Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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9. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she has information on the number of post-primary schools which do not deliver the civil, social and political curriculum; if she has assessed whether disadvantaged schools in particular lose out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23891/24]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Does the Minister have information on the number of post-primary schools which do not deliver the social and political curriculum?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The civic, social and political education, CSPE, programme, along with physical education, PE, and social, personal, and health education, SPHE, form the core pillars of the mandatory well-being aspect of the curriculum at junior cycle. The 100-hour CSPE short course, which was introduced in 2016 and updated in 2021, contributes to building the skills students need to contribute positively to a democratic society and to promote sustainable living. Building on related learning experiences in primary education, CSPE gives students an understanding of social, economic and political structures at local, national and global levels and the opportunity to imagine and create ways in which they can make a difference to the lives of individuals and communities.

As a core pillar of the junior cycle well-being programme, all schools are required to teach CSPE. This is reflected in the Department’s post-primary online database, which shows all 722 post-primary schools provide CSPE at junior cycle level. This includes the 232 post-primary DEIS schools registered on our system. I want to be clear that all our schools provide the CSPE programme.

The inspectorate of the Department of Education works to improve the quality of learning for children and young people in schools, early learning and care settings, centres for education and other learning settings. This is done through the provision of high-quality evaluation, analysis and advice. A range of inspection types is used to gather information on the quality of education provision and to evaluate schools. These range from one-day incidental inspections that are typically unannounced to more intensive whole-school evaluations and inspections that follow through on how schools have implemented recommendations made in previous inspection reports.

In general, CSPE is evaluated as part of the "Whole-School Evaluation: Management, Leadership and Learning" process. This process is designed to evaluate key aspects of the work of the school and to promote school improvement. CSPE is evaluated as part of the "quality of support for students' wellbeing" heading of these reports. Inspectors evaluate whether schools are providing CSPE as set out in the framework for junior cycle and the manner in which the school manages and addresses the well-being of all its students.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Is the Minister satisfied all schools are participating equally or is there a variation between different areas, particularly disadvantaged areas? Can she evaluate the extent to which that is happening? For example, is there a known situation whereby particular schools invariably do not participate or do not participate fully?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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All of our 722 post-primary schools provide CSPE. That includes our 232 DEIS schools. Oversight of that is by our inspectorate, which visits schools, whether on an unannounced basis, an incidental inspection or for a planned and longer term inspection. As part of the longer term inspection - the whole-school evaluation, as it is called - CSPE is inspected, verified and overseen by the inspector for the duration of the time that they are evaluating what is happening in the school. It is an important subject which speaks to civic engagement, political and social engagement and supporting young peoples to become leaders in the community.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Would it be possible to get information from the inspectorate on the level to which it has witnessed the participation that is expected and which would provide invaluable educational support to children, particularly in areas of DEIS schools and where there is obvious social deprivation?

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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This is inspected by the inspectorate. All inspections of a school are published.

They are available for perusal by anyone who wishes to do so. That is important and it speaks to the breadth of work that happens in schools every day and the excellence, determination and focus by staff in schools preparing students for the next chapters in their lives. It also speaks to the transparency that is so important in the education sector. They are freely available for anyone to inspect the views and the findings of the inspectorate as it engaged with the schools on the ground. In fact, they are worth reading because they show the terrific dedication and proactivity of staff and engagement by students in the school community environment. I advise anyone who has an interest and the time that it would be well worth taking a look at.