the total to €40 million for 2023. This earlier announcement of funding has been secured will allow schools several extra months to plan for the programme this year.
The details of Summer Programme 2023 are due to be announced shortly. Information and guidance will be circulated to schools, and published on www.gov.ie/summerprogramme.
School Admissions
Ceisteanna (238)
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:238. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if all efforts can be made to ensure that the son of a person (details supplied) can attend school in Kilcock, County Kildare, given that is where his sibling is due to attend; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6015/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in a number of school planning areas including Kilcock 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
Until these issues are discussed with the relevant school authorities the true extent of any capacity issue will only become known.
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.
My Department recently received a further application from the school in question, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme.
Officials from my Department are assessing this application and once the assessment process has been completed the school authorities will be notified directly with a decision.
Education Policy
Ceisteanna (239)
Joe McHugh
Ceist:239. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Education is she aware of any plans to introduce Romanian to the junior cycle curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6019/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
In 2015 the Framework for Junior Cycle was published. A new specification for Modern Languages was introduced from September 2017. This involves French, German, Spanish and Italian. There is no current plan to introduce an additional subject to the Junior Cycle.
Students undertaking the Junior Cycle programme can also undertake short courses. A short course is a new curriculum component in Junior Cycle which designed for approximately 100 hours of student engagement and provides opportunities for schools to broaden the range of educational experiences they offer in Junior Cycle.
Some short courses are designed centrally by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and others by schools themselves or other bodies, using the template provided by the NCCA. Currently Junior Cycle students may study short courses which have been developed in languages such as Polish, Chinese and Irish Sign Language among others. It is therefore open to a school or other body to develop a short course in Romanian, for use in schools.
Further information on developing a short course is available on the NCCA’s website at ncca.ie/en/junior-cycle/subjects-and-short-courses/develop-your-own-short-course.
Education Policy
Ceisteanna (240)
Johnny Mythen
Ceist:240. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Education the way her Department monitors projected need for school places; the way her Department communicates and works with local schools to prepare places and school infrastructure based on these projections; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6021/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
For school planning purposes, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and utilises a Geographical Information System to anticipate school place demand. Information from a range of sources, including Child Benefit data, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity is used for this purpose.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, My Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date information on significant new residential developments in each area.
My Department additionally consults with school patron bodies in order to identify areas with pressures on enrolments.
Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools.
In addition to ongoing demographic analyses, my Department continues to liaise with Local Authorities in respect of potential longer-term requirements for educational provision across the country, through the review of the County Development Plans, preparation of Local Area Plans and other relevant statutory planning processes.
Projections of post primary school place requirements are informed by multiple factors, including primary school enrolments in the area and primary to post primary transfer patterns.
While my Department may be aware of increasing pressures and demand for additional school places in an area, it is important to note that where enrolment pressures 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 they are not available to all pupils
- External draw – pupils coming from outside the local area
My Department works to establish the true extent of any capacity issues across school planning areas through ongoing discussions with the relevant school patrons and authorities.
This close engagement will allow my Department to identify at an early stage particular capacity requirements for the forthcoming years which may necessitate further action to that already in train including, where required, the provision of modular accommodation solutions.
School Enrolments
Ceisteanna (241)
Eoin Ó Broin
Ceist:241. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education if she will provide guidance for residents of a development in an area (details supplied) with regard to applications for enrolment to schools where the development does not fall into any catchment area for enrolment purposes, and as a result, children are refused admission to schools on that basis. [6044/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
According to my Department's Geographical Information System, the address referred to is in the Lucan School Planning Area. There are 19 primary schools and 8 post-primary schools in the Lucan school planning area.
The Education Act requires that I as the Minister for Education, as a function, to plan and co-ordinate the provision of education in recognised schools and to do all such acts and things as may be necessary to further the objects of the Act. The Act also bestows on the Minister all such powers as are necessary or expedient for the purpose of performing functions.
The question of enrolment in individual schools, including the setting of catchment areas, is the responsibility of the Board of Management on behalf of the school Patron and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters.
In order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data in a way that takes account of the significant local and regional variations in demographic trends and enrolment projections, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas.
In most areas, school planning areas were based on traditional school catchment areas where all primary schools were assigned to a post-primary feeder area (typically a population centre or town), containing one or more post-primary schools.
The school planning areas were developed for use with my Department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) in 2008 and with the introduction of Small Areas in Census 2011, these areas were amended to align with Census Small Areas. The current school planning areas take account not only of local groupings of schools, but also of natural boundaries, Census Small Areas and other local conditions.
The school planning areas provide a useful means of projecting demographic demand in a localised area or areas, thereby allowing my Department to determine oncoming growth at a relatively localised level to inform recommendations and decisions on where additional school places may be needed.
However, there can be a high degree of inward and outward mobility of children between school planning areas, particularly in urban areas, and parents are free to apply to enrol their children in any school, whether that is in the school planning area in which they reside or not.
As stated above it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in the area.
Parents have the right to choose which school to apply to and where the school has places available the pupil should be admitted. However, in schools where there are more applicants than places available, a selection process may be necessary.
This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice.
Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of an Educational Training Board (ETB) school to the ETB in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school.
Further information on the Section 29 appeals process is available on my Department's website www.education.e. The Education Welfare Service (EWS) of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS can be contacted at 01-7718500.