Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the most commonly raised issues affecting education in the classroom as set out in submissions from the various school authorities such as over-crowding, special needs requirments, pupil-teacher ratios, class size and lack of adequate accomodation and teaching staff; the degree to which she will address any such issues in the future; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45728/14]

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

This Government has sought, against the continuing challenging economic backdrop, to protect education spending and maintain frontline education services as far as possible, including targeting support at schools in those areas with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage.We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so that the number of teachers we have in the system has also grown in order to protect existing pupil teacher ratios. There were a thousand more teachers employed in schools around the country in the last school year, than there was the year before. There will be a further increase of circa 1,300 teachers in the current school year. This is a very significant investment at a time of scarce resources.

It is a continuing improvement in our economic growth that will enable us to move to a point in future budgets where we can look again at providing for additional teacher resources in schools which could bring about an improvement in PTR, class size and support for classroom teachers.

In relation to school accommodation my Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing numbers. In that regard, the highest priority has been assigned to school building projects serving rapidly developing areas where there is no existing school or where existing provision is unable to meet the demand for additional places.

The 5 year School Construction Plan announced in March 2012, provides for a €2 billion school capital investment programme to 2016 and lists the individual new school building projects, as well as major extensions that are planned to proceed to construction over the duration of the Plan.

The Deputy will also be aware that under my Department's Prefab Replacement Initiatives announced in 2012 and 2013, approval was given to 217 schools to replace 614 prefab units with permanent accommodation. In excess of €56m has been allocated to these initiatives.

My Department allocated more than €70 million on the 2014 Summer Works Scheme which will enable over 770 schools undertake various improvement work. This week, I announced the allocation of more than €28 million to primary schools under the Minor Works Grant Scheme. This will allow schools to carry out improvement works to the school buildings and grounds.

The policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs should be included in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places are also available.

All State-funded primary and post primary schools have been allocated additional resources to provide for children with special educational needs enrolled in school. For children for whom mainstream provision is not appropriate, placement may be made in one of the 125 special schools which have approximately 1,000 teachers and approximately 860 special classes and units located around the country, 96 of which are early intervention classes for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Separately, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocates Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) for children with additional care needs, as outlined in Circular 00030/2014 and additional resource teaching hours to schools for children who have been assessed within the low incidence, or more complex, category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.

I recently announced, as part of Budget 2015, that an additional 365 Special Needs Assistant posts would be provided in 2015, as well as an additional 480 Resource Teachers, to take into account increased demand and demographic growth and to ensure that children can continue to have access to additional supports in school. In addition, over 130 new Special Classes have been sanctioned for the 2014/15 school year.

This is the highest number of Special Classes and the highest level of Resource Teaching and SNA support that we have ever had. These increases, building on increases which have already been provided in recent years, will ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to participate in education and be supported in a manner appropriate to their needs.

Other supports include enhanced levels of school capitation payable to special schools and special classes, Special School Transport arrangements, the National Educational Psychological Service, an extended school year for pupils who have either a severe/profound general learning disability or who have autism and the provision for Assistive Technology/specialised equipment support for pupils with Special Educational Needs.