Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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328. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the report on the compulsory use of electronic devices at a school (details supplied); if the findings of the report will inform her policy on the use of electronic devises at secondary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32662/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015–2020 Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessmentarticulates the Department’s current policy on the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment in schools. Its clear vision is focussed on realising the potential of digital technologies to enable our young people to become engaged thinkers, active learners, knowledge constructors and global citizens to participate fully in society and the economy. In developing this Strategy, the Department adopted an evidence-based approach including extensive research and consultation with education stakeholders including young people. A key support of the strategy is the Digital Learning Framework for teachers and school leaders, which was trialled in 50 schools during the 2017/2018 school year before being evaluated and improved and rolled out to all schools in September 2019. The Department has engaged the Educational Research Centre to undertake a three-year longitudinal study of the impact and efficacy of the Digital Learning Framework, and this study is expected to be completed in 2022. All schools are supported to develop a Digital Learning Plan, and have flexibility to determine how best to embed the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning in their school to enhance teaching and learning, taking into account their individual circumstances and contexts. The Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education (PDST-TIE), a Department funded support service, offers advice and supports to schools on digital learning. Advice sheets are available on digital technology in education, including on the adoption of laptops and tablets in schools. Digital learning in schools is also assessed by my Department’s Inspectorate.

My Department is aware of the report referred to by the Deputy. However, decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools are a matter for the Board of Management of each school. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies, including devices. The cost and other implications must be fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a decision is made. It is important for schools, in conjunction with parents, to retain local autonomy for decisions on the use of digital technology, including tablet devices, laptops, and learning platforms, and how best to manage their integration into classroom practice reflective of their own context and requirements.

While this spirit of partnership is in place in schools the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill will provide a mechanism for enhanced consultation on such matters in schools. This legislation provides a clear framework that schools will have to apply in their engagement with students and parents. One of the key concepts of the Bill is the need for a school to consult with students and their parents on individual school plans, policies and activities. The Bill completed all stages of the Seanad in late 2019. The Department of Education is currently awaiting an order for Second Stage in the Dáil.

As the current Digital Strategy for Schools expires at the end of the current school year (2020/2021), development of a new Digital Strategy is underway. An extensive consultation process has commenced with details available at . All relevant research and reports will be reviewed as part of the process to develop the new strategy.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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329. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the full budget allocated by her Department in each year since 2010, to secondary schools for the purchase and use of devices by students such as a device (details supplied) and tablets, laptops and so on or other forms of devices in tabular form. [32663/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the €210m investment programme underpinning the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools, my Department provided €100m in grant funding to recognised primary, special and post-primary schools to address their ICT needs during 2020. This included €50m in respect of the 2020-2021 school year brought forward and issued in December 2020. Schools were advised that they can use this funding to support the continuity of teaching and learning should a period of partial or full school closure occur arising from Public Health advice owing to Covid-19 restrictions. The funding is intended to enable schools to implement their Digital Learning Plan through provision of appropriate infrastructure, and issues directly to schools as they are best placed to determine requirements for their own context and circumstances. This includes Desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or hybrid devices, projectors/flat screens, cloud-based tools and software applications, and learning platforms.

ICT annual grant funding

** Funding for the 2020-2021 school year was brought forward to issue in 2020 to support schools to deal with the impact of the pandemic.

Further information on criteria and the funding allocation applying can be found in the ICT Grant Circular 0077/2020, available on the Department's website.

The Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education (PDST-TIE) offers advice and supports to schools on digital learning. Advice sheets are available on digital technology in education, including on the adoption of laptops and tablets in schools.

Primary schools can use the Minor Works Grant for the provision of ICT infrastructure, and general capitation that issues to schools can also be used for that purpose. New schools and school extension projects also receive funding for ICT infrastructure as part of their furniture and equipment funding.

Development of a new Digital Strategy is underway and an extensive consultation process has commenced with an open call for submissions, and questionnaires for practitioners, parents and learners. Further strands of the consultation will include engagement through focus groups. A Consultative Advisory Group has been established comprising key stakeholders representing parents, teachers, students and industry. Future funding measures to support schools in embedding the use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment will be considered as part of that process.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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330. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has a policy or plans to adopt any proposal on the usage of electronic devices in secondary schools; her views on the issue of which device should be preferred for junior certificate students; if a uniform approach will be implemented across all schools; and if a uniform platform such as the use of applications (details supplied) will be adopted by her Department; if not, if such choices will be left to individual schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32664/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015–2020 Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessmentarticulates the Department’s current policy on the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment in schools. Its clear vision is focussed on realising the potential of digital technologies to enable our young people to become engaged thinkers, active learners, knowledge constructors and global citizens to participate fully in society and the economy. In developing this Strategy, the Department adopted an evidence-based approach including extensive research and consultation with education stakeholders including young people. A key support of the strategy is the Digital Learning Framework for teachers and school leaders, which was trialled in 50 schools during the 2017/2018 school year before being evaluated and improved and rolled out to all schools in September 2019. The Department has engaged the Educational Research Centre to undertake a three-year longitudinal study of impact and efficacy of the Digital Learning Framework, and this study, is expected to be completed in 2022. All schools are supported to develop a Digital Learning Plan, and have flexibility to determine how best to embed the use of digital technologies in teaching and learning in their school to enhance teaching and learning, taking into account their individual circumstances and contexts. The Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education (PDST-TIE), a Department funded support service, offers advice and supports to schools on digital learning. Advice sheets are available on digital technology in education, including on the adoption of laptops and tablets in schools. Digital learning in schools is also assessed by my Department’s Inspectorate.

Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools are a matter for the Board of Management of each school. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices. The cost and other implications must be fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a decision is made. It is important for schools, in conjunction with parents, to retain local autonomy for decisions on the use of digital technology, including tablet devices, laptops, and learning platforms, and how best to manage their integration into classroom practice reflective of their own context and requirements.

While this spirit of partnership is in place in schools the Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill will provide a mechanism for enhanced consultation on such matters in schools. This legislation provides a clear framework that schools will have to apply in their engagement with students and parents. One of the key concepts of the Bill is the need for a school to consult with students and their parents on individual school plans, policies and activities. The Bill completed all stages of the Seanad in late 2019. The Department of Education is currently awaiting an order for Second Stage in the Dáil.

There is a range of educational software, apps and tools including devices available and schools have discretion in determining which to use depending on their own circumstances and requirements. Extensive support and guidance on the use of many of the most commonly used is provided by PDST-TiE. The provision of a uniform or centralised approach would require an extensive feasibility, scoping and procurement exercise to be undertaken, with ongoing support and maintenance required to enable implementation. Many schools will have determined which software, apps and tools including devices best meet their own needs in accordance with their circumstances and digital learning plan, and will have invested accordingly.

As the current Digital Strategy for Schools expires at the end of the current school year (2020/2021), development of a new Digital Strategy is underway. An extensive consultation process has commenced with details available at . All relevant research and reports will be reviewed as part of the process to develop the new strategy.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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331. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will introduce a grant aid scheme for parents in schools that enforce a compulsory use of device policy (details supplied) especially in schools in deprived areas and with low income households; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32665/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department provided €100m in grant funding to recognised primary, special and post-primary schools to address their ICT needs during 2020, the final issue of funding under the €210m investment programme underpinning the implementation of the Digital Strategy for Schools. This included €50m in respect of the 2020-2021 school year brought forward and issued in December 2020. Schools were advised that they can use this funding to support the continuity of teaching and learning should a period of partial or full school closure occur arising from Public Health advice owing to Covid-19 restrictions. The funding is intended to enable schools to implement their Digital Learning Plan through provision of appropriate infrastructure. This includes Desktop PCs, laptops, tablets or hybrid devices, projectors/flat screens, cloud-based tools and software applications, and learning platforms.

Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the Board of Management of each school, as schools are best placed to determine the most appropriate solution to adopt in terms of supporting the learning needs of their students based on school's own context and circumstances, and in accordance with their Digital Learning Plan.

Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices. The cost and other implications must be fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a decision is made. It is important for schools, in conjunction with parents, to retain local autonomy for decisions on the use of digital technology, including tablet devices, laptops, and learning platforms, and how best to manage their integration into classroom practice reflective of their own context and requirements.

The Professional Development Service for Teachers Technology in Education (PDST-TIE) offers advice and supports to schools on digital learning. Advice sheets are available on digital technology in education, including on the adoption of laptops and tablets in schools.

The Department spends just over €150 million annually to provide a suite of supports to schools in the DEIS programme, of which €16.2 million, in the form of a DEIS grant was allocated to schools ahead of schedule for the 2020/21 school year. This is an annual grant to support learning in the context of DEIS for the academic year. In recognition of the difficulties faced by some students to engage with remote learning, at the time the grant issued last year all DEIS schools were informed by letter that they could consider using some of their DEIS funding to support pupils’ learning, for example to arrange access to additional materials of supports for students during the move to remote teaching and learning caused by Covid-19. It is a matter for each individual school to determine how best to use this funding, but it is intended to support the objectives of the DEIS programme.

Schools are asked to be conscious of students who may not have access to online facilities or technology and to adapt approaches to ensure that these pupils’ ability to participate in learning is not compromised. Many schools have already introduced a range of strategies and measures to ensure that the needs of these pupils are catered for, including pupils who have limited access to technology or whose parents are not in a position to support their learning. The guidance sets out approaches that schools can take and my Department will be asking schools to ensure that there is a specific focus on ensuring that these pupils are supported. Schools in the DEIS programme are asked to use all available supports, both in-school and community-based, to promote a positive solution-oriented approach that will support all pupils to achieve, to learn and to progress in their education and to help minimise any further educational inequality among those at risk of educational disadvantage.

The development of a new Digital Strategy is underway and an extensive consultation process has commenced with an open call for submissions. Further strands of the consultation will include questionnaires to key stakeholder and engagement through focus groups. A Consultative Advisory Group has been established comprising key stakeholders representing parents, teachers, students and industry. Future funding measures to support schools in embedding the use of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment will be considered as part of that process.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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332. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she has examined a study (details supplied); if the study and other studies will inform her policy on the advance use of electronic devices in schools especially given concerns regarding their use in aiding and hindering study and life skills; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32666/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015–2020 Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessmentarticulates the Department’s current policy on the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment in schools. Its clear vision is focussed on realising the potential of digital technologies to enable our young people to become engaged thinkers, active learners, knowledge constructors and global citizens to participate fully in society and the economy. In developing this Strategy, the Department adopted an evidence-based approach including extensive research and consultation with education stakeholders including young people.

As the current Digital Strategy for Schools expires at the end of the current school year (2020/2021), development of a new Digital Strategy is underway. An extensive consultation process has commenced with details available at . All relevant research and reports will be reviewed as part of the process to develop the new strategy.