Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection

Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills

1:30 pm

Photo of Mary MoranMary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Many of the issues have already been raised but might I ask the Minister for her views on small primary schools and the returns for 30 September pertaining to the projected numbers of incoming students? Schools are provided with teachers depending on their projected enrolment up to 30 September and some may not reach that number. I have been contacted by a school that will be one student short of the projected number it had hoped to get and will now lose a teacher. A class will go from having 21 students on 24 October when the school gets the mid-term break to having 32 students when the students return. There will be an increase of 11 students in the classroom after Hallowe'en. There will also be eight, nine, ten and 11 year olds in that classroom which is huge pressure to put on any teacher. This issue is also related to matters dealt with last week and the media coverage of the JobBridge scheme. Will any exceptions be made for small schools which will not reach the quota and will have the added challenge of children of many ages in the classroom? What are the Minister's views on the effect of JobBridge and the media coverage relating to the use of JobBridge to employ SNAs?

On back to school costs, towards the end of 2013, a survey was initiated by the former Minister, Deputy Quinn, which I wholeheartedly welcomed, seeking the views of parents, particularly on the school uniform. The results of this survey were to be reported in February 2014. I have been trying to get information on this report and find out exactly how many schools replied. If schools did not reply, is there anything we can do to ensure they do? We are waiting for the parents' charter and I look forward to its publication. In the meantime, is there any additional way - this is important in terms of school costs - that we get the views of parents and schools and increase the interaction between parents and the schools?

I also wish to ask the Minister about the qualifications of teachers in schools catering for students with special needs. I have received representations from people who have children in special schools but the teachers do not appear to have the appropriate qualifications. The teachers have primary school teaching qualifications and they have been vetted and so forth. However, I am of the view that teachers in schools catering for students with special needs should have training - either through their teacher training courses or an additional course - to equip them to deal with the very specific extra demands that arise in teaching children with special needs.

Will the Minister comment on the progress that has been made on the junior cycle?

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