Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the research and development activities she is undertaking in order to inform progression of the objectives of the literacy and numeracy strategies in childhood settings. [32519/11]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The Literacy and Numeracy Strategy was published by my colleague the Minister for Education and Skills in July following extensive consultation. The Strategy sets out the Government's plans to improve literacy and numeracy and has a range of recommendations across Government, including by my Department.

Quality early childhood settings are important in giving young children the skills that will be key to the development of literacy and numeracy. 94% of children take part in the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) free pre-school year, giving the ideal opportunity to develop these skills. The focus of my Department over the next few years will, therefore, be on continuing to work to improve quality in the sector. Specific actions include a workforce development plan under which all pre-school leaders will have at least a level 5 qualification by July 2012 and under which we will continue to subvent training; adherence to Siolta and moving to implement Aistear, both of which support literacy and numeracy; and introducing joint HSE/Department of Education & Skills inspections.

In all of these developments my Department works very closely with the Early Education Policy Unit of the Department of Education and Skills, which is co-located within my Department. The next phase of collaborative work will be the development of tools for assessment under the Strategy.

From projects supported to date by Government, there is a body of research available or well under way to inform progression of the literacy and numeracy strategy. I would point to the following as being particularly relevant projects in this regard:

- The Glen Early Language and Learning Project (Cork City Partnership)

- The Write-Minded Programme (Young Ballymun Prevention and Early Intervention Programme)

- The Travelling Library (Department of Foreign Affairs' Reconciliation Fund)

The evaluation of and evidence emerging from these projects will inform the implementation of the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy.

Within my Department, the National Strategy for Research and Data on Children's Lives is currently being prepared for publication. As a priority for further development, it has identified improved information on literacy and numeracy at key stages of children's lives and by key characteristics. A principal focus of the strategy is the improved use of existing information sources to inform policy and service development and the development of capacity among researchers and policy makers to make maximal use of such information. A series of summer schools supported by the Department in 2011, to address this need included one school focussed on educational data sources with a particular emphasis on analysis of data from the National Assessments of mathematics and English reading literacy. Other statutory bodies including the Department of Education and Skills and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment have committed to actions in relation to improved understandings of literacy and numeracy development in the action plan of the strategy.

One of the key commitments given in the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy is for my Department to document the broad range of initiatives and projects that support families in various ways, to identify the approaches that have the most beneficial effects on the lives of families, children and young people, and to seek to coordinate and improve the services that are provided. There is a substantial amount of work already being done in the area of early literacy. What we have to do is to ensure that the interventions we prioritise make a real, measurable and positive difference to the lives and learning successes of children and young people.