Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy has pointed out, this is a valuable and thought-provoking report. I noted with interest his specific reference to the educational outcomes of smaller rural schools. I think the information in the report in this respect will feed into our overall assessment of how we deliver education, not only in smaller rural schools but indeed across the whole school population. The Deputy and I share the aspiration of ensuring outcomes of the very highest quality are achieved in all school settings, regardless of whether a child attends a rural school with ten pupils or a school of 700 or 800 pupils in a large urban centre. I understand that the value for money report on small rural schools, to which the Deputy specifically referred, will be presented to the Cabinet quite shortly.

As I said at the start of this debate, it is important to note that Irish students scored remarkably well in the TIMSS and PIRLS assessments. We should be proud of that. I want to pay tribute to teachers, schools and, in particular, parents for this achievement. It is also heartening to read of the many strengths in Irish schools that are identified in the report. On a personal level, one of the things I took most heart from was the positive experience that children glean from attending our schools. They feel comfortable in our schools. It is a credit to our teachers, in particular, that such a safe, protected and caring environment is provided to students on a daily basis. Nevertheless, I accept that this report provides enormously important detail about aspects of the system that can be improved. There is no doubt about that.

It is good to recognise that since this research took place in 2011, many of the issues that were identified have been addressed and plans are in place to tackle others. The effects of initiatives such as improvements in teacher education and curriculum reform will take some time to manifest themselves. Other initiatives are already in place, for example, we are already providing better information to parents through better school reports. It is possible that this Government has taken the issue of standards in the school system more seriously than any of its predecessors. The improvement of outcomes for learners has been and will continue to be a central plank of our actions. My Government colleagues and the officials in the Department of Education and Skills intend to glean much useful information and many insights from an indepth examination of the report. That will help us to monitor our current initiatives and inform and develop future policy.

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