Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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856. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of research conducted by a person (details supplied) that details the negative impact felt by students in schools where they do not have access to guidance counselling hours; and her plans to address this matter. [20240/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I am aware of the research referred to by the Deputy.The research is based on a survey of guidance counsellors and one to one telephone interviews with a small number of them. While the research is useful it is important to note that the survey did not include a school management perspective or encompass the role of other teachers in schools given that guidance provision is a whole school activity.

Since September 2012 at post primary level guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. Guidance is a whole school activity 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. This operates at local school level. The Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations.

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.

I have no plans to return to a situation where there would be a separate allocation for guidance in schools. If economic recovery continues I hope the Government will be in a position to improve the standard staffing allocation to schools. However, I believe that it is desirable to give schools discretion on how to use those increased resources.

The representative organisations for School Principals and school management developed a framework that assists schools on how best to manage the provision of guidance from within their staffing allocation. This approach puts a greater emphasis on group-work and class-based activity at senior cycle and maximises the amount of time available for those pupils that need one to one support.

There are also a range of other supports available to promote and support the wellbeing of students. NEPS psychologists are available to offer their advice and support to schools in establishing and developing School Support Teams. The extension of the NEPS service to all mainstream schools since September 2013 also puts it in a good position to provide advice to the Teams in regard to students with particular difficulties and on onward referral or liaison with other community based services that also have a role in providing service to schools. Student Support Teams in Post-Primary Schools (DES 2014) is a NEPS booklet to promote the well-being of pupils in post-primary schools.

Wellbeing Guidelines for Post-Primary and more recently for Primary Schools have been produced by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive. The guidelines are informed by consultation with key Education and Health partners and by the findings of current research. They provide practical guidance to schools on how they can promote mental health and well-being in an integrated school-wide way and they also provide evidence-based advice on how to support young people who may be at risk of suicidal behaviour.

The Guidelines build on the significant work already taking place in schools, including through the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the whole-school guidance plan, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support model and the HSE, Health Promoting Schools Process. Information is also provided on how to access support from the SPHE Support Service and other external agencies and support services. It should also be noted that the proposals on the reform of the junior cycle envisage a new subject on "wellbeing" being studied by all pupils.

Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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857. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of re-instating the previous policy on allocation of guidance counsellors to schools on a basis of one per 500 students; the cost of introducing this policy for non fee-paying schools only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20241/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Since September 2012 guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the standard staffing schedule allocation. In this way principals have discretion to balance guidance needs with the pressures to provide subject choice. The representative organisations for School Principals and school management developed a framework that assists schools on how best to manage the provision of guidance from within their staffing allocation. This approach puts a greater emphasis on group-work and class-based activity at senior cycle and maximises the amount of time available for those pupils that need one to one support.

The budget measure that required schools to manage the provision of guidance from within their standard staffing allocation was introduced as an alternative to an adjustment to the standard staffing schedule. Such an adjustment would be the equivalent of an 0.6 change in the staffing schedule. My Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their standard staffing allocations so that it is based on a ratio of 18.25:1 compared to the standard 19:1 – an improvement of 0.75 on the standard staffing schedule for these schools.

The net reduction in guidance provision as a consequence of this budget measure was of the order of 500 posts. The annual budget saving from this measure is over €30 million. This gives an indication of the cost involved if this budget measure was not in place. Confining such a budget measure to fee-charging schools would not significantly change this estimated cost.

I have no plans to return to a situation where there would be a separate allocation for guidance in schools. If economic recovery continues I hope the Government will be in a position to improve the standard staffing allocation to schools. However, I believe that it is desirable to give schools discretion on how to use those increased resources.