Written Answers Nos. 33-45
33. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education the up-to-date plans for the school inclusion model; the timeline for this plan; if costs have been determined for this plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44957/24]
View answerIn June 2024 I announced the establishment of the Educational Therapy Support Service (ETSS), which will see the appointment, on a permanent basis, of 39 occupational and speech and language therapists. The cost of the expansion has been provided for in the NCSE budget and on this basis, the NCSE are fully funded to facilitate the recruitment of the additional therapists required from existing resources. Terms and conditions are being finalised and it is anticipated that recruitment for the remaining therapists will commence shortly.
The expansion of therapy services within the NCSE is expected to build on the achievements and impact of the in-school therapy supports services in the School Inclusion Model (SIM) pilot. SIM provided speech and language and occupational therapists the opportunity to systematically build the capacity of school communities to meet student’s needs.
The overarching purpose of the Educational Therapy Support Service will be to improve learning outcomes for students, ensure teachers are better equipped to support all students and ensure that the right resource is available to meet the needs of individual children to support better educational outcomes.
The Educational Therapy Support Service provides two strands of support: sustained in-school therapy for a period of 24 months, in line with the SIM model and regional therapy support. Regional therapy support includes teacher professional learning seminars with follow-up in-school implementation support and the design and development of therapy resources with education colleagues.
Since the establishment of the Education Therapy Support Service, the NCSE have invited all schools in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow to apply for two years of sustained in-school therapy support, where they would have a Speech and Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist working with their school for two academic years.
A robust prioritisation process ensued and initially 22 schools have been prioritised for NCSE sustained in-school support for 2024-2026. The number of schools being supported under this model is expected to grow in line with recruitment.
Furthermore, regional therapy support has been advertised to all schools in the Dublin Kildare and Wicklow region. The first seminars and in-school support for teachers began in October 2024.
Limerick has been identified as the most suitable hub for the Western region and it is anticipated that schools in Limerick and Tipperary will be invited to apply for sustained in-school support in early 2025, subject to the recruitment of appropriate personnel by the NCSE.
It is envisaged that teacher professional learning seminars for both Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy, with follow up in-school support, will be available nationally for 2025/2026.
34. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education the reason schools are not receiving funding to open special classes where there is demand for same and a recommendation by a local SENO; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44917/24]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, almost 1,700 classes have been opened in the last 5 years and 11 new special schools have also been established and many more expanded. For this school year alone over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned bringing the total number of special classes nationwide to 3,337. 48 of these classes are in County Roscommon, 7 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 6 at primary level and 1 at post-primary level.
Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places for the 2025/2026 school year.
I think that by any measure, given the continued acceleration of special education provision, it is not fair to say that schools are not receiving funding to open special classes. I would like to assure the Deputy that this is not the case.
In relation to the forward planning of special classes, my Department considers it prudent to maximise the use of existing accommodation in schools, within geographic areas, when looking to establish a special class in the first instance. This consideration is prior to the establishment of any additional special class that may require additional accommodation e.g., modular accommodation.
If there is no available accommodation, particularly at post-primary level and special school level, my department will continue to provide additional classroom accommodation to provide necessary places. At primary level, as enrolments are estimated to drop considerably over the next few years it is expected that some schools will have available accommodation that can be repurposed as a special class.
The refurbishment of an available classroom can ensure that a new special class is available quickly and it can help a school to retain an experienced teacher if general enrolments are falling.
This overall approach is consistent with the department’s commitment to supporting the educational needs of children who require specialist placements while at the same time meeting the requirements of the government’s infrastructure guidelines.
The NCSE has recruited additional special education needs organisers (SENOs), advisors and team managers. There is now a SENO dedicated solely to County Roscommon. SENOs are currently visiting schools to conduct planning meetings. These visits will be key in terms of forward planning for the 2025/26 school year. The NCSE is specifically targeting medium and larger primary schools who don’t yet have a special class to open a new special class,
My department and the NCSE are engaging with schools and school management bodies in relation to the provision of future special classes and are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for the next school year and future years.
The NCSE actively encourages expressions of interest from schools to open special classes, and I appreciate and commend the efforts taken by boards of management in expressing their interest.
I would ask any school that is interested in opening a new special class to continue to engage at local level with the NCSE in the first instance.
35. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education her plans to fill the almost 1,000 vacant teaching posts across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44992/24]
View answer43. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education the steps she is taking to address staff vacancies in schools. [44934/24]
View answer47. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education the action she will take to address teacher vacancies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44962/24]
View answer510. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the extent to which she expects to be in a position to address issues of teacher shortages at all primary and-or second levels schools throughout the country, with particular reference to the need for locums; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45234/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 35, 43, 47 and 510 together.
Ensuring that every child's experience in school is positive and that they have qualified, engaged teachers available to support them in their learning is a priority area of action for the Government.
The recruitment and appointment of teachers for teaching positions is managed by individual school authorities. There are over 3,700 individual school authorities, responsible for this process, including boards of management at primary and post-primary schools, as well as Education and Training Boards (ETBs).
As of March 2024, a record 78,646 teachers are employed. There are less than 1% resignations in the Primary sector every year and 1.6% in Post Primary. The number of teachers who retired over the past number of years has varied, with 932 in 2013 and 1,074 in 2023.
While most teaching positions are filled, some schools face significant recruitment challenges. To address teacher supply issues, the Department has implemented several measures that have led to:
• an increase of 20% in Initial Teacher Education graduates (student teachers) between 2018 and 2023, and a 30% increase in the number registered with the Teaching Council since 2017, and
• a 16.7% increase in the number of teaching posts allocated to post-primary, and an increase of 13.3% allocated to primary between 2017/18 and 2023/24.
Recent Budget measures introduced reflect this Government’s commitment to ongoing investment in the education system to address teacher supply issues. Key initiatives include:
• Budget 2025 included a bursary for student teachers to increase the number of qualified STEM (including science, maths, chemistry, physics, engineering) teachers in post-primary schools. The bursary, a €2k payment each year for the final two years of their undergraduate initial teacher education programme, is contingent on a commitment to complete a minimum 2 years post-qualification teaching service in a recognised post primary school.
• Budget 2024 also included the expansion of upskilling programmes, free to teachers, aimed at increasing the number of qualified teachers in high-demand subjects and reducing out-of-field teaching. New programmes in Irish, French, politics & society, and computer science will complement existing programmes in maths, physics, and Spanish. Trinity College Dublin will deliver the new Irish upskilling programme for post-primary.
• Budget 2025 continued funding for free upskilling courses for teachers in high-demand subject areas (Irish, French, Spanish, maths, computer science, physics, politics & society).
• Budget 2024 introduced a €2,000 bursary-style fee refund for teachers graduating with a Professional Master of Education (PME) in 2024. This payment, to be made in 2025, aims to encourage newly qualified primary and post-primary teachers to take up teaching roles. A circular issued in September from my department setting out the eligibility criteria.
In addition to these recently introduced measures, as Minister I have developed further initiatives to address teacher supply challenges, including:
• newly qualified teachers (NQTs) employed in primary schools can complete the Droichead process while employed on a Supply Panel or Principal Release Time Post. For the 2024/25 school year, 591 substitute teacher supply posts have been allocated to 167 panels, covering 2,900 schools.
• over 3,700 student teachers were registered under Route 5 with the Teaching Council to substitute in June 2024, up from 2,700 that were registered in the previous school year. Continuing these flexibilities allows student teachers to support schools during their placements or as substitutes.
• increasing the pool of teachers available to undertake substitute work, through the continued suspension of the usual limits on career break and job-sharing schemes and the continuation of the teaching hours’ extension scheme in post-primary schools to 2024/25 school year.
• encouraging retired teachers to work as substitute teachers; in the 2023/24 school year, over 1,700 retired teachers provided substitute cover, an increase of 12% on the previous year.
• the Teaching Transforms campaign continues to promote the teaching profession and encourage students to follow a career in teaching. Promotion campaigns have been developed to coincide with the CAO closing date and change of mind deadline in recent years.
Teaching is an attractive career choice, with 3,700 newly qualified teachers registered with the Teaching Council in 2024 and over 123,000 now on the register. Analysis of CAO applications spanning from 2017 to 2024 indicates a sustained and robust demand for undergraduate teaching programmes. On average, 6% of first preference applications during the period from 2017 to 2024 were for either primary or post-primary teaching programmes. The new pay deal will mean that teachers’ starting salary will increase to €46,000 rising to a maximum of €85,000 per year which compares well internationally.
The Department frequently consults stakeholders on issues such as teacher supply through industrial relations forums, sectoral meetings, and direct discussions with teacher unions. Additionally, a project, supported by UNESCO and the EU Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support, began recently, focusing on strategic workforce planning for teachers in Ireland.
36. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education the latest data available to her on literacy and numeracy performance across schools; if she will indicate how great is the deviation between highest performing and lowest performing schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44991/24]
View answerSince 2012 primary schools have been administering standardised testing on an annual basis to all pupils in 2nd, 4th and 6th classes.
The data requested is not available as the results of standardised tests are confidential to each individual school and therefore are not published. Primary principals and teachers have access to their own school results and are reported to their Boards of Management and the individual pupil’s results are communicated to their parents/guardians. The aggregated results of the tests must be reported to my Department.
The Department does not publish or make available any data from standardised tests including that for individual schools or national averages. It is very important that the Department does not provide data that could enable the compilation of league tables.
The results of standardised testing can help schools to evaluate progress in literacy and numeracy, help to pinpoint areas for improvement and support teachers in ensuring that literacy and numeracy learning experiences meet pupils’ needs. The results of any one standardised test should not be used in isolation, nor used as baseline data for predicting future achievements, nor for solely informing decisions regarding the provision of interventions or targets within learning plans for pupils. Information from ability tests, teacher observations, parental reports, as well as the views of the pupils are also very important aspects of a thorough assessment.
In this Department, the aggregate data is used as part of a range of tools to create a profile of schools' learning support needs when allocating special education teaching resources.
Internationally, Ireland retains its place amongst a subset of high performing countries in literacy, numeracy and science, this is shown in the most recent results from tests such as PISA 2022, PIRLS 2021 and TIMSS 2019, published by the Educational Research Centre.
Since the inception of the DEIS programme, considerable progress has been made in terms of narrowing the achievement gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools in literacy and numeracy. Recent international and national large-scale assessments such as PIRLS, PISA and NAMER have shown that, despite the impact of COVID-19, there was little evidence of a decline in average reading or mathematics scores DEIS schools. These findings are to be welcomed in the context of international evidence of learning loss and the particular impact of COVID-19 on pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
However, while there has been a narrowing of the gap, my Department recognises that more needs to be done. My department is committed to supporting literacy and numeracy in our schools. Ireland’s Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Literacy Strategy 2024-2033: Every Learner from Birth to Young Adulthood' and five-year implementation plan were published on 15th May 2024. This strategy builds on the achievements and ambition of the 2011 Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. The strategy sets out a clear vision and a comprehensive approach to supporting all children and young adults in developing essential literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy skills, knowledge, and dispositions, including successfully navigating an ever-evolving digital world. The five-year implementation plan has over 100 actions set out under overarching 22 objectives. This serves as the blueprint that transforms the strategy into actionable steps.
37. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that no artificial cap is placed on the number of students who can attend an ASD unit within a school (details supplied). [44995/24]
View answer386. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 607 of 9 September 2024, the reason for the reduction in availability of places within the autism unit in a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44183/24]
View answer387. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 607 of 9 September 2024, if she will report on her engagements regarding the number of places available within the autism unit in a school (details supplied); if her Department or the NCSE has placed a cap on the number of children that can be accommodated in the unit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44184/24]
View answer388. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 607 of 9 September 2024, if she will outline the reason a school (details supplied) has had an artificial cap placed on the number of spaces within its autism unit; if she is aware that teaching posts have been cut arising from the artificial cap placed on the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44185/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 386 to 388, inclusive, together.
Almost 1,700 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE in the last 5 years, and in this time 11 new special schools have also been established and many more expanded. For this school year alone over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned bringing the total number of special classes nationwide to 3,337. 54 of these classes are in County Monaghan, 7 are new for the 2024/25 school year, 6 at primary level and 1 at post-primary level.
Budget 2025 provides funding for another 400 special classes and 300 special school places nationwide and it is estimated that a similar level of provision will be needed each year for the next 3 years.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) have recruited additional special education needs organisers (SENOs), advisors and team managers. SENOs play an important role in ensuring there is adequate special educational provision within local areas. There are now two SENOs operating in County Monaghan. These SENOs are currently visiting schools to conduct planning meetings which will be key in terms of forward planning for the 2025/26 school year. SENOs are particularly targeting medium to larger (Principal + 8 teachers) primary schools who don’t yet have a special class to open a special class. This work is ongoing in Co. Monaghan and other areas.
My Department continues to engage with the school referred to by the Deputy in respect to its ongoing building project. The local Education and Training Board is providing assistance to the school also at local level. Complications with this schools planning permission in relation to its building project and its temporary accommodation has resulted in the school aligning its enrolment figures with regard to its existing permanent accommodation.
My Department will continue to support the school in addressing its accommodation needs and in this regard, it is my Department’s intention to engage directly with the school after the mid-term break.
I would like to assure parents that where there is known demand for special education provision in an area my department and the NCSE will provide the necessary supports and capital funding to ensure there is adequate provision for their children within that local area.
38. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education the action she will take to ensure that a school (details supplied) is not forced to close due to a loss of funding from the Central Remedial Clinic, and if her Department will make up the missing funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44961/24]
View answerThe Department along with the Government is committed to supporting the provision of appropriate education to children with disabilities. Budget 2025 provides for a record level of investment in special education with €2.9 billion of my Department’s overall budget allocated for special education. This represents 6% or a €159 million increase on the 2024 provision.
School funding is provided by way of capitation which is intended to contribute to the day-to-day running costs of schools and is used to meet the cost of items such as heating, lighting, cleaning, insurance and general upkeep in schools. The current standard rate of capitation grant is €200 per pupil in primary schools. However, enhanced capitation rates are payable in respect of pupils attending special schools and special classes attached to mainstream schools. These enhanced rates are to assist with the extra costs associated with running classrooms with a small number of pupils receiving specialist provision. Enhanced rates of capitation for special educational needs are inclusive of the mainstream rate of €200, are based on the pupil’s additional needs, and vary from €512 to €986 per pupil. Scoil Mochua received a total of €67,519 in capitation funding for the 2023/2024 school year. A mainstream school with similar enrolments would receive €13,773.
In addition to these grants, €45 million in cost-of-living supports will issue in 2024, to support all recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme. This additional funding announced in Budget 2025 is designed to assist schools with increased day-to-day running costs such as heating and electricity. Special rates for electricity and heating have been negotiated for schools. There is support available in relation to accessing a group insurance scheme for special schools by liaising with the relevant management body, the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education.
As part of the capitation package in Budget 2025 over €30 million was secured as a permanent increase in capitation funding to assist schools now and longer term with increased day-to-day running costs. This represents an increase of approximately 12% on current standard rates and enhanced rates. This increase is on top of the approximately 9.2% increase from last year’s budget.
School staff such as teachers and special needs assistants are paid directly by the Department of Education, and ancillary staff are paid either directly by the Department or through a specific grant paid to school. The Department funds 11 teaching posts and 36.5 SNA posts in the school. For this school year 2024/2025 the school was allocated a new Administrative Deputy Principal and an additional 9 post-primary teaching hours per week. The school also have an additional 15 part-time specialist teaching hours.
The Assistive Technology Scheme is provided by the department to supplement the overall approach to providing funding to schools for digital technology and equipment to support children with more complex learning needs who, in order to access the school curriculum, require essential specialist equipment. In total €41,150 has been provided to the school for assistive technology over the previous three-year period.
A school can also apply for specialised furniture or equipment for pupils with special educational needs who are enrolled in the school. This includes furniture for a particular child's postural and toileting needs which assists the students in managing their day to day needs and facilitates their access to the curriculum.
A major building project that will provide a new school building for Scoil Mochua is currently being advanced. The project has been devolved for delivery to the Central Remedial Clinic. The project is currently at detailed design stage, of the architectural planning design process.
Scoil Mochua will continue to receive enhanced levels of support from the Department in line with other special schools providing for the equivalent level of special educational needs.
The Department remains available to work with the school and school patron on any issues they have in relation to funding needs.
39. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education for a further update regarding the urgent need for an ASD unit at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44628/24]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy, further to the update provided in parliamentary question 108 of 11th July 2024, that my department received an application under the Additional Schools' Accommodation (ASA) Scheme in 2021 from the school in question. The application was for the provision of three special education classrooms and an in-depth review of the school site was undertaken given the restricted nature of the site. The review confirmed that the school and the site were at maximum capacity and that it would not be possible to provide the required accommodation on site unless vast amounts of existing single storey accommodation was to be demolished and replaced with two storey accommodation.
At that time, considering all the relevant impediments to deliver the brief of accommodation and the site constraints, the Department was not in a position to provide funding for the significant demolition of the school building. In light of this, officials in the department contacted the NCSE to advise them of same and to establish the special classes in other schools in the area.
Subsequently, funding was approved under the ASA Scheme in June 2022 for the replacement of a dilapidated prefab on site with 1 Modular Unit to accommodate 4 SET teachers. This project is devolved to the School Authority for delivery with guidance from the Department regarding use of the Modular Accommodation Framework. Department officials have recently confirmed to the School Authority that their Design Team need to commence design of the unit in conjunction with the nominated Modular supplier.
Following confirmation by the NCSE in January 2024 of the need for special classes in the area and the submission of an engineer’s condition report to the department in support of their proposal to knock and rebuild a portion of the school building, the department's Technical Team agreed to review the contents of the condition report. This review was undertaken and is now complete. However, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is continuing to review the SEN provision requirements in the wider area.
The Department met with the Patron on the 14th of May in relation to Scoil Eoin Ballincollig. The outcome of the NCSE review of SEN provision needs in the school planning area is awaited to determine next steps.
The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide. Over the last two years, the department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special education placements ahead of each new school year. The Department continues to work with the NCSE in relation to the short-term requirements for special class and special school places and also the more strategic and longer-term requirements.
It is my department’s priority to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for the needs of children with special educational needs.
In 2024, the department will spend over €2.7 billion on special education and further progress will be made in 2025 as an additional €159 million has been dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs. Over a quarter of the entire education budget has been dedicated to special education in recent years. The main supports this funding provides for are special classes, SNAs and special education teachers.
The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide. Over the last two years, the department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special education placements ahead of each new school year. The Department continues to work with the NCSE in relation to the short-term requirements for special class and special school places and also the more strategic and longer-term requirements.
It is my department’s priority to ensure that all children have an appropriate school placement and that the necessary supports are provided to our schools to cater for the needs of children with special educational needs.
In 2024, the department will spend over €2.7 billion on special education and further progress will be made in 2025 as an additional €159 million has been dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs. Over a quarter of the entire education budget has been dedicated to special education in recent years. The main supports this funding provides for are special classes, SNAs and special education teachers.
The NCSE has advised that there are 3,337 special classes in operation nationwide for this school year. These classes can provide for over 21,000 students. 409 of these are new for the current school year – 289 at primary and 120 at post-primary level.
Over the last number of years, the department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient mainstream, special class and special school places.
These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,700 new special classes sanctioned and eleven new special schools established over the last number of years. The department engages intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places to ensure every child has a place in an educational setting best fitting their educational need. This forward planning work is well underway ahead of the 2025/26 school year. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, an analysis of available school accommodation, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary.
I want to assure you that the department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education appropriate to their needs.
40. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education the timeframe and capacity of the proposed special school in County Monaghan. [44994/24]
View answerMy department works closely with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) on the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. In Budget 2025 funding was secured for up to 400 new special classes in mainstream schools, and an additional 300 special school places for the 2025/26 school year. This will deliver 2,700 new places for children.
Almost 1,700 new special classes have been opened over the last 5 years and 11 new special schools have been established in recent years. For this school year alone, over 400 new special classes have been sanctioned with classes provided in every county. Four new special schools also opened last month in counties Meath, Kildare, Wexford and Limerick.
Just last month Minster Foley and I announced that another five new special schools will be established for the next school year, two in County Dublin and one each in counties Cork, Monaghan and Tipperary. This will bring to 129 the number of NCSE supported special schools in the county.
The exact location, size of the schools and other details are currently being worked through.
However, it is envisaged that existing buildings will be repurposed, in the first instance, to facilitate the opening of the new special schools for the 2025/26 school year. This will allow the schools to open as quickly as possible.
The schools will provide for children and young people with complex special education needs from 4 years up to 18 years of age. They are being sanctioned as early as possible as part of advanced forward planning for the next school year to ensure that appropriate placements are available where needed to meet the needs of students with special educational needs. The exact initial capacity of each special school, including the new school in Monaghan will be considered further and confirmed shortly. Parents and families looking to apply for admission to the new special school will be supported and guided by the NCSE at local level and kept updated on developments.
Part of the forward planning process looks at how far students are travelling to access an education appropriate to their needs. This is an important factor which has been incorporated into the decision-making process.
The early announcement of the new schools allows more time for the planning of school admissions, recruitment of staff, staff training and completion of any necessary building works.
Dedicated working groups will be established by my Department to work through the details in relation to the establishment of the new special schools.
41. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will consider further development of excellence funds to promote innovation within schools and between clusters of schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44990/24]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to increased funding to the Digital, STEM and Creative and other School Excellence Funds.
Launched in 2018, the School Excellence Fund Digital and STEM Programme involved 265 schools together in 41 clusters to explore how digital technologies can transform teaching practices and improve student learning experiences. The programme sought to create collaborative environments where teachers could work jointly on innovative projects that integrated digital tools into their teaching methods. Of the clusters, 33 had a digital focus, while 8 were STEM specific. The 41 clusters comprised 14 post-primary clusters, 12 primary, 8 led by a primary school involving post-primary schools, and 7 led by a post-primary school involving primary schools. A number of DEIS schools were involved, as well as all-Irish schools, and special schools.
The Department engaged H2 Learning to conduct an evaluation of the programme in 2019 but the evaluation was delayed due to the Pandemic. The evaluation report has now been received by officials in my Department and is currently being reviewed, including consideration of the findings and recommendations, to inform future developments in this regard, recognising that schools are modelling excellence and innovation on an ongoing basis.
Also launched under the umbrella of the Schools Excellence Fund, the Creative Clusters programme was piloted as an action in the first Creative Youth Plan 2017-2022 and supported clusters of three to five schools to work together on building capacity in innovation and creativity with the support of a specialist facilitator.
Following a positive independent evaluation of the pilot programme in 2022, Creative Clusters continues to be an important programme in promoting and providing innovative and creative collaboration amongst clusters of schools. The Creative Youth Plan 2023-2027, which was brought to Government in 2023, commits that the delivery and expansion of Creative Clusters will continue to give children and young people the opportunity to experience creativity and to facilitate creative collaboration between schools. To date 591 schools in 168 clusters have had the opportunity to work together to develop creative projects and collaborate on new ideas based on their local experience and unique perspective. In February of this year, I invited further schools and YouthReach centres across Ireland to apply to take part in Creative Clusters for the two years commencing September 2024.
In support of a continued focus on evaluation, the gathering of data on participants' experience is now a core feature of delivery of Creative Clusters as is the case across the Creative Youth programmes and will enable continued learnings to support innovation and creativity across clusters of schools.
42. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education if it is intended to review and change the method by which SET hours are allocated to primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44794/24]
View answerI want to thank the Deputy for the question.
The Special Education Teaching model is an allocation model to provide schools with additional teaching hours to support the teaching needs of their students. When the 2017 model was introduced it replaced a diagnosis led model with one based on need. This has not changed for 2024 and the allocation to schools is to support all of the children in school who require some level of additional teaching support.
The Department commenced a review of the model in late 2022, taking into account a wide range of views from stakeholders.
The allocation model for 2024/25 distributes the total available number of Special Education Teaching posts in line with each school’s profile of need based on a number of inputs. It seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account quality, robust evidence in respect of individual schools.
The is providing an annual allocation of Special Education Teaching hours, using the best possible available data sources and is ensuring that the right resource is available at the right time to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. Schools have autonomy to deploy those resources to meet the needs of their students.
The Department acknowledges that every school is different, and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. It is for this reason that my Department, working with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has streamlined the review process for Special Education Teaching hours and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation. On completion of these reviews, over 1,200 additional hours were allocated to 135 schools.
This review process shows that we are responding to those schools who can demonstrate they need more resources. The clear message here is that if a school needs additional resources to support children with additional learning needs in their school, they will be provided.
The Department, along with stakeholders, know that the model needs to continue to evolve. The department will examine an ongoing continuous improvement process with all stakeholders, including advocacy groups, that can give schools more input into identifying the need in their school in the most efficient way possible.
44. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education the action she will take to provide appropriate school places this school year for all children who need them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44963/24]
View answerI can assure the Deputy that the provision of school places to meet the needs of children and young people at primary and post primary level, including children and young people with special educational needs is an absolute priority for the Department of Education.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Educational Welfare Services of the Child and Family Agency, Tusla, is the statutory agency that can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The local service is delivered through the national network of Educational Welfare Officers. Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) is under the remit of my Department.
TESS operates under the Education (Welfare) Act, 2000, a piece of legislation that emphasises the promotion of school attendance, participation and retention. TESS has three strands namely the statutory Educational Welfare Service, or EWS, and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison scheme and the School Completion Programme. The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, parents and guardians and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people.
The EWS can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school placement for their child. Referrals to the EWS may be made throughout the school year. Once a referral is made to the EWS in respect of a child or young person with no school place, it will remain an open case until such time as a school place is offered and accepted.
The Home Tuition Grant Scheme is available to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school. Home tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not currently available.
At a national level, Ireland has been experiencing growth in overall post primary enrolments and this is projected to continue in many parts of the country for the next number of years before beginning to decline. However, first year enrolments nationally are expected to have peaked in the 2023/24 school year and are beginning to decline from next year. At primary level, there is generally good capacity across the country, although there are some areas under continuing demographic pressures.
At post primary level, there can be complexities around timetabling, class sizes, and subject options which can make it challenging to facilitate the enrolment of a young person into established year groups. However, at both primary and post primary level there is school accommodation capacity in, or near, all areas of the country and the department shares information on this available capacity with the Educational Welfare Service to assist with the enrolment of children without a school place.
I want to assure the Deputy that my Department and TESS will continue to work to ensure that families are supported to access required school places.
45. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Aire Oideachais cén fáth nach bhfuil díolúine ar fáil ón mBéarla sa chaoi is a bhfuil ón nGaeilge, fiú i scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge, agus an nglacann sí le moladh traspháirtí an Chomhchoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge go dteastaíonn cur chuige nua do mhúineadh an dara teanga in áit an chreata reatha do bhronnadh na ndíolúine. [44972/24]
View answerForáiltear le Rannán IV de Rialacha agus Clár do leith na Meánscoileanna gurb í an Ghaeilge amháin a liostaítear mar ábhar is gá a áireamh in íos-líon na n-ábhar nach mór do dhalta aitheanta staidéar a dhéanamh orthu, in ainneoin nach mór don Ghaeilge agus don Bhéarla araon a bheith san áireamh i gcuraclam na meánscoile aitheanta. Is sa chomhthéacs sin a dtagann scéim do dhíolúintí ó staidéar na Gaeilge chun cinn.
Is féidir le scoláire díolúine ó staidéar na Gaeilge a fháil ach amháin sa chás go gcomhlíontar critéir áirithe atá leagtha amach i gCiorclán 0054/2022 agus i gCiorclán 0055/2022. Tá polasaí i leith díolúine staidéar na Gaeilge ag gabháil siar roinnt blianta agus nuair a cuireadh i bhfeidhm den chéad uair é níor bhain sé ach le leanaí taidhleoirí a raibh cónaí orthu in Éirinn ar feadh tréimhse ghearr agus nach raibh staidéar ar an nGaeilge déanta acu roimhe sin. Le himeacht ama, déanadh méadú ar na himthosca ina bhféadfar díolúintí a cheadú, rud a léiríonn athruithe inár scoileanna agus ó na 1990idí i leith tá riachtanais speisialta oideachais san áireamh, in éineacht le comhtháthú níos leithne leanaí a bhfuil riachtanais speisialta oideachais acu in oideachas príomhshrutha cur i bhfeidhm i gcomhréir le Coinbhinsiún na Náisiún Aontaithe um Chearta an Linbh (UNCRC 1989).
Is minic a bhíonn staidéar ar an mBéarla ina riachtanas iontrála do go leor cúrsaí tríú leibhéal. Is faoin Institiúid féin atá sé díolúine a thabhairt ó theanga áirithe. Is institiúidí féinrialaitheacha iad Ollscoileanna agus Institiúidí Teicneolaíochta de réir bhrí Acht na nOllscoileanna, 1997, na nAchtanna um Institiúidí Teicneolaíochta, 1992 go 2006 agus Acht na nOllscoileanna Teicneolaíochta, 2018. Tá sé leagtha síos sa reachtaíocht seo go bhfuil na hinstitiúidí sin neamhspleách ó thaobh cúrsaí acadúla de agus go bhfuil sé de cheart acu a gcuid nósanna imeachta agus a gcuid critéar féin a leagan síos maidir le mic léinn a roghnú agus a ghlacadh isteach.
I ndáil le moladh Chomhchoiste na Gaeilge, na Gaeltachta agus Phobal Labhartha na Gaeilge maidir le córas reatha na ndíolúintí ó staidéar na Gaeilge, tugadh an córas reatha isteach i mí Mheán Fómhair 2019 i ndiaidh taighde agus córas fairsing comhairliúcháin phoiblí. I ndiaidh athbhreithniú a rinneadh tar éis a cuireadh i bhfeidhm ar feadh dhá bhliain é, rinneadh roinnt leasuithe air agus tugadh ciorcláin athbhreithnithe isteach ó mhí Mheán Fómhair 2022 (0054/2022 – bunscoileanna agus 0055/2022 – iar-bhunscoileanna). Tá dlúthfhaireachán á dhéanamh ag an Roinn ar chur chun feidhme chiorcláin 2022 agus scríobh sí chuig gach scoil chun na critéir le díolúintí a dheonú a chur i gcuimhne dóibh. Scríobh an Roinn freisin chuig roinnt bunscoileanna agus iar-bhunscoileanna ina raibh líon na ndíolúintí os cionn meán-líon na scoileanna eile.
Bunaíodh Aonad nua laistigh de mo Roinn chun creat beartais agus plean gníomhaíochta a fhorbairt don Ghaeilge i scoileanna lán-Bhéarla le linn na scoilbhliana 2024/25 a chuirfear chun feidhme i gcaitheamh na tréimhse dhá bhliain ina dhiaidh sin. Is é cuspóir an chreata beartais agus an phlean gníomhaíochta tacú le teagasc agus foghlaim na Gaeilge i scoileanna lán-Bhéarla agus iad sin a fheabhsú. Tá sé mar aidhm acu aghaidh a thabhairt ar phríomhdhúshláin straitéiseacha nuair is dócha go ndéanfaidh gníomhaíocht láithreach agus inláimhsithe difríocht i dtréimhse réasúnta. Déanfaidh taighde náisiúnta agus idirnáisiúnta agus comhairliúchán fairsing le páirtithe leasmhara ar bhonn náisiúnta agus scoile eolas don chreat beartais agus don phlean gníomhaíochta. Tá sé beartaithe go gcuirfí tús leis an bpróiseas comhairliúcháin le páirtithe leasmhara le linn Ráithe 4, 2024.
Tá an Roinn i mbun rannpháirtíocht freisin le raon leathan tionscnamh eile chun tacú le teagasc agus foghlaim na Gaeilge lena n-áirítear, mar shampla:
• Polasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta agus forbairt polasaí don Oideachas lán-Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht
• acmhainní breise chuig COGG, gníomhaireacht tiomnaithe chun tacú le teagasc agus foghlaim na Gaeilge,
• an Ghaeilge agus buntáistí an dátheangachais a chur chun cinn
• mol digiteach a chruthú le haghaidh acmhainní d’ardchaighdeán don Ghaeilge i scoileanna lán-Bhéarla
• cúrsaí uasoiliúna teanga a chur ar fáil do mhúinteoirí bunscoile agus iad a chur ar fáil in Ionaid Oideachais ar fud na tíre le linn samhradh 2024.
• foilsiú na chéad chéime d’acmhainní ‘Corpoideachas trí Ghaeilge’
• dul chun cinn a dhéanamh ar an tionscadal ‘Foghlaim Chomhtháite Ábhar agus Teangacha’ (FCÁT/CLIL)
• Oideachas agus oiliúint múinteoirí lena n-áirítear clár Boide a thabhairt isteach le méadú ar an méid áiteanna atá ar fáil agus trí Oide chun múinteoirí a chumasú chun cuir chuige éagsúla a úsáid.
• Athchóiriú curaclaim chun teagasc agus foghlaim na Gaeilge a neartú le tabhairt isteach Churaclam Teanga na Bunscoile, athfhorbairt ag leibhéal na Sraithe Sóisearaí le T1 agus T2; agus an t-athchóiriú ar siúl ar an tSraith Shinsearach
• maoiniú chuig Foras na Gaeilge don chlár Gaelbhratach, don chlár Séideán Sí agus do thionscadal foclóireachta lena n-áirítear foclóir Gaeilge-Gaeilge.
• Bunú GaelAonad tiomnaithe laistigh d’Oide, le freagracht sonrach as réimse curaclaim na Gaeilge agus as scoileanna a fheidhmíonn trí mheán na Gaeilge
• Léiríonn an obair atá ag dul ar aghaidh go bhfuil tiomantas láidir agam féin agus ag an Rialtas don Ghaeilge.
