Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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6. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way she plans to deal with the overloading of the primary school curriculum. [45099/14]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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This is a busy morning. How does the Minister for Education and Skills plan to deal with the overloading of the primary school curriculum?

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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My Department, in conjunction with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, has initiated a major reform of the primary curriculum. This reform will examine the entire curriculum, including its structure and content, to identify areas where revisions or updates are required. One of the aims of this reform is to ensure that the primary curriculum is appropriately structured to provide pupils with the necessary knowledge, skills and dispositions for positive educational outcomes without overburdening them or their teachers. Priority has been given to developing a new integrated language curriculum and a new mathematics curriculum, as these are core priorities identified in the national literacy and numeracy strategy. The wider primary curriculum review will be initiated in 2015 with a public consultation process. This will provide all stakeholders with an opportunity to outline their views on the existing curriculum and their priorities for the future.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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I welcome that review, including the public consultation process. In recent years, many different organisations and groups have been putting pressure on schools to implement their programmes. Some of these programmes are excellent, including ones for health, child safety and smoking. Special programmes deal with such issues in the primary school curriculum every day but many teachers tell me they find it difficult to fit such programmes into a daily timetable from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

I accept the Minister's point that she is putting a strong emphasis on languages and mathematics, which are important for the country's future development. To go back to the overload, however, teachers are worried that so much responsibility will be put on them that they will not be able to deliver serious aspects of the primary school curriculum.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The current curriculum dates back to 1999, so it is time to review it. However, excellent work is going on in primary schools. I have had an opportunity to visit a number of them in recent days and I saw the great dedication of primary school teachers there. I was in a school in Swords in north County Dublin the other day which was receiving a digital schools of distinction award. I have been to a couple of such award ceremonies. It is great to see how they incorporate IT and use new methodologies to strengthen the way in which they teach core subjects like literacy and numeracy.

However, as the Deputy said, there are many pressures.

People say this, that and the other should be done in primary schools but the important thing is that the curriculum is child-centred and focuses on basic skills like maths and literacy. We must ensure the experience is positive for children. This, essentially, is why the curriculum is being reviewed and why we are having consultations on it.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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On reform and dealing with the overload, when we move away from austerity I want to see an end to the moratorium on promotions in schools as this will improve leadership. Teaching principals should have greater release time as this would be valuable in assisting the development of class teachers. Teaching principals perform the roles of teacher, administrator, social worker, security person and, in some disadvantaged schools, bouncer. My point is, overload in this area must be examined now that the economy is seeing better times.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I also welcome the review of the curriculum. While the curriculum has not changed since 1999, some of the teaching methods have changed and this has been very positive. One of the best aspects of this is that we can now identify students with learning difficulties at an earlier age due to changes in the curriculum and how it is taught. Any review should take account of this but it also presents challenges because the recognition of learning difficulties at an earlier age creates the need for resources. My comments complement what the Minister said on the previous question regarding the new model.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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On Deputy McGrath's point, my meetings with the Irish Primary Principals' Network, IPPN, and the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, NAPD, have underlined the stressful jobs that principals face. We have worked hard on the recovery of the economy and I hope there will be an education dividend. I will fight strongly for extra resources in the education sector.

On Deputy O'Brien's point, Aistear, the curriculum for children in the range from zero to six years that is used in pre-school and early-years primary school, has brought about significant changes. I compliment teachers because they have been very responsive in adapting to the needs of all children, particularly those with learning difficulties. Primary schools are very inclusive in involving children who may have greater difficulty learning than their peers.