Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 111: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of providing transition year to schools; if he will provide the breakdown of the costs incurred to him by transition year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8743/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Teachers employed within an approved staffing allocation granted by my Department in fee-charging schools and teachers in schools within the Free Education Scheme are paid by the State.Teacher allocations for fee-charging schools are based on a ratio of 20 to 1, while allocations for schools in the Free Education Scheme are at a ratio of 19 to 1.

The average cost of a teaching post for a transition year student in a fee-charging school is €3200 and the estimated annual cost is €13.6m. The average cost of a teaching post for a transition year student in a school in the Free Education Scheme is €3368 and the estimated annual cost is €88.5m.

My Department also provides funding by way of a programme grant of €95 per Transition Year pupil to schools in the Free Education Scheme. The estimated annual cost of this grant is €2.5m.

Liam Twomey (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 112: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he carries out a cost benefit analysis review on different educational programmes paid for by him; if, for example, he has reviewed the leaving certificate vocational programme from this point; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8744/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department commissions or undertakes evaluation reports from time to time on the impact of various educational programmes.

A formal cost benefit analysis study was not undertaken in respect of the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. The programme was introduced in 1994 on foot of the Report of the Industrial Policy Review Group (the Culliton Report, published 1992) which recommended a strengthening of the vocational and technical dimensions of second level schooling. The LCVP programme attracted aid from the European Social Fund as part of the Vocational Preparation and Training Measure for the period 1994-99 and was costed and reported on regularly for this purpose.

An evaluation of the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme was published by my Department's inspectorate in 1998, and the results were generally positive. The emphasis on enterprise, active learning, integration of ICT and enhancement of career investigation skills were viewed very positively by students.

As part of the ongoing evaluation of schools, my Department publishes whole school evaluation reports, subject inspection reports, and reports on the operation of programmes, including Transition Year and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, in individual schools. These are available on the website www.education.ie In 2010/11, there were 37213 students following the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme at an estimated cost of €325.6m per annum. These students follow linked business and/or technical subjects in the established Leaving Certificate, allied with a continental language, a strong focus on ICT, and the LCVP Link Modules -- Enterprise Education and Preparation for the World of Work. The State Examinations Commission provides information on the results scored in the LCVP Modules.