Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

160. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will implement measures to reverse the adverse changes that were made in relation to guidance counsellor positions in schools in recent years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44515/14]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

161. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she acknowledges that changes to the status of school guidance counsellor positions are now resulting in costly consequences, such as increased university drop out rates and other social problems; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44516/14]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

163. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will implement measures to reverse the adverse changes that were made in relation to guidance counsellor positions in schools in recent years; her views on these changes now resulting in costly consequences, such as increased university drop out rates and other social problems; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44521/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 160, 161 and 163 together.

There is no scope to reverse this budget measure.

Since September 2012 guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. In this way principals have discretion to balance guidance needs with the pressures to provide subject choice. My Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations. 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 (23:1 in fee-charging schools).

Guidance and counselling are a whole-school responsibility, with guidance counsellors playing their part within an overall team approach. The representative organisations for school principals and school management have developed a framework that assists schools on how best to manage the provision of guidance from within their staffing allocation. Wherever possible, group work and class-based activity should be used to maximise the amount of time available for those pupils who are most in need of one-to-one support.

In February my Department published a guide to developing student support teams in post-primary schools. This is an important resource for schools in promoting and protecting students' well-being and an aid to establishing a team or reviewing an existing team.

Guidance counsellors have two distinct functions. The first is general career guidance and guidance on the educational opportunities a child or young person might pursue, while the second involves support for students' well-being. The principal and leadership of a school have the best knowledge and experience to determine how exactly guidance resources and teaching resources should be allocated.