Written Answers Nos. 668-680
668. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the current status of the additional ASD classroom project for a school in County Tipperary (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1654/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe project to which the Deputy refers, was approved a project under my Department’s Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA) scheme for the provision of a 2 classroom SEN Base and central activity room.
A Stage 2b report was received in Quarter 4 of 2023, and is currently under review by officials in my Department. Once this review is complete, the school authority will be contacted and advised on how to progress the project to the next stage.
669. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Education the reason an education company (details supplied) has not yet received payment from her Department for a summer programme scheme which it supplied in Summer 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1656/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraDetails of the 2023 Summer Programme were announced by the Department in February 2023. All schools were given an opportunity to run a programme for those children that needed it the most.
The main priority in 2023 had been that those children with the most complex special educational needs, especially in special schools, should have access to a school-based summer programme. The preferred approach is that the Summer Programme is provided for children in school settings where children may have access to fully qualified teachers, adapted fun based activity programmes, special needs assistants and interaction with student peers. The school-based programmes also provide a more holistic experience for students and helps to retain the important connection with school and peers. However, the Department does recognise that not all schools would have been in a position to provide a school-based programme. In such instances, a home-based Programme was available for students with complex special educational needs where the school-based programme is unavailable.
Under the home-based programme, grant funding is made available so that parents/legal guardians can engage the services of a Teacher or an SNA to provide tuition or care support as appropriate in the child’s home.
The Department also approves a group arrangement between parents/legal guardians and private providers subject to compliance with the published terms and conditions for group arrangements and approved in advance by this Department. Such arrangements must be sourced and procured by parents/legal guardians.
In the case of the education company referred to by the Deputy, I can confirm that this company did partake in the 2023 Summer Programme as a private group provider and that payment has now been made in respect of the 2023 Summer Programme to them. Lastly, please be assured that the Department will endeavour to minimise the delay in paying these providers for this very important service going forward.
670. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 321 of 27 June 2023, to provide an update on her Department’s engagement with Dublin City Council and Glenveigh in relation to a new school and land swap for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1657/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, officials in my Department continue to liaise with officials in Dublin City Council on an ongoing basis in relation to the land swap for Gaelscoil Cholmcille.
Department officials also provide the patron body with regular updates.
Due to commercial sensitivities relating to site acquisitions generally I am not in a position to provide further details at this time.
671. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education the full cost of issuing physical payslips to teachers and other staff by her Department in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1658/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Education provides a payroll service to over 133,000 school staff in primary, secondary, community and comprehensive schools.
In 2023, the Department issued some 3.35 million pay slips to school staff and the postage cost was €2.99m.
Between April and May 2023, the Department offered an "opt in" service via the Digital Postbox from which time school staff could choose to receive their payslip electronically. There are currently 27,500 school staff who receive their payslip electronically and who no longer receive their payslip via physical post.
Since the introduction of the new digital payslip service in 2023 there has been a positive response to its adoption and the take up by school staff has been progressing steadily since the launch of the service.
With the continuing on boarding of new school staff, the expectation is that there will be a further increase in take up levels and that this will continue in future as new payees are on boarded.
It is therefore expected, that as more payees opt to receive digital payslip services, that the overall annual costs for posting payslips will decrease in future years.
672. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education if she can advise regarding a payment (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1661/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraNeither my Department nor the State Examinations Commission has any role in relation to the mock examinations. Decisions relating to mock examinations are a matter for individual schools.
673. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education to advise when a decision will be made on an application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1669/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe application referred to by the Deputy, has been received and is currently under review by my Department.
The review is expected to be completed shortly and Department officials will notify school authorities directly on the outcome and the next steps to progress this project.
674. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education if she has plans to fund applications received for ICT support where said applications met the criteria outlined by her Department, given these schools lost out on the lottery basis on which schools were awarded, which was not outlined at the time of applications; if she is aware of the frustration caused by the way in which this funding was allocated; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1670/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grant scheme was an action in the new STEM Education Implementation Plan published in 2023. The grant was to support schools in carrying out projects to stimulate an increased interest in STEM and included an application process as with other STEM initiatives in the past such as the STEM clusters project.
When the grant scheme was announced the Department indicated that it had funding of €1.5m available. There was a phenomenal demand from schools with around 3,000 applications received. Every application received by the deadline of 5pm on the 30th November was read and processed, leaving 2,727 schools with an ask amounting of over €25m.
Given the very high number of valid applications and the budget available for the scheme, a decision was made by the Department to run a lottery, where a random number generator was used to pick out schools based on their line on the spreadsheet. The application for each school was then assessed on a case by case basis with the applications read again by the evaluation team, to ensure they met the requirements as set out in the grant call. Any school deemed not to have met the requirements was removed. The procedure was then repeated until all the budget available was allocated.
My Department is front loading the grant scheme in 2023/2024 school year and it is hoped that a further round of funding can be run this year. This means that eligible schools that were not successful this time may receive funding in the future.
I am aware of the time and effort that was put in by schools the application process and the frustration felt by the schools however there was limited money available to my Department. The Department will be in contact with schools in relation to any future funding that becomes available.
675. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education if a school (details supplied) can be included in the DEIS scheme owing to the extra demand on school resources arising from accommodating Temporary Protection Directive holders. [1702/24]
Amharc ar fhreagra678. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education if a school (details supplied) can be included in the DEIS scheme owing to the extra demand on school resources arising from accommodating Temporary Protection Directive holders. [1768/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 675 and 678 together.
My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential.
Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.
In March 2022, I announced the single largest expansion of the DEIS programme. This benefited 361 schools. The programme now includes in the region of 1,200 schools and supports approximately 240,000 students. 1 in 4 students and 30% of schools are now supported in the programme.
This expansion added an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the overall Department of Education allocation for the programme to €180million.
Schools that were identified for inclusion in the programme were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified 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 was applied fairly and equally to all schools.
The DEIS Identification process is based on the principle of concentrated disadvantage and the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The DEIS identification model aimed to identify those schools with the highest levels of disadvantage or the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school using the school’s enrolment data and national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index which is publicly available.
The extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one component of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, I also recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Since June 2020, and over the past four budgets, I have secured funding to provide measures to support children in this regard.
My Department recognises the need to target resources to those schools who need them most and the next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to all schools to tackle educational disadvantage.
The DEIS Plan is based on the premise that in order to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of educational disadvantage, then extra resources need to be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest level of need. This will involve further development of the existing DEIS programme, to create a more dynamic resource allocation model where levels of resources more accurately follow the levels of need identified by objective data.
To support this work my Department has invited the OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies Project to review the current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage in Ireland, this is currently ongoing and the OECD team estimate that the review will be complete in Q2 of 2024. This review will provide an independent expert opinion on the current resource allocation model for the DEIS programme and, drawing on international examples, inform a policy approach for an equitable distribution of supplementary resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage attending all schools, both DEIS and non-DEIS.
In addition to this, following the National Census conducted in April 2022, an updated HP Deprivation index has now been generated by Pobal. My Department is engaging with Pobal regarding this development and this along with other data will be thoroughly reviewed to inform future resource allocation aimed at tackling educational disadvantage.
It is important to acknowledge the mainstream supports available to all schools, particularly those experiencing rapid increases in enrolment. These supports ensure that schools can adapt and respond effectively to changing student populations, maintaining educational quality and inclusivity.
The 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.
The staffing arrangements include a provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts, using projected enrolment. These posts are approved provisionally pending confirmation of enrolment on 30th September.
Meeting the educational needs of children and young people arriving from Ukraine and other countries is a priority for the Government, and my Department is determined to support the efforts of school communities across the country who have shown huge commitment and generosity.
The Regional Education and Language Teams (REALTs) were established by my Department in 2022 to support the needs of children arriving in Ireland from Ukraine. As of the 9th January 2024, 18,018 pupils from Ukraine were formally enrolled in schools across the country.
The primary role of the REALT is to assist children in finding school places and to support schools in the area to meet the needs of these children as they emerge, to advise and support my Department in developing new capacity where required, and to coordinate the provision of education services to children and families across their defined area.
The remit of REALTs was extended in November 2022 and includes support for both non-Ukrainian arrivals in the International Protection system and children under the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP). This ensures a comprehensive approach to supporting all children in our education system.
The Special Education Teaching allocation 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.
In 2022 my Department also introduced the New Entrant Allocation Scheme (NEAS). This comprises supplementary teaching hours based on the number of children and young people with EAL arriving in Ireland from other countries. My department also provided for additional temporary special education supports for schools enrolling children from Ukraine and International Protection students. The allocation of these supports is based on school enrolments and is adjusted approximately every six weeks to take account of changes in enrolments.
676. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education if she accepts that the STEM funding for schools was not allocated according to published specific criteria, and that the use of a lottery system was disrespectful to schools that made a serious application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1736/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grant scheme was an action in the new STEM Education Implementation Plan published in 2023. The grant was to support schools in carrying out projects to stimulate an increased interest in STEM and included an application process as with other STEM initiatives in the past such as the STEM clusters project.
When the grant scheme was announced the Department indicated that it had funding of €1.5m available. There was a phenomenal demand from schools with around 3,000 applications received. Every application received by the deadline of 5pm on the 30th November was read and processed, leaving 2,727 schools with an ask amounting of over €25m.
Given the very high number of valid applications and the budget available for the scheme, a decision was made by the Department to run a lottery, where a random number generator was used to pick out schools based on their line on the spreadsheet. The application for each school was then assessed on a case by case basis with the applications read again by the evaluation team, to ensure they met the requirements as set out in the grant call. Any school deemed not to have met the requirements was removed. The procedure was then repeated until all the budget available was allocated.
My Department is front loading the grant scheme in 2023/2024 school year and it is hoped that a further round of funding can be run this year. This means that eligible schools that were not successful this time may receive funding in the future.
I am aware of the time and effort that was put in by schools the application process and the frustration felt by the schools however there was limited money available to my Department. The Department will be in contact with schools in relation to any future funding that becomes available.
677. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if she has considered providing better pay and conditions for bus escort employees of special education schools to include remuneration during school holidays, as they provide a vital service, otherwise this service will be lost due to their present conditions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1737/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.
There is a facility within the Special Educational Needs Transport Scheme for the appointment of a School Transport Escort, where a child’s care and safety needs while on school transport are such as to require the support of a School Transport Escort.
Under the Education Act 1998, the Principal/Board of Management (“School Management Authority”) is responsible for the operation of the school and is the employer of the School Transport Escort and therefore responsible for all employment matters relating to their School Transport Escort. The Department of Education provides grant funding for the employment of the School Transport Escort and sets the rate of pay.
Building Momentum – a new public service agreement, 2021-2022 was agreed between Government and Unions in 2020 and was extended last year to run until 31 December this year. The agreement provides for a number of pay increases over the period of the agreement. This agreement only applies to public servants, subject to compliance with sectoral action plans and industrial peace provisions of the agreement. The increase does not automatically apply beyond public servants and therefore grant funded school staff such as bus escorts employed directly by schools are not comprehended by the agreement.
The School Transport Section in the Department review the rate of pay for school bus escorts, and they will continue to keep the rates under review.
679. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Education if there have been changes to the Irish curriculum for senior cycle students of Irish (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1803/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe sraitheanna pictiúr, or picture sequences, are a component of the common Irish Oral test for Higher Level and Ordinary Level candidates, with the Oral test accounting for 40% of the overall marks for Leaving Certificate Irish.
In response to issues highlighted in National Council Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) research in relation to the conversational elements of the Oral Irish Leaving Certificate examination, the State Examinations Commission introduced adjustments to the structure of the Common Oral examination for the 2020 examinations and thereafter. These aim to create greater opportunity for candidate-examiner interaction and so give the candidate scope to display their competence while keeping a balance between the different parts of the oral exam.
The Oral examinations did not take place in 2020 as a result of the pandemic. Since then there have been adjustments to assessment arrangements for the State examinations, in light of the pandemic’s impact on teaching and learning. In regard to Leaving Certificate Irish, these adjustments include a reduction in the number of sraitheanna pictiúr that each candidate must prepare from 20 to 10. On 16 May, I announced that these adjustments would apply again in 2024.
The changes have been made with due regard for the principles of equity, fairness and integrity, in relation to student-to-student, subject-to-subject, and year-to-year comparisons.
A decision has not yet been made in relation to any assessment adjustments for 2025. The details of any assessment adjustments which may apply to the 2025 examinations will be communicated to schools once a decision is made, and schools will be asked to ensure that all students are made aware of these changes.
680. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education the reason STEM grants were allocated on a lottery basis; the reason no preference was given towards DEIS schools over fee paying schools; the reason the grant application process was not advertised in advance nor noted that schools would be competing or operating under a lottery system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1877/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grant scheme was an action in the new STEM Education Implementation Plan published in 2023. The grant was to support schools in carrying out projects to stimulate an increased interest in STEM and included an application process as with other STEM initiatives in the past such as the STEM clusters project.
When the grant scheme was announced the Department indicated that it had funding of €1.5m available. There was a phenomenal demand from schools with around 3,000 applications received. Every application received by the deadline of 5pm on the 30th November was read and processed, leaving 2,727 schools with an ask amounting of over €25m.
Given the very high number of valid applications and the budget available for the scheme, a decision was made by the Department to run a lottery, where a random number generator was used to pick out schools based on their line on the spreadsheet. The application for each school was then assessed on a case by case basis with the applications read again by the evaluation team, to ensure they met the requirements as set out in the grant call. Any school deemed not to have met the requirements was removed. The procedure was then repeated until all the budget available was allocated. In total there were 530 schools that were awarded grants and of those 146 were DEIS schools.
My Department is front loading the grant scheme in 2023/2024 school year and it is hoped that a further round of funding can be run this year. This means that eligible schools that were not successful this time may receive funding in the future.
I am aware of the time and effort that was put in by schools the application process and the frustration felt by the schools however there was limited money available to my Department. The Department will be in contact with schools in relation to any future funding that becomes available.
