Written answers

Tuesday, 24 May 2016

Department of Education and Skills

School Guidance Counsellors

Photo of James LawlessJames Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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151. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the numbers of guidance counsellors employed in secondary schools in each of the years 2012 to 2016 to date; when he will reverse the cuts imposed in budget 2012; the action his Department has taken as a result of the concerns raised recently by the Institute of Guidance Counsellors concerning the 2015 Central Applications Office statistics, according to which 8.1% of students made no choices compared to 1.3% in 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11343/16]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Up until September 2012, an ex-quota allocation was provided for guidance in addition to the standard teacher allocation to post primary schools. This resource was allocated in accordance with pupil enrolment. 42% of second-level schools at the time were allocated at least 22 hours per week in respect of guidance (22 hours being the equivalent of one teaching post) while the remainder of the schools were allocated between 8 and 17 hours of guidance per week.

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 and therefore the information requested by the Deputy on the number of guidance counsellors in secondary schools is not available centrally within my Department.

The current budget provides an improved staffing allocation to second level schools for the purpose of enhancing guidance provision. This improvement takes effect from next September. It brings the basis of allocation from 19:1 to 18.7:1 for the 2016/17 school year. This improvement of 0.3 in PTR allocation is a restoration of 50% of the teaching resources that were removed when the allocation of guidance posts was brought within quota.

The delivery of the 50% restoration through a change in the staffing schedule will allow each school to determine how best to allocate the additional resources to meet the guidance needs of the school. The circular issued earlier this year by my Department outlining the allocation of teaching resources clearly stated that this additional resource is to complement existing resources in order to best meet the guidance needs of the school in line with the school's guidance plan.

I am aware of the survey the Deputy refers to but it is not clear how this survey could take into account the improved allocation for guidance announced in the Budget, given that it only applies from September next.

It is important to note that in previous changes to guidance counselling allocations in 2012, as a consequence of the Budget adjustment which had to be made at the time, all 195 DEIS schools were effectively sheltered from these changes as a result of the more favourable staffing schedule of 18.25:1. This was a 0.75 point improvement compared to the current PTR of 19:1 that applies in non-fee-paying second-level schools.

That was a very important protection for the cohort of our schools in DEIS most in need of support. DEIS schools will also further benefit from the 0.3 improvement to the staffing schedule which will give them an enhanced allocation on the basis of 17.95:1 in respect of the 2016/17 school year.

Given that the DEIS schools were protected at that time it will require further analysis and discussion with the Institute of Guidance Counsellors to see what dynamic gave rise to what was reported as DEIS Schools having borne the brunt of reduced guidance provision.

In the next Budget I will consider the best approach to further meeting commitments in the Programme for Government.

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