Results 14,961-14,980 of 32,583 for speaker:Richard Bruton

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I congratulate Deputies Thomas Byrne and Carol Nolan on taking up their new responsibilities. Like me, they are new to the job, although Deputy Nolan has an advantage over us in that she has worked in the education system. I am sure, however, that Deputy Byrne and I will be fast learners.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: It is good to see a man from the royal county. Support from the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, is available to every recognised primary and second level school. NEPS, in consultation with schools, prioritises children for support, consultation and-or assessment who have failed to make adequate progress despite an appropriate continuum of support being delivered for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The reasons for moving to the other system are outlined in my reply. The council responsible for special education needs feels resources are required for children to be professionally assessed, but the parents of many children are unable to afford that. Therefore, some children's needs might be undetected. The new model takes into account not only children who have had an assessment within...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I understand that in the 47 schools in the pilot programme there has been a significant investment of support to ensure the resources, including special needs assistants, resource teachers and learning support teachers, are deployed in the best interest of the entire school population but that they are focused, in particular, on children with special needs. The schools are using the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Guidance Counsellors (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The programme for Government contains a commitment to reintroduce guidance counselling to secondary schools. The current budget provides an improved staffing allocation to second level schools for the purpose of enhancing guidance provision. This improvement takes effect from next September. It brings the basis of allocation from 19:1 to 18.7:1 for the 2016-2017 school year. This...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Guidance Counsellors (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I may have misled the Deputy somehow. Some 50% has been restored. In other words, half of what was lost has been restored. The 0.3 relates to the pupil-teacher ratio. It refers to the improvement in the teacher ratio. Some 50% of what was lost has been returned to the schools and they have the discretion to allocate that resource as they choose. The guideline encourages them to use it...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Guidance Counsellors (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I do not disagree with the Deputy but we have come through a period when there were a lot of cutbacks in education. We are now trying to rebuild that and that means putting back resources as and when we can get them. I have to knock on the door of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to try to get money and there are demands from all the other services, including health. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The new framework for junior cycle 2015 offers a significant opportunity to improve the experience for learners, to broaden the range of competences which they acquire and to facilitate more flexible teaching, catering to the different needs of students with ongoing feedback. The Department has set out a schedule for the roll-out of this new approach across all subjects over a five-year...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: To be fair to the Department and my predecessors, a lot of work has gone into trying to accommodate the introduction of the junior cycle. I understand that detailed negotiations took place, which amended it and did away with some of the biggest concerns the teachers had about assessing their own pupils in a certified State exam. Agreement was reached with the two trade unions, the TUI and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: State Examinations Reviews (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I agree that this is disappointing, so late in the day. This process started in November 2011 when the NCCA published its document Towards a Framework for Junior Cycle, which was very much welcomed as a hugely positive approach, to move away from rote learning and the final examination to value a broader range of experience. Much work was done to get that agreed. It has been agreed by one...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: A number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 have been commenced, including those establishing the National Council for Special Education and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children. Under the programme for a partnership Government, I will initiate consultation with stakeholders on how best to progress sections of the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: As the Deputy knows, the EPSEN Act sets out very distinct statutory requirements around assessments, plans, services and appeals, etc. Essentially, the system is evolving to the point at which all of these clear legal requirements can be met. A pupil plan must be in place before a special needs assistant can be allocated to a school in respect of that pupil. The Department is using the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I agree with the Deputy. The way to implement this Act is to increase the number of resource teacher posts. The number in question increased by almost 2,000 between the 2011 and 2016 school years. There has also been a substantial increase in the number of special needs assistants. An additional 1,500 special needs assistants have been provided. This infrastructure will support the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Ireland needs to develop a highly valued apprenticeship path in new areas of opportunity while also meeting the growing demands in certain traditional areas. This approach is central to our ambition to facilitate the growth of modern manufacturing and service sectors. The new programme for Government plans to accelerate the work that was initiated by the previous Government by putting in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: Traditionally, apprenticeships were solely demand-led and were confined to the traditional 24 trades. As I said in my initial reply, it is exciting that proposals have been made in respect of 80 new trades by a new batch of employers who are willing to participate. While the roll-out of these proposals will depend on the willingness of employers to take people on, we must also develop the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I would certainly support State bodies getting involved. If one goes back through the full list of over 80 proposals, there are State bodies involved. These are very significant and important sectors of industry. The take-up in traditional apprenticeships has doubled since 2012 and we are planning for a very substantial increase in the take-up of those. We are planning for the...

Other Questions: Third Level Fees (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: The Government recognises the importance of higher education to Ireland's economic future and social development, as well as the huge impact a higher education experience has on the lives of individuals. In considering the best way forward, the previous Government established an expert group to examine future funding requirements for the higher education system and to present options for...

Other Questions: Third Level Fees (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I fully agree with the Deputy that we need to increase participation from groups that are not well-represented, including areas of particular disadvantage. The targets that are set envisage an increase of about one third in the participation of disadvantaged groups. They have been set out in different areas across students with disabilities, mature students, various socio-economic groups...

Other Questions: Third Level Fees (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: I agree with the Deputy that that pilot scheme run by the Northside Partnership is exceptional. It is an example of how we should proceed. Among the 30 actions that are committed to in higher education access one is to build on those kinds of approaches to try to build pathways for children who might otherwise find it difficult to get to higher education. It involves mentoring, looking at...

Other Questions: School Admissions (19 May 2016)

Richard Bruton: While changes to the Equal Status Act are a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality, the question raised by the Deputy is related to school admission policies. There is a commitment in the programme for Government to publish a new school admissions and excellence legislation, taking account of current draft proposals. The published draft legislation for school admissions did not...