Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 175: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the new national literacy and numeracy strategy will be fully rolled out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36304/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I published the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011 to 2020 in July 2011. The Strategy contains 41 actions and almost 180 sub-actions across 6 key areas. A high level implementation Advisory Group has been established to monitor the implementation of the Strategy over its lifespan up until 2020.

There has been significant progress in implementing the early actions of the Strategy and work is ongoing on medium and longer term actions. Some of the key developments to date are set out below. A team of literacy and numeracy advisors have been appointed to support teachers and schools in implementing the Strategy and a national programme of professional development for primary and second level teachers is under way. Programmes in literacy (including Irish) and mathematics accounted for almost half of all attendance at summer courses in 2011. Further summer courses for teachers in this area are being provided this summer. Proposals on revised entry standards for initial teacher education have been incorporated into the Teaching Council's Initial Teacher Education: Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers in relation to mathematics. There will be a consultation process on this. The criteria also provide for an expansion of the primary Bachelor of Education from 3 to 4 years, and for an expansion of the Professional Diploma in Education to 2 years. Units on literacy and numeracy are in place within the National Teacher Induction Programme for the 2011/12 school year. Circular 56/2011 issued to all primary schools asking them to o Increase the time spent on mathematics by 70 minutes per week, o Increase the time spent on literacy by one hour per week, o Introduce a third point of standardised testing in English reading and Mathematics, so that pupils are tested at the end of 2nd, 4th and 6th class. Irish medium schools are asked to also test students in Irish reading. Additional funding has been provided to schools to support this. o Report the results of the tests to parents as part of an overall standardised report on their children's learning, o Report the results, in terms of the numbers scoring at particular percentile bands, to the Department and the school board of management, o Provide data on 6th class pupils' progress to their second level school, once enrolment has been accepted.

One of the aims of my Junior Cycle reform programme is to develop an approach to promote the integrated development of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum.

The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy Among Children and Young People contains initiatives and actions across a broad range of areas and across the time span up to 2020. The Strategy focuses on achieving better literacy and numeracy outcomes for our children and young people through the best use of the resources at our disposal. Many of the approaches set out in the Strategy have no cost implications.

There will be additional costs for teacher education measures (both initial teacher education and teacher upskilling), curricular change and new assessment measures. Costs relating to lengthening of initial teacher education will be met from within the Higher Education Budget. Part of the other costs will be met within existing resources from other areas of continuous professional development. Some additional curricular and assessment costs from 2014 will be found within other areas of the Department's Budget.

The full version of the strategy is available to download from www.education.ie.