Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir fá choinne na ceiste agus fá choinne an seans labhairt leis. I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to familiarise myself with this issue and to fill in the background which the Senator and people in the school are familiar with. I want to put on the record the position regarding Ennis Educate Together national school in respect of the protected disclosure received by my Department and school inspections carried out in recent times by the Department's inspectorate.

The Department received a protected disclosure in respect of this school on 25 October 2015. The Department treats all protected disclosures seriously and follows up on all the issues raised in disclosures. In general, this involves engagement with the patron and board of a school for the purposes of determining and resolving the issues raised. It can also involve school inspections and financial audits by the financial support services unit where necessary.The protected disclosure and the whole-school evaluation, WSE, carried out on 11 February 2016 in respect of this school identified a number of issues concerning the general governance, management and leadership of the school. These concerns related to the absence of a board of management, non-compliance with national child protection policy, financial management concerns and the decreasing enrolment of the school over a number of years. My Department had been aware of the unsatisfactory performance of this school from ongoing inspection reports and had been working with the school to improve its overall performance for the benefit of the teaching and learning experience in the school.

A new board of management was established on 12 July 2016, which was a significant step for the school as it starts to implement the necessary reforms required. Under the Education Act, the board of management is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school. My Department has also been advised that a new parents' association has been established. The active involvement of parents in all aspects of the education of their children is important.

My Department met with representatives of the patron and members of the new board on 15 July 2016. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss with the representatives a range of issues including those mentioned in the protected disclosure and the whole-school evaluation report, which had also set out a number of recommendations for improvement. These recommendations impacted on the management and leadership of the school, the implementation of child protection policies, the formation of a board of management and parents' association, and other important matters impacting on teaching and learning. My Department was advised at the meeting that work had already begun on addressing and prioritising the specific actions outlined in the whole-school evaluation report. My Department informed the school representatives that an action plan outlining the specific actions for improvement would be required from them. My Department wrote to the school on 7 September 2016 on that basis and a school action plan was provided to the Department on 7 November 2016. A follow-through inspection report by my Department’s inspectorate in April 2017 found that good progress had been made in a number of areas with a few aspects for improvement remaining. A new school principal was appointed on 1 July 2018. This appointment was crucial in terms of improving the leadership role within the school.

My Department wrote to the discloser in August 2018 and advised of the positive changes that have occurred in the school and that the Department would continue to monitor the school’s progress in implementing the recommendations of the WSE report. However, while the school has a new principal and a new board of management, which are important positive developments, it would take the school some time to fully implement all of the changes required. The letter also expressed thanks to the discloser for their concern and for raising important issues in respect of this school in their correspondence. I want to express publicly my own similar sentiments in being grateful and thankful to the discloser.

I hope I will get an opportunity to have a chat with the Senator after this for a few minutes. If follow-up is required, I am happy to do that. I thank the Senator again for the opportunity to outline the progress in respect of this school to the House.