Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this issue for debate, which I have submitted for discussion because the Department Education and Skills has clearly and shamefully overlooked the applications made by a number of secondary schools from counties Sligo and Leitrim that were seeking to participate in a new pilot scheme for the provision of leaving certificate physical education.

The House may be aware that, during 2017, the Department sought applications from secondary schools across the entire country that were seeking to be included in the new programme. Following on from that notice, 360 schools applied. Of those, I have been advised via a parliamentary question this week that only 80 schools have been selected for inclusion in the scheme.

If those 80 schools were spread across all the counties of Ireland, there would not have been a major problem with certain schools not being selected. However, of the 80 schools that were selected nationally, not one secondary school from either Sligo or Leitrim was selected to be included. I find it absolutely shocking.

Following the Department’s decision to overlook the applications from Sligo and Leitrim schools, I took the opportunity to speak with a number of disappointed principals from my constituency in order to discuss whether or not their applications had been strong enough and to gauge their feelings about not being selected by the Department. Of the schools I visited, the applications I saw were outstanding and the principals in question are now furious over the entire selection process. The schools now want answers about how the process was decided on, by whom and on what criteria.

The fact that large schools such as Summerhill College in Sligo and Sligo Grammar School were overlooked for the scheme by the Department is quite simply astonishing, considering their strong and proud sporting traditions and their record of achievement at national and international level. No consideration was given by the Department to using geographic location as a criterion when selecting the 80 successful schools. That should be called into question and needs to be looked at in further pilot schemes by the Department for Education and Skills. The people of Sligo and Leitrim have as much right as the people from every other county to expect fairness and equality when decisions are being made by central Government. These two schools in particular have amazing sporting facilities and dedicated and leading sports programmes. They have sports teams competing across a wide range of sports at national level and at Summerhill College, there are five PE teachers. How could that be overlooked for the purposes of the scheme?

As a public representative for the constituency of Sligo-Leitrim, the situation of the schools was highlighted when we learned that Donegal had eight schools selected and Limerick had seven, yet poor old Sligo and Leitrim did not have one school selected between them. I welcome that Coláiste Cholmcille in Ballyshannon has been included, which is part of the south Donegal area of my constituency. It is important to note that parents who had expected that Sligo and Leitrim would at least have one school included for 2018 are now beginning to ask questions of the schools that had applied and are questioning the standards and types of applications that were submitted.

Does the Department consider it to be a fair approach? Who sat on this steering group and how did it make its recommendations? There is no mention of a broad selection of school type.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy McLoughlin for raising the issue. I will clarify a number of things. It is not a pilot scheme; it is phase one of a model that will go countrywide from 2020. It is a testing of a concept that has been developed by the NCCA of a new physical education curriculum, both an examinable curriculum at leaving certificate and also a framework for students who choose not to do the exam. It was not a contest to select the best schools in the country for a pilot scheme. It was, by contrast, a need the Department identified in order to make sure the programme is delivered to the highest possible standard to get a range of schools across a range of different needs, including DEIS and non-DEIS schools, single sex and mixed sex schools, small and large schools and so on. It was not a contest to select schools with particularly strong sporting traditions and put them into a pilot scheme to demonstrate the excellence of the project. Instead its purpose was to prove the concept and to have schools that are perhaps not as strong or do not have as great a tradition and to have a mixture of schools. I assure the Deputy that we aim to provide it on a nationwide basis in September 2020. It is one cycle of students going through the programme to complete the leaving certificate senior cycle.

As the Deputy indicated, it was massively oversubscribed. We had 369 applications for 80 places. There is a huge appetite for this. It is something we are really keen to get right. The two years between this coming September and the nationwide delivery will be used to make sure we deliver quality continuing professional development to prepare teachers to deliver the programme with the new curriculum and the new examination model. The way it is being done is very exciting - video material is being included as part of the examination process. It is a period in which we are proving the concept, which is extremely strong. The design was done entirely independently by a steering group set up - it was chaired by my Department - to ensure we got the best test to prove the concept and make sure we ironed out all the glitches that might occur in the delivery of a curriculum such as this. It is an exciting new project. I assure the Deputy there was no ill-reflection of any applicant. There were wonderful applications we were not in a position to include in the first phase but which will be included when we go countrywide with the project.

Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his response. I am still baffled that there are eight schools in Donegal and seven in Limerick. It is a pilot scheme over the next two years with 80 schools included but there are very few in the north west, particularly in my constituency. That may not be what the Minister set out to do but he has a responsibility to ensure the members of the board look at it on a geographical basis. How can the Minister justify there being seven in one county, eight in another and none in others? It is not acceptable. I accept the Minister's point but parents, teachers, PE teachers and various other people are looking at the situation in fine schools in Sligo and Leitrim and are not convinced that what has happened in this case has been fair.

It is only right and proper that we get the system right. I welcome it because it is a first and it will be of huge benefit to many students all over the country. It is vitally important we get it right and do not discriminate against certain areas of the country. That is what is happening. When I speak to teachers, students and parents, they are very confused, worried and disappointed by what has happened in my constituency.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I understand what the Deputy is saying. If it was being allocated on the basis of giving every county a fair shot and one county was being left out, the Deputy would rightly feel aggrieved, but that was not the approach. It is a model that will go countrywide. What we are trying to do in the first phase is get a selection of schools across a range of school types to ensure we have ironed out any glitches and that we have the right sort of professional support for teachers and that if we discover or identify weaknesses that we improve the professional support team that is in place. It was not an attempt to pass judgment on the quality of the applications. We accepted schools that were in a position to participate which might not have been schools of sporting excellence in an area. The schools have been independently selected. The purpose of the selection was to ensure we road-test in as effective a way as possible the 80 schools, the frameworks - the leaving certificate examinable and the framework that is not being examined - to make sure we are in a position to deal with any challenges it throws up. What has been done is entirely independent. There has been no direction of any sort given to the steering group. It has made the selection to best deliver the objective of the curriculum development.

I have to stand over the quality of the work being done despite acknowledging that the Deputy has misgivings about what has happened. It was done in the best interest of having a nationwide quality PE programme in place from 2020.