Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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428. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she and the private secretary of her Department will meet with a union (details supplied) to discuss the updating of the educational requirements for new SNAs working within the education system; when the review of the education requirements for SNAs will begin; and her views on whether the current educational requirements for SNAs is out of touch with the requirements of the job and the needs of student. [9205/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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My Department meets with Fórsa regularly in respect of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and, indeed, has established a forum which meets throughout the year specifically to engage with and consult on all matters relating to SNAs. Raising the minimum qualification for appointment as an SNA has been raised by Fórsa as a formal claim and has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission and the Department is engaging in that process.

However, having considered the claim and, in particular, the period of time since they were set, the Department has indicated to Fórsa that it is open to reviewing the entry requirements for SNAs but has also agreed to a review of the SNA contract as part of the Building Momentum national pay agreement. This review is being prioritised which will then be followed by a review of the entry qualifications in due course.

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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429. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to facilitate the full recognition of post-primary school staff guidance counsellors as career guidance teachers. [9206/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I can advise the Deputy that the recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).

To work as a guidance counsellor in a post-primary school a teacher must hold dual professional qualifications: that of post-primary teacherand that of post-primary guidance counsellor. There are sound educational and pedagogical reasons for the requirement to hold both as this is a complex role which involves both teaching and guidance counselling.

It is the view of the Department that in order to be able to execute the full range of functions of the guidance counsellor in a post-primary school, a person needs to hold both qualifications. Notwithstanding the similar modules in sector specific teacher training programmes, teachers qualified to work in primary or further education sectors would still require post-primary sector specific training to be deemed fully qualified to competently work as a post primary teacher and / or guidance counsellor in a post-primary setting.

The Teaching Council and the Department of Education are cognisant of the value of education in society, of the unique role which teachers play within the education system in providing for the holistic development of students, and of the complex and intricate nature of teaching as it is elaborated in the Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers. The Council reiterates the critical objectives of promoting quality teaching and learning in all sectors.

Programmes of post-primary initial teacher education such as the Professional Master of Education (PME) prepare student teachers for core areas such as school and classroom planning, assessment, evaluation, classroom management and differentiated teaching to meet the age and stage appropriate needs of the individual learner. At the end of the initial teacher training PME course, students will have acquired the professional knowledge, understanding and skills needed to teach their subject or subjects in a post primary school. They will have gained practical experience ‘school placement’in two contrasting school settings, and developed their ability to respond flexibly to the diverse and changing educational needs of students aged 12 to 18 years.

It remains the case that a person being assigned as a guidance counsellor mustbe a qualified and registered second-level teacher with the Teaching Council and, in addition, hold the relevant recognised qualification for school guidance work.

Information on the Programme Recognition Framework for Guidance Counselling can be found here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/dce0a0-programme-recognition-framework-guidance-counselling/

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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430. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will consider providing support towards the cost to allow a limited number of experienced teachers to receive a qualification as career guidance teachers. [9207/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The Teacher Fee Refund Scheme is administered by Marino Institute of Education (MIE) on behalf of my Department and provides funding to serving teachers towards the cost of course participation and examination fees on successful completion of professional development courses that are directly relevant and of benefit to schools and that are subject to certification/award by an appropriate accreditation authority recognised by the Department.

Applications for funding under the Scheme are made retrospectively for a course undertaken during the previous academic year.

Following a review of the Teacher Fee Refund Scheme, in 2021 the Department announced that funding would be prioritised under the scheme for the following areas:

a. Upskilling for post primary teachers leading to registration with the Teaching Council in an additional subject, to support teacher supply at post-primary level

b. Inclusion and tackling disadvantage

c. Promoting well-being

d. Digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment

e. Improving students’ literacy and numeracy

f. Curricular initiatives including pre-identified areas of systemic need endorsed by school management (identified in the annual circular relating to the period in which course/year of course is completed).

Recently published Circulars 0001/2022 and 0015/2021 relate to this Scheme.