Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

663. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she is taking to encourage teachers and SNAs to participate in the summer programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16830/23]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

664. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps she is taking to ensure that enough schools participate in the summer programme to ensure that all eligible children can avail of this support, including any plans for her Department to directly run regional programmes. [16831/23]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 663 and 664 together.

The Department recently announced details of the 2023 Summer Programme on 9 February 2023. All schools will have an opportunity to run a programme for those children that need it the most.

The central theme for this year’s programme is, ‘Building Confidence and Connections’. The primary aim of this theme is to help our children and young people to realise their potential, to be resilient in dealing with the normal stresses of their lives, to take care of their physical wellbeing and to have a sense of purpose, connection and belonging to their school community.

The main priority in 2023 is that those children with the most complex special educational needs, especially in special schools, should have access to a school-based summer programme.

The terms and conditions for the 2023 Summer Programme are being implemented following a comprehensive review and engagement with education partners and stakeholders since last summer, including the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Autism. 

The Department has engaged with management bodies, schools and parents with a view to encouraging more schools to participate in the 2023 programme.

This year, the Department has introduced a new Special School Programme as a pilot initiative to ensure there is a real focus on supporting special schools. This programme has been designed and developed to ensure supports and funding are targeted to enhance the availability of a school-based programme for pupils in special schools. 

As part of this pilot, a National Coordinator has been appointed to liaise with special schools to help facilitate them run a programme.  This person has also taken a regional focus to support schools who previously didn’t provide the programme to participate this year. This new role will be developed over the coming years to help increase the number of schools to run a programme for children who need it the most.

A series of live recorded webinars directed specifically at encouraging as well as addressing any concerns of Special Schools have recently taken place and are available to view on www.gov.ie/summerprogramme.

In addition, there are two in-school schemes at mainstream primary level and one at post primary.

(a)The Primary School Scheme for pupils in all primary mainstream schools, which provides one cohesive scheme combining the Inclusion programme and special classes from last year, and; 

The DEIS expanded literacy and numeracy summer camp/campaí samhraidh for pupils in DEIS schools. This is available to all schools in the DEIS scheme, including those that received their new DEIS status in September 2022.

(b)The Post-Primary Scheme for students with complex special educational needs and those at risk of educational disadvantage.  Allocations for the Post-Primary Scheme have been aligned to that of the Primary School Scheme, so that schools have the certainty of the same allocations for special class students as during the regular school year

The following are the key additional supports that will be in place for both schools and teachers/SNAs involved in the operation of the 2023 Summer Programme:

• School Organiser Role - In 2023, instead of preparation hours, there will be a dedicated role of School Organiser in each school offering the summer programme. The School Organiser will receive additional remuneration for their role. This is envisaged to be a key leadership role that will offer development opportunities for staff in schools.
• Summer Programme Manager - In all schools (mainstream and special), the role that was previously called the Overseer will now be called the Summer Programme Manager. This can be the same person as the School Organiser.
• Staff training – This year there will information and training session provided to all schools, including special schools, which will provided guidance and training to School Organisers. This will be facilitated through an online forum by an Education Centre.
• Length of school day - For special schools, the length of the day is being reduced from the full school day to 10am – 2pm but the same daily rate will be paid to staff taking part. This again recognises the challenges associated with running the programme in a special school.
• Flexibility in Weeks - The weeks schools run a programme do not have to be consecutive, the scheme is flexible to allow schools choose weeks which best suit their needs and staff availability. 
• Continuation of 2022 supports - Other enhanced measures from last year will continue to encourage schools’ participation, including a Centralised Application Process to reduce admin burden on schools, earlier payment of school staff and an additional capitation to cover the running costs of the scheme, as well as enhanced capitation for special schools.
• Helpline support has been available to schools since the launch of the programme. The online registration portals for Primary, Post-Primary and Special Schools opened on 01 March 2023.  Participating schools can request additional resources from the Department to run their programme.

Schools are given flexibility to engage staff that are not currently employed in their schools to support their summer programme.  A portal is available for teachers and SNAs to register their interest in working on a school based programme in a special school. This portal is currently live on www.educationposts.ie. An advertisement campaign aimed at recruiting student teachers and students in relevant disciplines such as therapy, social care and nursing and others, including early childcare workers and carers, for the role of SNA is currently being promoted in Third Level Colleges. These students will also be able to register their interest in working on this year’s Programme on www.educationposts.ie. 

Another key support being introduced in 2023 is, where a child’s special school is not running a school based programme, a new portal will be available.  This portal will allow parents to register their child’s details so that if a place is available in another location, their participation in a program may be organised.  This portal is currently in final stages of development by the Irish Primary Principals Network (IPPN) and, when developed, will also be accessible on www.educationposts.ie.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

665. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when DEIS bands will next be reviewed. [16839/23]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

666. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to review the use of Eircodes as a method of assigning DEIS status to schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16840/23]

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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 665 and 666 together.

My Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential.

Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of the Department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.

In March last year, I announced the single largest expansion of the DEIS programme benefiting 347 schools. The programme now includes over 1,200 schools and supports approximately 240,000 students. This means 1 in 4 of all students are now supported in the programme.

This recent expansion will add an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the overall Department of Education allocation for the programme to €180million.

Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools. A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie at www.gov.ie/en/publication/a3c9e-extension-of-deis-to-further-schools/#how-schools-were-selected-for-inclusion-in-deis

The DEIS identification process is based on the principle of concentrated disadvantage and the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The DEIS identification model aimed to identify those schools with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage or the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school using the school's enrolment data and national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index which is publicly available.

The Pobal HP Deprivation index provides a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a small geographical area, using data compiled from the National Census. It is used by several State agencies for the identification of disadvantage, for example, in order to target resources to communities most in need. The HP index is based on the combination of three components of demographic profile, social class composition and labour market situation. More specifically, measures that are combined in the HP Index are related to demographic growth, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with student enrolment data supplied by schools on the school enrolment databases (POD and PPOD), anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools. Eircodes allow for greater accuracy in identifying the relevant small area where individual students reside and therefore, the HP deprivation index associated with that small area. However the eircode itself is not an indicator; the data is taken from the Census.

The adoption of the HP index for the identification of schools for inclusion in the DEIS programme allows for a consistent approach in the allocation of resources across Departments to combat the consequences of deprivation, whether through education, health or other resourcing models of service provision. A census-based approach to resourcing schools and providing targeted funding to those most in need is used in many other OECD countries. The OECD has noted in its paper “Towards equity in school funding policies”that internationally, the use of census based approaches, provides integrity to the system and reduces the reporting burden on schools.

I am very conscious of the benefits of the DEIS programme. Analysis has shown that since the programme began in 2006, it has helped to close the gap in achievement between schools serving the highest levels of educational disadvantage and those serving populations with little or no disadvantage. It has provided children who come to education at a disadvantage with an equitable opportunity to achieve their potential in education.

The extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one component of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, I also recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Since June 2020, and over the past three budgets, I have secured funding to provide measures to support children in this regard. As part of Budget 2023, I announced over €50 million to provide free books to primary school pupils within the free education scheme from next September. The new free primary schoolbook scheme will eliminate the cost of schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for parents. I have also further improved the staffing schedule for all primary schools to 23:1, the lowest it has ever been.

Following the National Census 2022 held on the 3rd April last, it is envisaged that an updated HP Deprivation Index will be generated by Pobal and will be available in Q3 of 2023. My Department will engage with Pobal in relation to this process. The updated HP Deprivation Index, when available, will be considered by my Department to help inform future resource allocation to tackle educational disadvantage.

The next phase of work will consider all schools, within and outside the DEIS programme and explore the overall allocation of resources to schools to tackle educational disadvantage. Part of this programme of work will involve consultation with relevant stakeholders over the coming months.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

667. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a holistic view of special education needs within her Department ensuring that the building unit team and the NCSE liaise with one another; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16843/23]

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I wouldlike to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise that my Department is committed, in conjunction with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), to continue to work with parents, schools, patrons and all stakeholders to ensure that there are sufficient appropriate places for students with additional needs and to support all students to achieve their potential.

For 2023, the spend by my Department on special education will be substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education.

This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department’s total allocation for 2023.

Over the last two to three years, my Department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places. These initiatives include:  

• Enhanced arrangements in place, for planning and coordination of Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision requirements using the Department’s Geographic Information Management System (GIS).
• Updated technical guidance for building projects involving SEN provision.
• Future proofing at post-primary level with the incorporation of 4 special classes in all new 1,000 student post-primary schools.
• Strategic engagement with a school patron in relation to SEN provision at its school sites including its post-primary schools in the fee-charging sector.
• Modular Accommodation Framework put in place by the Department in early 2021.
• Expansion of existing planning exemptions for provision of additional accommodation at existing school sites.
• Providing expanded Project Management support to schools.
• Introducing a much-simplified application process for reconfiguration works for SEN.

Officials from my Departments Special Education Section, Planning and Building Unit and the NCSE meet on a weekly basis to forward plan for sufficient provision of special classes and special school places. Information is shared by the NCSE on demand for special education provision with my Department on a regular basis. In turn, information on the status of school building projects is shared with the NCSE on a regular basis.

My Department is engaging intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning for new special classes for the next school year 2023/2024. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements, consideration of available school accommodation capacity, and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level. 

Just last week, Minister Foley and l announced the establishment of two new special schools as part of a comprehensive update on enhanced education provision for students with special educational needs. These two new special schools will be established in Carrigtwohill, east Cork and Dublin 7 for the 2023/24 school year.

Along with the two new special schools, I also confirmed that 218 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for opening in the coming school year 2023/2024, with more to be confirmed in the coming weeks – 126 at primary and 92 at post-primary level. Also capacity will be expanded in 11 other special schools around the country.

I want to reassure you also that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an appropriate education.