Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made within the four designated areas of north-south cooperation of special education needs, educational underachievement, teacher mobility and school, youth and teacher exchanges. [54373/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department is committed to advancing co-operation and common action in education between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and takes forward this co-operation through the North/South Ministerial Council. Within that framework common policies in four designated areas of co-operation are developed and co-ordinated: special education needs, educational underachievement, teacher mobility, and school, youth, and teacher exchanges. Details of recent progress under each of these headings are set out below.

Special Education NeedsBoth administrations continue to work together to ensure the agreed expansion of the Middletown Centre for Autism, Co. Armagh is delivered as soon as possible. A report on the joint inspection of the Centre by the Department of Education and Skills Inspectorate and the Education and Training Inspectorate found that the quality of the provision which they evaluated was outstanding. It was found that the Centre is meeting very effectively the needs of the young people, their peers, parents and professionals and has demonstrated its capacity for sustained improvement. Both Education Ministers have welcomed the report as a strong endorsement of the valuable work being carried out by the Centre.

Educational UnderachievementThe Educational Underachievement Working Group (EUWG) met on 4 September 2012 to review and advance its work programme. The Working Group reviewed progress on the production of a joint report by the two inspectorates on best practice in literacy and numeracy in post-primary settings and the potential for a similar publication on good practice in supporting those with special educational needs. The EUWG approved a proposal by Children's Books Ireland to encourage young teenagers' involvement in reading. Both Departments supported Maths Week 2012. Discussions between officials of the respective Departments are taking place on the sharing of best practice on attendance and retention.

Teacher MobilityA joint report has been prepared by the two Teaching Councils on the island concerning outstanding issues and obstacles to teacher mobility. Progress on these issues was reported at the North South Teacher Qualifications Working Group on 12 October, 2012. The joint report was considered at the NSMC Education Sector meeting on 17th October and will receive further consideration at the NSMC meeting scheduled for 27 February 2013. There are ongoing discussions between Marino College of Education, Dublin, the University of Ulster (UU) and St Mary's University College, Belfast regarding the proposal to deliver the Scrúdú Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge (the Irish language qualification) in the north and the North South Teacher Qualifications Working Group has take actions to progress the matter. The jointly funded collaborative programme of work in the Irish-medium sector will be extended for the 2012/13 academic year. Ongoing exchanges are taking place between inspectorates from the two Departments and they continue to share good practice in school evaluation.

School, Youth and Teacher Exchanges The 10th SCoTENs Annual Conference took place in Cavan on 11-12 October 2012 on the theme of 'Creative Teachers for Creative Learners: Implications for Teacher Education'. Keynote speakers included Sir Ken Robinson and Alexandra Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn. A follow-up evaluation event following Professor John Furlong's (Oxford University) evaluation report on the first 8 years of SCoTENS, took place in Maynooth on 20 September 2012. Recommendations outlined in the joint inspectorate evaluation report of the Dissolving Boundaries project continue to be implemented. There is continuing joint support for the Causeway Programme and the North South Education and Training Standards Committee for Youth Work in Ireland. Discussions are taking place between the Department of Education and Department of Education and Skills officials to progress with Part 2 of the study on North South cooperation in the education sector with a progress report being made available to the next NSMC meeting.