Update: Most Commonly Raised Issues Affecting Education – Education and Science 27th November, 2014

Uimhir:186

Chun an Aire Oideachais agus Eolaíoctha
To the Minister for Education and Science

To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the most commonly raised issues
affecting education in the classroom as set out in submissions from the various
school authorities such as over-crowding, special needs requirments,
pupil-teacher ratios, class size and lack of adequate accomodation and teaching
staff; the degree to which she will address any such issues in the future; and
if she will make a statement on the matter.
– Bernard J. Durkan.

* For WRITTEN answer on Thursday, 27th November, 2014.
Reference Number: 45728/14

Minister Jan O’Sullivan

This Government has sought, against the continuing challenging economic
backdrop, to protect education spending and maintain frontline education
services as far as possible, including targeting support at schools in those
areas with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage.
We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the
difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised
education so that the number of teachers we have in the system has also grown
in order to protect existing pupil teacher ratios. There were a thousand more
teachers employed in schools around the country in the last school year, than
there was the year before. There will be a further increase of circa 1,300
teachers in the current school year. This is a very significant investment at a
time of scarce resources.

It is a continuing improvement in our economic growth that will enable us to
move to a point in future budgets where we can look again at providing for
additional teacher resources in schools which could bring about an improvement
in PTR, class size and support for classroom teachers.

In relation to school accommodation my Department’s over-riding objective is to
ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our
school system is in a position to cope with increasing numbers. In that regard,
the highest priority has been assigned to school building projects serving
rapidly developing areas where there is no existing school or where existing
provision is unable to meet the demand for additional places.

The 5 year School Construction Plan announced in March 2012, provides for a €2
billion school capital investment programme to 2016 and lists the individual
new school building projects, as well as major extensions that are planned to
proceed to construction over the duration of the Plan.

The Deputy will also be aware that under my Department’s Prefab Replacement
Initiatives announced in 2012 and 2013, approval was given to 217 schools to
replace 614 prefab units with permanent accommodation. In excess of €56m has
been allocated to these initiatives.

My Department allocated more than €70 million on the 2014 Summer Works Scheme
which will enable over 770 schools undertake various improvement work. This
week, I announced the allocation of more than €28 million to primary schools
under the Minor Works Grant Scheme. This will allow schools to carry out
improvement works to the school buildings and grounds.

The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs
should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided.
In circumstances where children with special educational need require more
specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also
available.

All State-funded primary and post primary schools have been allocated
additional resources to provide for children with special educational needs
enrolled in school. For children for whom mainstream provision is not
appropriate, placement may be made in one of the 125 special schools which have
approximately 1,000 teachers and approximately 860 special classes and units
located around the country, 96 of which are early intervention classes for
young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Primary and Post Primary schools have a permanent allocation of additional
teaching supports to provide for children whose educational psychological
assessment places them in the high incidence, or less complex, disability
category.

Separately, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates Special
Needs Assistants (SNAs) for children with additional care needs, as outlined in
Circular 00030/2014 and additional resource teaching hours to schools for
children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex,
category of special need, as defined by my Department’s Circular Sp Ed 02/05.
The NCSE operates within my Department’s established criteria for the
allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available
to my Department.

I recently announced, as part of Budget 2015, that an additional 365 Special
Needs Assistant posts would be provided in 2015, as well as an additional 480
Resource Teachers, to take into account increased demand and demographic growth
and to ensure that children can continue to have access to additional supports
in school. In addition, over 130 new Special Classes have been sanctioned for
the 2014/15 school year.

This is the highest number of Special Classes and the highest level of Resource
Teaching and SNA support that we have ever had. These increases, building on
increases which have already been provided in recent years, will ensure that
children with special educational needs can continue to participate in
education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

Other supports include enhanced levels of school capitation payable to special
schools and special classes, Special School Transport arrangements, the
National Educational Psychological Service, an extended school year for pupils
who have either a severe/profound general learning disability or who have
autism and the provision for Assistive Technology/specialised equipment support
for pupils with Special Educational Needs.