Written answers

Thursday, 27 September 2012

Department of Education and Skills

School Staffing

Photo of Michael Healy-RaeMichael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding career guidance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41162/12]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I acknowledge that the reduction in resources to second level schools will be challenging for schools. However, the budget measure that requires schools to manage the provision of guidance from within their standard staffing allocation must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these exceptional times. The net impact on overall teacher numbers in our schools has been minimised to the greatest extent possible.

Teacher allocations to post primary schools for the 2012/13 school year have effectively been settled at this stage and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. Decisions on how this is done are taken at school level and I am confident that schools will act in the best interest of students when determining precisely how to use the teaching resources available to them. A key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target available funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. All 195 second-level school in DEIS have been given targeted support by a more favourable staffing schedule of 18.25:1. This is a 0.75 point reduction compared to the existing PTR of 19:1 that applies in non fee-paying second-level schools.

My Department also provided some limited short-term support to schools through curricular concessions in order to help them manage within their approved teaching allocation. It is established policy that guidance is a whole school activity and under existing arrangements each school develops a school guidance plan as a means of supporting the needs of its students. While the school's guidance planning should involve the guidance counsellor(s) in the first instance, other members of school staff and management also have key roles to play. Parents and students must be seen as an essential part of the process. Through this process schools can, for example, consider the following options for maximising the use of their available resources for the provision of guidance:

- Optimise the delivery of personal educational, career and vocational guidance in class group settings,

- Enable students to use directly the extensive range of guidance tools available through the internet from relevant websites (e.g. Qualifax, Careers Portal)

- Enable some of the curriculum elements of the planned guidance programme to be delivered through other teachers such as SPHE staff,

- Maximise the role of the pastoral care team in schools, and

- Ensure that the guidance counsellor has 1:1 time towards meeting the counselling needs of students experiencing difficulties or crisis.

The support of the whole school community, parents and the relevant external agencies such as NEWB and NEPS are key to the provision of guidance and support to schools.

Psychologists from my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) also provide a range of supports to schools. These include the promotion of positive mental health among the general student body and assistance in supporting pupils with particular social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

My Department is also aiming to launch the Guidelines on Mental Health for Post-Primary Schools later this year. These guidelines aim to support schools in developing a whole-school approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention and are of relevance to all members of the school community. In particular, they have been developed to support principals, guidance counsellors, student support teams, and teachers.

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