Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Foley. In her opening speech, she mentioned that she was nominated on 27 June. It is phenomenal to think of what has happened and what has been achieved in that year. It was a steep learning curve for the Minister. As Fine Gael spokesperson on education, I support this Bill to amend the 1998 Act to allow the State Examinations Commission powers to operate the accredited grades system for the leaving certificate examinations for 2021. From speaking to leaving certificate students, they welcome the choice that is offered for each subject either sitting the traditional examinations or opting for accredited grades. It has definitely reduced the anxiety and stress levels. I commend the Minister and the officials from the Department of Education on working to reach a solution after such a difficult year for students, parents, principals, teaching staff and administrative staff. It has included the entire community involved with keeping our schools open for the duration of the lockdown.

There were many concerns last year and I am happy to see that with this legislation and the measures that have been taken, they have been substantially resolved. Some of them related to the accuracy of the algorithm. The Department and the briefing the Minister provided to spokespersons have confirmed that Education Testing Services, the company that resolved many issues from last year, will lead on the algorithm and will develop a brand new one. This will be tested by the company, the Department and, as the Minister note, an independent third party that has yet to be contracted.This can only strengthen our confidence and mitigate against the difficult issues we encountered last year which had such a severe impact on students. My main concerns have been around quality assurance. I am delighted, therefore, that these measures have been put in place.

I am very pleased that ranking, another major concern, has been removed and teachers will not have to rank students this year. I am also pleased that modifications have been made to the examinations to allow further choice in exam questions. There are roughly 1,600 out-of-school learners. Panels of three teachers at school level will be formed to evaluate evidence.

There are necessary elements in the Bill. It provides for the sanction of withholding results in the event of canvassing of teachers by students' parents or giving false information. This will be handled in a proper manner and conversations will be held with all groups. It also provides indemnity for teachers and tutors.

I will ask the Minister a few questions and perhaps she or her office will respond. What measures are being put in place to ensure this process will meet timelines, ensure students receive their results as scheduled and there will be no impact on the CAO allocation process? I am aware that extra staff have been seconded to the State Examinations Commission.

Does the Minister have feedback on what measures might be taken into account when students who are fifth years now and have been impacted this year and last year do the leaving certification examination next year?

For the more than 1,600 out-of-school learners and 800 students of non-curricular languages, it was very difficult to get a calculated grade last year. The panel of three teachers must review evidence from qualified teachers and tutors. I ask the Minister or her office to provide details on acceptable evidence? What is acceptable evidence? Has this information been circulated to principals and schools? Will there be contact in a timely way? Will the Department proactively engage with out-of-school learners or will it be the schools?

With regard to resources for schools, administrative supports are very important. I welcome that the Minister allocated funding for leaving certificate aids in March of between 50 and 60 days. There has been a huge load on principals, of which I am sure the Minister is aware. They have been phenomenal in everything they have done this year but there has been huge stress and there is burnout. I also acknowledge the extra work that was allocated to school secretaries because there is an extra element this year that previously may have been done by the State Examinations Commission.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Deputy Simon Harris, has committed again to providing an extra 2,000 college places. We also know that, as part of the apprenticeship programme, the number of apprenticeships to be achieved by 2025 has been increased from 6,000 to 10,000. In what way does the Department of Education support the delivery of extra places? Can placements be done for special needs assistants? We could have extra teaching placements. How can we support that?

There is a silver lining because we have a chance to review the leaving certificate format. We can see how continuous assessment relieved some of the pressures during the examination period. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, is conducting a review of the senior cycle. I understand that phase 1, which involves scoping 2016-17, has been completed. Phase 2 is the school-based review and national seminars. With phase 3, the emerging themes from the review were gathered in the senior cycle review consultation document. If I am correct, the next stage of the review is the generation of an advisory report on priority areas by the NCCA for the Minister. I understand this work was done in advance of the impact of Covid-19. I ask the Minister to outline her perspective on whether this work can be accelerated. We have a real opportunity to examine what continuous assessment has delivered for students this year. We see that it has reduced stress and anxiety among students and perhaps has a better impact on some students who do not perform well in an examination setting.

On movement around schools, having spoken to principals and teachers, I know that students are currently based in one classroom and teachers have to move lock, stock and barrel. The reason for this is to reduce movement within schools. I also know lockers were closed. This requires an awful lot more planning by schools. Will there be a timeline to notify school principals about how the approach will work in September? Will these measures still need to be in place in September? Will the Department let principals know in advance? Another major issue relates to the area of disadvantage, which I know is a little bit outside of the subject of this debate but it is an issue I have raised previously in a Commencement matter. There is no timeline publicly available for the completion of the review of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, resource allocation system. Is it possible to set up tiered support for schools that are urgently in need right now? We know that allocation has not been done since 2015. Some 70 schools were reviewed in 2017. The hot school meals programme falls under the remit of the Department of Social Protection and home-school community liaison under that of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. However, if I understand correctly, designation and approval is a matter for the Department of Education. There have been difficulties arising from lockdown and increases in disadvantage and child poverty. A recent Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, report points to 15% of children being at risk of poverty and 20% being at risk of deprivation and these figures relate to a period before the Covid pandemic. This results in severe impacts. Children are the most vulnerable group in our society. What supports can we put in place, considering that we do not know the timelines for the review of the DEIS resource allocation system?

I acknowledge the incredible efforts and work of principals, teaching staff, administrative staff, school secretaries, caretakers, school boards, the students themselves and associations, including parents' associations. As the Minister has noted, this legislation is welcome and it shows that lessons have been learned. It is a tribute to her Department and to her officials. At the heart of the Bill is a focus on the students' experience. That is great to see. The Bill really aims to ensure that students have an opportunity to take their next step on their career path and to progress, whether to further education, to earn and learn through apprenticeships or to follow the traditional model of going to college. It has been a very difficult year and what the Minister has achieved has brought about real joy. The students, principals and teachers to whom I have talked all seem extremely happy. My questions are just general questions. I again commend the Minister on the work that has been done.