Written answers

Tuesday, 19 May 2009

Department of Education and Science

Proposed Legislation

12:00 pm

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 415: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will introduce legislation that would place a statutory duty to establish student councils in all schools to promote the implementation of the State's duties under Article 12 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in an educational setting. [19640/09]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Section 27 of the Education Act, 1998 requires Boards of Management of schools to establish and maintain procedures for the purposes of informing students in a school of the activities of the school. The procedures established and maintained for this purpose shall facilitate the involvement of the students in the operation of the school, having regard to the age and experience of the students, in association with their parents and teachers. Students of a post-primary school may establish a student council and a board of a post-primary school shall encourage the establishment by students of a student council and facilitate and give reasonable assistance to students who wish to establish a student council and to student councils when they have been established.

An assistant National Co-ordinator with responsibility for student councils was appointed to the Second Level Support Service in 2007. This co-ordinator has designed and is delivering a programme of professional development to respond to the identified needs and to support teachers with establishing student councils in their schools. In addition, this co-ordinator provides support to the whole school: management, staff and the students prior to establishing its students council and to the students on the council, following their election. My Department understands that student councils have been established in the majority of post-primary schools and that the remainder of these schools are in the process of establishing councils.

Having regard to the provisions of Section 27 of the Education Act, 1998 and my Department's ongoing commitment and support for the establishment of student councils I feel there is no requirement at this time for further legislation on student councils in order to provide for Article 12 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child in an educational setting.

Photo of Caoimhghín Ó CaoláinCaoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 416: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his plans to introduce legislation that would place a statutory duty on all schools to introduce anti-bullying policies in order to ensure that all children are protected from harm; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19644/09]

Photo of Batt O'KeeffeBatt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Section 23 of the Education Welfare Act 2000 requires all schools to have in place a Code of Behaviour. My Department further requires each school to have in place a policy which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour, within the framework of its overall school Code of Behaviour and Discipline. Such a code, developed through consultation with the whole school community and properly implemented, can be the most influential measure in countering bullying behaviour in schools. I have no plans to introduce additional legislation of the nature referred to by the Deputy. I am, however, intent on supporting schools in tackling bullying and it is for that reason that a number measures and supports have been put in place in recent years.

Responsibility for tackling bullying falls to the level of the individual school as it is at local level that an effective anti-bullying climate must be established. My Department has issued guidelines as an aid to schools in devising measures to prevent and deal with instances of bullying behaviour and to increase awareness among school management authorities of their responsibilities in this regard. These guidelines were drawn up following consultation with representatives of school management, teachers and parents, and are sufficiently flexible to allow each school authority to adapt them to suit the particular needs of their school.

In 2007 my Department published, on its website, policy templates for post-primary schools in five key areas, including anti-bullying. The template documents are not prescriptive, but rather highlight possible approaches and potential material for inclusion in school policies and takes account of more recent legislative and regulatory changes. Reference is also made to issues of contemporary concern such as the need to tackle text bullying, cyber-bullying and homophobic bullying. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) has developed further guidelines for schools on Codes of Behaviour, as provided for under section 23 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000. These guidelines have been informed by broad consultation.

I have previously indicated that once schools have had an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the NEWB Guidelines, my Department will commence the process of revising and updating its own Guidelines. This review will commence shortly and will take into account issues such as legislative developments, the involvement of the support services available to schools, technological advancements such as use of the Internet, e-mail, mobile phones and camera phones and the latest developments in international best practice on dealing with bullying behaviour. The National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) was established in 2006 in response to the recommendation in "School Matters", the report of the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools. The NBSS is currently working with over 60 Post Primary Schools to promote and support positive student behaviour.

The National Centre for Technology in Education's Webwise Internet Safety initiative includes an integrated educational programme with the following elements: 1. The development of an integrated educational programme in partnership with the SPHE Support Service called - Be Safe_Be Webwise, which is delivered in the context of the SPHE module on Personal Safety by the SPHE Second Level Support Service. 2. Delivery of Internet Safety Seminars for parents in schools in partnership with the National Parents Council Primary. 3. Provision of Internet safety continuing professional development training for teachers. 4. The Watch Your Space awareness campaign, which was launched in February 2007 seeks to raise awareness and promote safe, responsible practice by young people when on-line. The campaign has a strong peer-to-peer perspective and centres on an interactive on-line service, www.watchyourspace.ie developed by the NCTE. This site offers practical tips and advice and supports teenagers who use the web. A key feature is the advice given from teenagers to teenagers on how to cope with the fall-out from abuses and misuse of social networking and picture -sharing websites.

The EU Safer Internet Programme campaign WATCH_YOUR_SPACE – STOP CYBERBULLYING was launched earlier this year. This social marketing campaign, combined blanket and targeted messages delivered through a wide range of media channels and involving children and young people themselves, to the promotion of effective responses to cyberbullying by young people. In Ireland, the campaign included an on-line source of information and advice for young people, watchyourspace.ie, and the TEENTXT active listening service of the ISPCC.

Dealing with bullying has also been incorporated in training for principals through the Leadership Development for Schools programme.The education of students in both primary and post-primary schools in relation to anti-bullying behaviour is part of the SPHE curriculum. SPHE is now a compulsory subject both at primary level and in the junior cycle of post-primary schools.

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