Written Answers Nos. 895-918
895. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Education the action her Department has taken to date to resolve an ongoing dispute that is impacting on the education of a number of children at a school (details supplied), if she will intervene directly to resolve this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20140/22]
View answerThe Department is aware that the school referred to by the Deputy has experienced a number of challenges that have impacted on the smooth operation of the school. In accordance with Section 14 of the Education Act a single manager has recently been appointed to the school.
The Department has engaged with the Patron and Single Manager to work towards making progress in addressing these challenges. There will be a change of leadership at the school and plans are in place for the Single Manager to meet with parents to discuss their concerns. The Department’s Inspectorate have also conducted an inspection in the school which will assist in identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
The Department will continue to engage with the Patron and Single Manager over the final term of school year.
896. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education when a lease will be finalised in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20173/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the Chief State Solicitors Office, on behalf of my Department, has been engaging with the property owners’ legal representative on the draft lease for some time and the vast majority of the clauses in the draft lease are agreed.
My Department has also engaged directly with the property owners’ legal representative with a view to facilitating agreement on the small few outstanding terms of the draft lease.
To address the outstanding terms of the draft lease my Department arranged for a schedule of condition report on the existing building from the school’s architect. This report was received and there was subsequent engagement with the school patron on the property.
My Department is liaising with the Chief State Solicitors Office to progress the final outstanding clauses in the lease. It is expected that this matter will be finalised in the short term.
897. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an updated list of schools, primary and post-primary, operating in her Department’s school planning area of Dublin 8, Dublin 10, Ballyfermot and Dublin 12, Dolphin's Barn, in tabular form, along with the education language medium, that is, English or Irish. [20225/22]
View answerThe information requested by the Deputy can be found at the following link, in tabular format.
898. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 494 of 5 April 2022, if her Department has signed off on changes to the primary school building project; when it is expected that the assessment will be completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20285/22]
View answerThe major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2(b) which includes the application for statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents.
The Brief Change request has recently been approved by my Department with comments issued to the school and Design Team regarding some alterations to the design to address this brief change.
Due to proposals from the Local Authority to alter the road and access layouts at the school site, and the recent increase in Brief to 16 classrooms, a new Planning Application will be required.
When planning permission has been secured and work on necessary revisions to the Stage 2(b) documentation has been completed a revised Stage 2(b) report will be submitted to my Department for review.
Upon receipt and review of this revised report my Department will be in contact with the school regarding the further progression of the project.
899. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Education her position on the use of partisan terminology within the junior certificate history textbook (details supplied) such as referring to anti-treaty republicans as irregulars; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20286/22]
View answerIn general, my Department does not have a role in approving, commissioning, sponsoring or endorsing any content in any educational textbook. The current policy within my Department is not to endorse any particular product or publication, including textbooks. There are a small number of exceptions where my Department has procured textbooks or resources in order to fill a need – for example with Leaving certificate Japanese and Italian. However, as with all textbooks there is no obligation for a school to use these in their delivery of the curriculum. Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at post-primary, determined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the decisions on which textbooks to use in primary and post-primary schools are taken at school level.
The majority of textbooks are commissioned and published by educational publishers, and schools select their books from those available from a number of publishers. The Irish Educational Publishers Association (IEPA) meets with the NCCA in order to discuss the curriculum and to be made aware of any requirements in the curriculum. However the content of any individual textbook is determined by the publisher themselves, and therefore any queries regarding specific content in any particular textbook should be directed to the publisher.
The role of the school is to provide an appropriate education for all its pupils. A stable, secure learning environment is an essential requirement to achieve this goal. Schools have autonomy in choosing the resources and programmes that best support the work within their own classrooms.
900. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Education the special measures her Department is taking to reduce energy usage in the scenario in which members of the public are being asked to do the same. [20292/22]
View answerMy Department is proactively engaged in reducing energy consumption as part of Public Sector Energy Efficiency Programme with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI). A reduction of 39% in energy consumption within my Department has been achieved to the end of 2020 since the 2009 baseline.
My officials continue to take measures to reduce energy consumption under the Department’s Resource Efficiency Action Plan 2021-2022. The measures currently being taken include upgrading windows and improving insulation to prevent heat loss. Equipment upgrades and refurbished lighting reduce the energy demand.
Energy in Education is a joint programme between SEAI and my Department to assist schools to reduce energy consumption. Further measures to improve school building design are being implemented and a research programme is underway with over fifty projects at various stages. My Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications established a jointly funded pathfinder programme with the SEAI, testing and demonstrating energy efficiency. This programme helps the design and energy retrofit of school buildings.
901. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education the reason that a school (details supplied) in County Donegal has been overlooked for DEIS status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20306/22]
View answerI recently announced 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.
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. Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data will now 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 notified all schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, of the appeals process on 30th March 2022. Schools have until 5pm on Friday April 29th to submit an appeal.
902. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education when the most recent school profile data will be released to a school (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20307/22]
View answerI recently announced 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. The refined DEIS identification model uses information from the Department of Education enrolment databases and the Pobal HP Deprivation index. The refined model now takes into consideration the significant educational disadvantage experienced by Traveller and Roma learners and by students residing in direct provision or emergency homeless accommodation. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools. Further information on the refined DEIS identification model and how it is applied based on an individual school's enrolment data, is available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/a3c9e-extension-of-deis-to-further-schools/#how-schools-were-selected-for-inclusion-in-deis .
903. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the contingency plans she had in place in the event that examiners might not be able to attend oral exams for students sitting their leaving certificate exams in 2022; if she is considering bringing forward the date from 4 May 2022 to an earlier date to hold the now postponed Irish oral exam for approximate 500 students affected by this postponement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20319/22]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your question to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
904. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education if she will reverse the cuts to special education supports which have just been reduced in a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20354/22]
View answerThe 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.
The SET allocation model has been in place since 2017.The allocation model, which was recommended by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), is designed to distribute the total available number of Special Education Teachers across primary and post primary schools based on the relative need of each school, as evidenced by a number of key indicators.
- Special Education Teachers provide additional teaching support for students with special educational needs enrolled in mainstream classes in primary and post primary schools.
- The SET model is a fairer and more transparent way of allocating teaching resources to schools.
The number of teaching posts to support the SET model continues to increase. Budget 2022 provided an additional 620 new SET posts for allocation to primary and post primary schools in 2022/23. This will bring the total number of SETs in the system to 14,385.
The SET Model represented a significant shift in the way that students with SEN are supported in mainstream classes. Previously, students needing additional teaching support required a diagnosis in order to access support which caused delays in providing the support and also imposed a burden on both schools and parents. The change in policy was welcomed by both schools and parents. The Model is based on the principle that those students with the greatest need receive the most support.
The model encourages schools to support students with SEN in mainstream classes alongside their peers. In fact most students with SEN are enrolled these classes. This approach is also consistent with the EPSEN Act.
When the SET model was introduced it was designed to be updated on a regular basis so as to distribute the total available resources across the school system based on profiled need. Because the level of student need may change in a school over time, some schools will gain under this distribution, with these gains balanced by equivalent reductions in schools where the model indicates reduced need. Re-profiling is the means of ensuring that new or increasing need in schools is met by transfer/redistribution of teaching resources from other schools whose need has reduced as shown by the model.
Schools are frontloaded with resources, based on each school’s profile. The allocations to schools include provision to support all pupils in the schools, including where a child receives a diagnosis after the allocation is received by a school, or where there are newly enrolling pupils to the school.
Both the Department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) are committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which their school profiles have been calculated.
Accordingly, a number of review processes have been put in place to support schools.
A process is in place to address circumstances where the school profile significantly changed following the allocation process e.g. a developing school where the net enrolment numbers significantly increased.
The criteria for qualification for mainstream school developing school posts are set out in the Primary and Post Primary School Staffing Schedule for the 2022/23 school year.
Schools who qualify for additional mainstream developing school posts in accordance with these criteria also qualify for additional Special Education Teaching Allocations to take account of this developing status.
It is also acknowledged that there are some circumstances, which may arise in schools, which fall outside the allocations for developing school status.
These relate to exceptional or emergency circumstances which could not have been anticipated e.g. where the school profile changes very significantly, or where other exceptional circumstances have arisen in a school and which may require a review of schools capacity to provide additional teaching support for all pupils who need it in the school, or of their utilisation of their allocations.
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.
If your school wishes to make an exceptional needs review appeal they may do so at the following link: ncse.ie/for-schools
905. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education if she will confirm receipt of an application for grant aid for major capital works from a school (details supplied); if her Department has had the opportunity to consider the detail of this application particularly around the capacity of the school to comply with child protection protocols in the existing school circumstances; when her Department will be in a position to signal approval for this project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20360/22]
View answer907. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education if she will confirm receipt of an application for a general purpose and physical education hall from a school (details supplied) in County Cork; when her Department expects to be in a position to consider and adjudicate on this application; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20370/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 905 and 907 together.
I can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application, for the Additional School Accommodation Scheme (ASA), from the school in question.
The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly at post-primary level and for special education needs provision. The Deputy will appreciate that the immediate priority of my Department is providing new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place.
However, the second half of the National Development Plan period will see 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. The ancillary accommodation needs of primary schools, such as General Purpose rooms will also be considered.
Officials from my Department have advised the school in question regarding the position concerning the General Purpose room and are corresponding with the school authority regarding the other aspects of the application. Once the assessment is completed, a final decision will issue to the school authority directly.
906. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the fact that students received less than 24 hours notice about the postponement of their Irish oral examinations and that they were also informed that their oral examinations would be delayed until 4 to 10 May 2022 which is a month later than the rest of the leaving certificate cohort; if she will accede to the request to hold examinations in the week of 25 April 2022 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20362/22]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your question to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
908. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education if funding (details supplied) that has been allocated has been drawn down and spent; if there has been a follow-up or appraisal of the funding given under the various programmes or headings; if any of the allocated funding has been recouped or unspent; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20392/22]
View answerThe table below sets out payments recorded on my Department's Financial Management System as having been made to Mayo County Council in each of the years from 2017 to 2021. It should be noted that the payments made to the Council in that period were to meet costs incurred by my Department that arose in the normal course of business and included the cost of property rental, parking, fees relating to construction projects and student support payments. As these payments were in relation to costs incurred, the issue of recouping unspent allocations does not arise.
|
2017 |
€40,530.98 |
|
2018 |
€16,888.00 |
|
2019 |
€62,592.00 |
|
2020 |
€2,592.00 |
|
2021 |
€22,592.00 |
|
Total |
€145,194.98 |
909. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education if she will consider the request for a change in a school transport route for a school (details supplied). [20417/22]
View answerSchool 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 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.
910. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education if she will review the application for DEIS status for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20418/22]
View answerI recently announced 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.
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. Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data will now 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 notified all schools of the appeals process on 30th March 2022. Schools have until 5pm on Friday April 29th to submit an appeal.
911. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education if she will list all schools in County Tipperary receiving the home school community liaison scheme and the school completion programme; if each school is within the rural or urban DEIS programme; the criteria required to obtain the full supports available within the urban DEIS programme; the criteria required to obtain the supports of the home school community liaison scheme and the school completion programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20421/22]
View answerAccess to the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Scheme and the School Completion Programme (SCP) is available to DEIS Post Primary, DEIS Urban Band 1 primary and DEIS Urban Band 2 primary schools.
The categorisation of DEIS primary schools between urban and rural is undertaken using the CSO boundary data classification of ‘Settlements’. Urban settlements are towns with a population of 1,500 or more, while settlements with a population of less than 1,500 are classified as rural. This CSO classification also takes into account growth in population and the expansion of urban areas over time, and is considered the most appropriate method of categorising schools as between urban and rural. Schools located in urban settlements are categorised as urban.
The impact of socio-economic factors on educational outcomes can be different between urban and rural settings and the HSCL scheme and SCP takes account of that. While urban and rural disadvantage share many characteristics, such as poverty, unemployment and poor housing conditions, the evidence suggests that disadvantage in a rural context does not have the same impact on educational performance.
My Department's objective in implementing the DEIS Plan is to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of disadvantage. To achieve this, additional resources must be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest need in terms of concentrated levels of disadvantage.
Details of all the schools currently in the DEIS programme, including their DEIS band and county are available at www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/4018ea-deis-delivering-equality-of-opportunity-in-schools/#deis-schools-2021-2022
Details of the additional schools who will be included in the DEIS programme from September 2022, including their DEIS band and county are available at www.gov.ie/en/publication/7938e-list-of-schools-into-deis/
Details of all DEIS Supports are available at www.gov.ie/en/policy-information/4018ea-deis-delivering-equality-of-opportunity-in-schools/#supports-to-deis-school
912. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education if school websites are defined as public sector websites; if so, if they should therefore have a web accessibility statement published on their websites; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20447/22]
View answerUnder S.I. No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020 (including W3C WCAG 2.1 Standards,, all public sector bodies in Ireland including schools are required to make their websites and mobile applications (apps) accessible and have a clear Accessibility Statement on their website. The National Disabilities Authority has responsibility for providing guidance and overseeing compliance on this regulation.
My Department will work with National Disability Authority as required to ensure appropriate guidance is in place for schools to assist them in the implementation of and compliance with this regulation.
Decisions regarding the deployment of and the use of digital technologies are a matter for the management of schools as they are best placed to determine this according to their own situation and requirements.
Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998 the board of management of a school is responsible for the direct governance of a school.
Certain school policies that schools must have in place and published on the schools website include the schools Admission Policy, Child Safeguarding Statement, Code of Behaviour, Anti-Bullying Policy, and Health and Safety Statement.
913. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education if she will review the DEIS status of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20448/22]
View answerI recently announced 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.
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. Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data will now 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 notified all schools of the appeals process on 30th March 2022. Schools have until 5pm on Friday April 29th to submit an appeal.
914. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the steps that are being taken to resolve the issue of school secretaries and caretakers being forced to sign for social welfare payments during school holidays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20485/22]
View answerSchool secretaries are valued members of our school communities and my Department is fully aware of the vitally important role played by them in the running of our schools.
On the 24th February, following a series of engagements at the WRC, a package to settle a claim on terms and conditions for grant-funded school secretaries was proposed, which Fórsa agreed to recommend to its members. A ballot was undertaken and the result was 95% agreement in favour of the deal. I am very pleased to hear of this overwhelmingly positive result on what has been a long running issue, the resolution of which has been a priority for me since my appointment.
It is important to recognise that the majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools receive assistance to provide for these staff under grant schemes, and that where a school employs a staff member to support those functions those staff are employees of individual schools and responsibility for terms of employment rests with the school. On that basis, there has been extensive engagement between my Department and school management bodies to work towards a resolution. I would also like to acknowledge the willingness of Fórsa and in particular the school secretary representatives for their constructive engagement in this process, and to recognise the support of Minister McGrath and his officials in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform at all stages of the negotiations.
The main elements of the package offered include, in recognition of the invaluable work carried out by school secretaries, moving their pay rates to a scale which is aligned with the Clerical Officer Grade III pay scale on a pro rata basis according to a secretary’s current working pattern. This process will provide for pay increases (backdated to 1 September 2021) to school secretaries who choose to move to the new terms. It also provides for lower-paid but longer serving secretaries to be placed higher up the salary scale. Secretaries may also choose to receive additional pay to ensure they no longer need to apply to the Department of Social Protection for payment of benefits for periods when they are not working due to school holidays. The final element of the package will introduce standardised arrangements in respect of annual leave, maternity benefit and sick pay.
The work to implement this agreement will include a complex process of assimilating each individual secretary to the new terms and conditions which will vary depending on individual circumstances. The Department will expedite this process and will communicate further as the work progresses.
This offer relates only to school secretaries at present, while there is agreement in principle to take the same approach to the consideration of appropriate pay and conditions of grant funded caretakers there remains a deficit of data on working terms and conditions of such staff. Once the implementation plan for secretaries has been put in place, intensive engagement will begin on regularising the pay and conditions of grant funded caretakers.
915. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given to an application by a school (details supplied) for additional accommodation due to the increased places within the school having moved from a single sex school to a coeducational school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20508/22]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has recently received an application for additional school accommodation (ASA) from the school authority in question.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation 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 a new SEN class has been sanctioned by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
Officials in my Department are engaging with the school authority regarding this application When the assessment process has been finalised, the school authorities will be notified directly.
916. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Education the position regarding the publication of the second National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development to 2030, to replace the previous strategy which ran to 2020 and following the close of the public consultation on the new strategy in June 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20509/22]
View answerI can advise the Deputy that my Department, together with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, are currently finalising the 2nd National Strategy for Education for Sustainable Development – ESD to 2030.
ESD to 2030 has been informed by a detailed public consultation process and by further detailed engagement with key stakeholders including a range of Government Departments, organisations and NGOs. The strategy has been aligned to UNESCO’s framework for ESD for 2030 which sets out the five key priority areas: Policy Alignment, Transforming Learning Environments, Capacity Building for Educators, Empowering and Mobilising Youth and Community Engagement.
ESD aims to ensure that “by 2030, all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including among others through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development”. (SDG 4.7)
ESD has three strands: Environmental, Political and Social and is both a target in itself under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4.7) and also acknowledged as a key enabler for achievement of all 17 SDGs.
Under the first National Strategy for ESD 2014 – 2020, significant progress was made including:
- integrating ESD themes and principles across the curriculum at all levels
- integrating ESD into the assessment and inspection processes
- integrating ESD into Initial Teacher Education and Continuing Professional Development programmes for teachers
- Aligning ESD to the System Performance Framework for Higher Education
- Integrating ESD into calls for Research where relevant
ESD to 2030 will build on this good work. It will aim to extend ESD beyond the classroom into non-formal and informal education settings, it will aim to empower learners to take action individually and in their communities for sustainable development, it will map ESD related CPD, programmes and resources to identify and address any gaps in order to further support the teaching and learning of ESD, it will work with a wider range of Departments, organisations and NGOs to ensure policy alignment and to develop tools to capture, monitor and report on progress. ESD to 2030 will also seek to increase opportunities for learners to develop skills by taking action e.g. through project work at individual and community level.
I expect that ESD to 2030 and its accompanying implementation plan 2022 - 2025 will be published in Q2 2022.
917. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education her recruitment plans for secondary schools that are faced with losing metalwork and engineering teachers due to a shortage of trained teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20516/22]
View answerThe recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).
In accordance with Department Circulars 0044/2019 and 31/2011, schools are required to employ appropriately qualified and registered teachers and ensure that unemployed teachers should be offered employment in preference to those who have retired.
Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on my Department's website. Teachers are currently allocated to post primary schools at a ratio of 19:1 in the free education system and 23:1 to schools in the fee charging sector.
In March 2018, the Teacher Supply Steering Group was established. The Steering Group is leading on the identification of issues, the development of a programme of actions on teacher supply and overseeing its implementation. It is supported by an Implementation Group and a number of working groups which are considering specific areas of policy.
The Teacher Supply Action Plan, published in November 2018, includes a range of actions under four policy headings: data/research to support teacher supply planning; higher education; policies and arrangements impacting on teacher supply; and communications / promotion of the teaching profession.
A number of measures have been put in place to increase the supply of teachers at post-primary level, particularly in subjects where difficulties in recruitment have been reported.
In the 2019/20 school year, my department introduced the ‘Scheme to Share Teachers between Recognised Post-Primary Schools’ to facilitate an arrangement whereby two schools can share a teacher to teach subjects in both schools. The objectives of the Scheme are to assist schools in filling vacancies in high priority subjects and to enhance teaching hours for teachers in employment on less than full hours. Circular 0015/2019 refers.
Our education partners have also put in place a number of measures which are aimed at matching teachers with teaching vacancies. Turasabhaile, a service developed by the post-primary school management bodies and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, matches registered teachers, resident abroad with post-primary vacancies in schools in Ireland.
The Irish Primary Principals’ Network is also developing a new central portal for the recruitment of teachers to long-term positions in both primary and post-primary schools. It is anticipated that this portal will be available to schools and teachers in the coming period.
The various measures to support teacher supply are underpinned by the Teaching Transforms campaign, which promotes the teaching profession and encourages students to follow a career in teaching. The campaign uses digital, radio and video media, and is supported by a dedicated webpage, www.gov.ie/teachingtransforms.
My Department will continue, with the cooperation of the education partners, to develop and implement measures to address challenges faced by schools and to support the supply of teachers to our schools.
918. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education if a person who is a qualified maths and science teacher and holds a four-year degree from Dublin Institute of Technology, Bolton Street in structural engineering can work as a metalwork and engineering teacher in a secondary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20517/22]
View answerUnder the Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015 the Teaching Council is the body with the statutory authority and responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession in Ireland including the registration of teachers in the State. It acts in the interests of the public good while upholding and enhancing standards in the teaching profession.
The Teaching Council registers teachers in line with the requirements set out in the Teaching Council Act 2001-2015 and the Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016. It is a requirement under Section 30 of the Act for teachers to be registered with the Teaching Council in order to receive payment from State funds.
The registration process is underpinned by both EU and Irish legislation in the form of the Professional Qualifications Directive (EU Directive 2005/36/EC, as amended); EU (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations (SI 8 of 2017); Teaching Council Acts 2001-2015, the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012; and Teaching Council (Registration) Regulations 2016.
In the case of teachers applying for registration as a post-primary teacher, the Teaching Council Curricular Subject Requirements (Post-Primary), 2017 also apply.
A person who applies to be entered on the register as a post-primary teacher (Route 2) shall satisfy the Council that he or she has obtained one of the following:
1. A concurrent degree teacher education which includes the study of one or more of the curricular subject disciplines that is accredited by the Council for the purposes of post-primary teaching
or
2. A post-graduate qualification in teacher education which is accredited by the Council for the purposes of post-primary teaching and is commenced following the award of an undergraduate degree at Level 8 or higher which satisfies the requirements for at least one curricular subject as outlined in the Teaching Council Curricular Subject Requirements (Post-Primary), 2017 .
The Teaching Council registers teachers on the basis of Senior Cycle subjects in the first instance. An applicant who meets the registration criteria for Engineering will also be deemed to have acquired the competency to teach the Junior Cycle curricular subject of Metalwork.
The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).
In accordance with 1.1 of Department Circular 0031/2011, schools should ensure that people appointed to teach are registered teachers with qualifications appropriate to the sector and suitable to the post for which they are employed.
