Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 13 Feb 2024

Will the Minister for Education outline how the contents of her Department’s Circular 0002/2024 provides for additional therapeutic, behavioural and psychological supports for schools, given the current lack thereof, which remains a major barrier to fully inclusive education, and will she provide an explanation for the reduction of allocated special education teaching, SET, hours for schools throughout the country? That was the question I submitted a week and a half ago. Given the information that has been sent to schools in the past week, I appreciate that this has become more intensified still. Will the Minister outline the justification for this decision and will she assuage schools of the fears they have expressed to us in recent days?

I believe Deputy Ó Ríordáin also wishes to come in on this.

I thank the Deputy for the question. Deputy Gannon is quite correct that a circular was sent and the special education teacher allocations were issued to all mainstream schools on 6 February. It only raised the provision of teachers and there are a range of ongoing measures for the other supports, which I will also address with the Deputy.

It is important to say there has been no reduction in the overall number of special education teachers in our schools. The Deputy will be aware we have 14,600 special education teachers in total. This is an increase of 1,000 since 2021. This special education teacher allocation model has been in place since 2017. The Department commenced a review of that in late 2022 to ensure it was meeting the changing needs within special education. During this review the Department listened to feedback and to the concerns and issues raised by our education partners and schools about the existing model. This was done through a series of different consultations. It is important to say there was consultation on this.

The feedback from those consultations was inputted and used to prepare these allocations.

The allocation model for the 2024-25 school year distributes the total number of special education teacher posts in line with each school's profile of need. It is intended that some schools will gain under this distribution, with those gains to be balanced by an equivalent reduction in schools where the model indicates less need. In totality, 67% of schools will either get an increased allocation or will retain their existing allocation. For the schools for which there will be a reduction, in more than 70% of cases it will be less than five hours. That is very important.

More important still is the need to ascertain whether, in next year's allocation, the complex needs of individual students will be disregarded within the criteria. Will the Minister of State clarify that? Where a student has a multitude of complex issues, will that be disregarded? If that is the case, it is a retrograde step. It is not just me saying this. I genuinely have no interest in coming into this Chamber and expounding my own view as an individual TD. I have been contacted by a variety of TDs, principals, SNAs and parents throughout my constituency and beyond who fully believe that the experience of individual students will be disregarded under the new system. If that is the case, it will be a retrograde step. I think the Minister of State will agree with me on that.

Is it the case that the Department of Education has reduced the criteria considered for the allocation of SET hours for schools from five to three for the coming year? We can also agree that, if so, it is another retrograde step. Will the Minister of State clarify whether there is to be a retrograde step in terms of the individual experience of students in schools and, second, whether the number of criteria is being reduced from five to three? I would love to be proven wrong on this.

We will have to agree to disagree on that. I am not going to say something that is incorrect. There was consultation with the education partners. We listened to their feedback and concerns and they were included in this review.

The Deputy mentioned children with complex needs. As Minister of State with responsibility for special education, I can say that it will never be the case that the needs of children with complex needs are not taken into account. The review makes sure children with the greatest level of need will get that attention. They are supported under this model by the use of reliable and accurate school-level data from standardised tests. Gender will no longer be used as an input, which is a progressive step. It is accepted that female pupils have similar levels of need to male pupils, which can manifest later in their development. The new model is more reliable and more responsive to each school's profile of need.

Complex needs will not be captured by standardised tests. That is the crux of the argument as to why this is a poor mechanism for categorising complex needs. A multitude of different complex needs are individualised to students within the school setting. That will not be captured under the new model. I again assure the Minister of State that I did not wake up this morning and decide to come in and challenge her on this. It is the teachers, parents and others who have absolute belief in the students concerned who motivated me to raise this issue. There is a multitude of ways in which the data will not be captured.

The Minister of State said she engaged in consultation with education partners, which would include, for example, the Irish National Teachers Organisation, INTO. I presume that if there was a comprehensive consultation, the teacher unions would have been involved in it. However, the INTO has highlighted that in not considering complex needs, children who are homeless, at risk or in care and residential settings, students who are new to the State and those who speak a lesser standard of English than others in the classroom, those children will be less well off under the new model. The Minister of State says there was consultation, but consultation is not having a little meeting around a table and then going off and doing what she will. That is not consultation. She is wrong here.

I support what Deputy Gannon is saying. I, too, have been contacted by a number of schools in respect of this issue. The reality is that the old system was based on school data and included enrolment, gender, which the Minister of State has indicated is no longer a criterion, the profile of the school, complex needs and the level of deprivation. Under the new system, which is again based on school data, the criteria will be enrolment, the profile of the school and the level of deprivation in the area. The gender and complex needs criteria are gone. On the basis of the Minister of State's statistics, 33% of schools will have a lesser allocation. She has outlined that. How is the new system better? Why, as Deputy Gannon rightly asked, is the INTO criticising the new system, which the Minister of State says has been formulated following a significant level of consultation? Was INTO involved in the consultation and did it sign off on it? I do not think any teacher union would sign off on a system under which 33% of schools will have less of an allocation.

Like everyone else, I have been contacted by schools on this issue, including a member of staff at Scoil Naomh Lorcan. I have already read her words into the record but I do so again because she put it better than I ever could:

The new model is based on academic results and does not take into account [complex needs]. The Department will say it is up to the principal to give out SET hours but they do not have enough hours allocated so they either help the children with special or additional needs or they just help those children below the tenth percentile with maths and English. The new model has not enough hours allocated for both.

Representatives from Scoil Mhuire na nGael in Bay Estate, the estate I am from, were in Leinster House today. They said it looks like their school might lose two special education teacher positions. They believe they might be able to pull one back, but we are talking about not being able to deliver for pupils with complex needs. We cannot do so based on academic data alone. Some of the people making the grade will do so on the basis of the supports being provided to them. We need to look at those anomalies.

According to a poll by the National Principals Forum, 76.4% of primary school principals say the SET allocations for 2024-25 do not meet the needs of children with additional needs and that the allocation for the academic year is wholly inadequate. Three pillars are identified in the circular that was put out, that is, the enrolment allocation, the educational teaching profile, which is the literacy and numeracy profile, and educational disadvantage. In the grounds for review, the circular specifically states:

For example, significant increase in availability of social housing or the opening of a homeless shelter resulting in a large number of children with special educational needs enrolling in a school. This will have resulted in a significant increase in enrolment figures.

To which pillar does that eventuality relate? A ground for appeal that is not specified is where there are newly identified needs of a child who is currently enrolled in the school.

I appreciate that the Deputies are making representations on behalf of various principals and constituents who may have contacted them. I have no difficulty with that. It is important to bear in mind the actual statistics in respect of the new distribution model, which show that 67% of all schools will either have an increased allocation or will maintain their allocation. It is important to understand as well that this is a distribution model, which means the total available SET resources are distributed as fairly and equitably as possible across the nearly 4,000 schools.

There was engagement with the INTO and other education partners on the model. That feedback was used to inform the outcome. The SET allocations are distributed every year. Schools have received the allocation for 2024-25 earlier than was the case in previous years, which gives them more time for overall planning. The new model is more reliable and more responsive to each school's profile of need. It involves a number of inputs, including enrolment numbers, as alluded to, which are a key driver of the level of need in schools, together with educational need and educational disadvantage. Children with complex needs are supported under the model.

As a country, we recognise the unique value and richness of the teaching and learning of our national language. That is reflected in our education system, which seeks to constantly promote and protect the language.

Indeed, Irish has the unique position of being the only mandatory requirement for all students sitting leaving certificate examinations. At the same time, there has long since been a recognition that across a system as large as the education sector, there will always be students with exceptional needs and circumstances. As such, there has been a system of exemptions from this requirement to learn Irish in place since the 1970s.

New circulars setting out the circumstances under which schools may consider granting an exemption from the study of Irish were published in 2022 following a review of older circulars. The current circular allows parents of children who have a high level of multiple and persistent needs that are a significant barrier to participation and engagement in learning and school life to apply for an exemption. The overall number of exemptions in place at primary level in 2017-18 was 18,301, compared to 13,060 in 2022-23, a drop from 3.25% of pupils to 2.34% of pupils. In 2017-18, 82.8% of exemptions were on the basis of special educational needs, SEN, while 17.2% were granted to children coming from abroad. In 2022-23, 93.6% of exemptions were granted on a SEN basis and 6.4% were granted on a coming-from-abroad basis. In effect, we have seen a decline in the number of exemptions in primary school and a significant turnaround in that of those that are granted, almost 94% are granted on the basis of SEN and 6.4% are granted on the basis of the students coming from abroad.

At post-primary level, there were 49,570 exemptions in place in the 2022-23 school year. In 2017-18, 47.4% of exemptions at post-primary level were on the basis of SEN while 52.6% were granted to students coming from abroad, compared to 45.8% in respect of SEN and 54.2% on the basis of coming from abroad in 2022-23.

The Minister can understand why there is concern around this. I am somebody who has seen the Irish language from both sides. I learned it in an English-speaking school and I think one of the greatest policy failures of the past 100 years is the standard of Irish an average Irish child has. I then went to a Gaelscoil for a year, immersed myself in the language and have been able to speak it relatively fluently since then. The methodology of how we teach Irish has to be scrutinised. I know there have been improvements. There is also a question mark over the number of students who are getting exemptions from Irish but continuing to study other languages, such as French, German or whatever. There is a concern among the Irish language community that there is a soft option to get out of Irish and it is giving the impression that Irish is much more difficult a subject to learn, enjoy or be empowered by than any other, if the Minister understands my meaning.

I want to get my head around it. Does the Minister accept that there is a problem, and what kind of response is the Department intending to make?

I appreciate the concern that the Deputy is bringing to the floor. When we look at it, we have to look at primary and post-primary levels. We have seen a significant reduction in exemptions at primary level, yet at post-primary level there has been an increase, but it is an increase of about 3%. We need to look at that in the context of the fact that this is a new circular. In the first year of implementation there is always going to be greater uptake because there may well have been a backlog. We also need to look at the fact that in the post-primary sector there are over 18,000 students collectively from Ukraine who are now in the system. At post-primary level, 36,629 students have come into the education system from abroad in the past couple of years. During this period, the prevalence rate of autism has grown from 1.8% to over 3.2%. It is also worth nothing that there are now almost 9,000 pupils enrolled in special schools and a further almost 18,500 students enrolled in special classes. Since 2017-18, the percentage of post-primary students holding an exemption from the study of Irish has increased by roughly 3%.

I would appreciate greater engagement on this. I am not a believer that any subject needs to be compulsory at second level. I think it is very destructive for someone to be in a classroom learning something they really just do not want to learn. I would say that about any subject. However, we have the system that we have. Is it the contention of the Department that if you have a SEN or a challenge in your learning, Irish is something that you do not need to learn? I need to tease this out. If we value Irish, every child, regardless of their academic ability or challenges they may have, should be open and exposed to whatever level of words they can enjoy. I would not want the message to go out from the Department and the education system that this is too difficult and you can get out of it for various reasons. Having said that, there is a wider discussion to be had about the compulsory nature of it.

I want to be very honest in agreeing with the Deputy that at no point would I suggest that any child, and in particular a child who might have an additional need, should not be availing of Irish. On the contrary, it is the view that if ultimately a decision is taken that they will not take the subject to exam level, they should still have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the experience of it and be part of the experience. I would absolutely want to ensure that that is the case. In the first instance, every child should have an opportunity to experience the language.

The Department has written to every school principal, reminding them of the relevant circulars and criteria that have been laid down under which an exemption may be granted. A level of auditing of schools regarding the granting of exemptions will also be carried out, informed by the data available to the Department. We want to do the best for every single child. We want to ensure that the Irish language continues to be grown and nurtured in our school system, and we want to do that in a fair and equitable way for all students.

I recently had the pleasure of attending St. Joseph's School in Finglas west with the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers, for an active school project. There was a fantastic atmosphere and a great presentation was put on by the school. However, I have to say that I was struck by some of the building issues the school has. The school has engaged with me about the issues it has with the roof, with some of the shelters in the yard and with what the council would call the public domain or the public realm within the schoolyard. I wonder if the Minister could update me on the school's request for funding to repair the buildings.

Since 2020, the Department of Education has invested in the region of €4.3 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of over 750 school building projects and with construction under way at approximately 300 other projects, which includes 34 new school buildings. Projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of over €1.2 billion. This is a record level of investment in our schools which highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities. The key drivers of capital investment in the schools sector include demographic growth, particularly at post-primary level; increased demand for special educational needs provision; alignment of school place provision with new housing development; and climate action objectives, including deep energy retrofit.

The project raised by the Deputy relates to a summer works scheme application. The purpose of the summer works scheme is to enable individual school authorities to undertake small-scale building works on a devolved basis and which, ideally, can be carried out during the summer months or at other times that avoid disrupting the operation of the school. The summer works scheme operates on a multi-annual basis for categories of works such as roof works, window replacement, mechanical and electrical works and external works.

The Department has committed in excess of €125 million in funding for summer works projects during 2022 and 2023. I can advise that the school in question submitted its pre-tender report to the Department’s planning and building unit and this was reviewed in detail by members of the summer works and professional and technical teams. A number of recommendations were made by the professional and technical team in respect of the proposed scope of works to ensure the project will comply with the Department’s technical guidance documents when complete. The Department requested that these recommendations be included by the design team in the project scope, and requested that a revised pre-tender report be submitted. The recommendations were notified to the school by email on 28 September 2023. The school advised that the board of management would discuss the recommendations with the appointed design team and revert to the Department as soon as practicable. Department officials remain available to assist the school authority in delivering a successful project and await that information from the school. The Department is leading an ambitious sustainability agenda and has progressed a wide array of measures to improve the overall sustainability of our school buildings.

I welcome the availability of the Department to assist the school on this matter. I note the issues regarding the pre-tender report. The school is quite frustrated that the report has delayed things. I know there is some difficulty in trying to secure the additional requirements. There is a bigger issue here. If we had a DEIS-plus programme, this would be a school that needed it. The Minister provided access control gates for the school last year. She did so because of the significant level of antisocial behaviour that is happening in the area. The council and other local representatives are highly engaged with the school to try to address this ageing and large campus, which unfortunately has a small number of students, meaning that the capitation grant goes nowhere near the management costs. There is a long-term issue here with how we manage the school building and invest in it. I accept that the summer works scheme needs to be brought to a conclusion and I thank the Minister for her support. There are two other questions later on with regard to Holy Spirit school and Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin. I might follow those up with the Minister directly afterwards.

I acknowledge the excellent work that happens in that school every day, the excellent school leadership team and, equally, the entire staff and indeed the students themselves. The Department has engaged directly with the principal here. The Department obviously wants to get this over the line. We are happy to engage on a one-to-one basis with schools where they might have a difficulty. In principle, we recognise the importance of this work. We are obliged to have everything as it should be from a technical point of view. If a school is having difficulty with supplying information, we are happy to work with it directly. We have intervened with the principal directly on this. I hope that whatever issues are there can be surmounted in the shortest timeframe possible. There is an absolute willingness on our part to work directly with the school.

I appreciate the Minister's reply. As I say, there is a broader issue not just on this site but across north Dublin. We have schools that were built when we had much larger and younger populations in certain areas. Unfortunately, they have seen a reduction over time. They are large campuses. They are not new school buildings. They are often 50 or 60 years old. We need a broader policy to analyse those and to see how we can get the best value for money for investment in them. They also have great community value. Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin, which I referred to, is getting a fantastic new school building. It is making facilities available to the community and locating facilities within the design for that. That strikes to the broader point that these are huge assets. They might have slightly reduced numbers but they still need the same building maintenance and management. I would say the same about Holy Spirit girls school, which has a fantastic new extension. Work is going on. I have education queries on both those applications but they are not for the Dáil. They are examples of old buildings being invested in. I would like to see us do more of that across north Dublin.

Very briefly, as I am renowned for. If we are talking about the schools building programme, it has been brought to my attention - I have spoken to the Minister about this previously - that at times there can be issues with communication. Some of that is that the schools would say the power they had previously or their involvement was greater with regard to running these jobs. An example that was given to me today was Scoil Mhuire na nGael. When a yard was being finished and a stone finish was being put in for aesthetics, the school pointed out straight away that this would not work. It was told that was the way it was. Now it is being dealt with and looked at. There will be a cost. One can imagine the particular issue with regard to health and safety and so on. We just have to find a better way of doing this.

I am not aware of the details of the individual school that Deputy Ó Murchú has raised, but I will look at that. I am aware of the very specific case that has been raised by Deputy McAuliffe. It is an excellent example of the willingness of the Department to engage on a direct basis with schools. Over the last number of years, in the lifetime of this Government, over €4.2 billion has been provided for school buildings, whether brand new, additional accommodation or whatever, or to speak to Deputy McAuliffe's point, for deep energy retrofit which will re-energise and reinvigorate an old building and give it a new lease of life, which is important. It would be a shame not to be able to utilise buildings to their maximum because of their age. If we can preserve a building, we will do that. On the specific case that was raised earlier, I can clearly point to examples where the Department engaged directly with the principal or the patron, or whoever might be the contact person, to get over any difficulties or issues that they might have to bring a project to fruition. At the end of the day, there are standards that must be applied and requirements that must be fulfilled, but the Department will work with the school to ensure that is the case.

I ask the Minister for Education if a report will be given on the potential inclusion of golf in the curriculum for physical education, PE, specifically in the striking and fielding games territory, and if a statement will be provided to the Dáil on this matter. We have seen in recent years the success of Irish golfers, both North and South, and the Ryder Cup is coming to the country in the near future. Is this an indication that we could do more at an educational and sporting level to improve the situation?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an cheist thábhachtach seo. Leaving certificate examinable physical education, PE, was launched on a phased basis in 2018 and was introduced at that point in 64 secondary schools. This was the first time PE was recognised as an examinable subject for State certification purposes. The subject has been very well received, with 404 post-primary schools now offering the subject. There are ten topics set out under two strands in the leaving certificate PE specification. Strand 1 is towards optimum performance and strand 2 is contemporary issues in physical activity. Students' physical active participation is central to teaching and learning across strands 1 and 2 in leaving certificate PE.

To enable this to happen, students learn about the different theoretical perspectives through their engagement in three different physical activities. Each activity must be selected from one of six distinct physical activity areas, which reflect the activities most commonly included in school PE programmes currently. They are athletics; artistic and aesthetic activities; adventure activities; games; aquatics; and personal exercise and fitness. Students cannot choose more than one activity from each area.

There are three assessment components in leaving certificate PE, which are the physical activity project; the performance assessment; and a written examination. The physical activity project accounts for 20% of the marks available and is assessed at higher and ordinary level.

It is important to note that any physical activity area that has a national governing body recognised by Sport Ireland which complies with the definition of a competitive sport as outlined in the Irish Sports Council Act 1999, including golf, can be chosen as a physical activity area of study for the physical activity project. Students can select golf as the physical activity area for their physical activity project, once this choice is supported by their PE teacher and by the school. It should be noted that students must complete the physical activity project and the performance assessment in different physical activity areas. Golf is considered to fall under the games physical activity area. Therefore, if students choose golf from the games category, they must choose a different physical activity area to study for their performance assessment. As part of the senior cycle redevelopment, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, will convene a subject development group in the coming weeks to consider a range of additional modifications to the specification. As part of the work, the NCCA has been asked to ensure that the development group takes account of any relevant issues arising, including any necessary update.

It is positive to hear that the Department is aware of the positive initiatives that could be enabled by working on this. The statistics do not tell a lie. Approximately a quarter of a million people come to Ireland from all over the world to play golf on our courses. That represents a huge opportunity to allow our young people to get skilled up in this area from an educational perspective. For that to be recognised as part of the curriculum would be very positive. There are more than 400 golf clubs in Ireland. In 2027, the Ryder Cup will be here. We have had such significant success for a country with such a small population in this sport. There are great merits from cultural, sporting and economic perspectives to providing young people with those skills, allowing them to take their sport seriously from an educational perspective and for that to be recognised from a curriculum perspective. From my perspective, it would be very positive.

I ask for that to be looked at by the Department.

The NCCA process I mentioned is independent. I encourage people who are interested to engage with it. It would be great to see golf as fully part of the leaving certificate. We will host the Ryder Cup in 2027. Significant Government funding is going towards that. As well as the tourism and economic benefits of these events, I am keen that there be a sporting participation benefit. I have met with golf clubs and Golf Ireland, and have tried to encourage them to get more involved with schools. I was encouraged by the situation in Youghal, in the Deputy's constituency, when I visited. I have been telling people about the situation there where the golf club works closely with the school to try to get young people to take up the sport. I welcome that and have been telling people throughout the country about that initiative. I want to see more of that. The Department of Education is keen on that as well.

I thank the Minister of State for his interest. I recognise the assistance he is providing through the sports capital programme. That has been very beneficial locally and nationally, especially in situations where schools work closely with community sports clubs.

The Minister of State referenced Youghal; I am delighted to hear that, as always. Fantastic work has been done in that town through its golf club working with Pobalscoil na Tríonóide and other local organisations to promote inclusion. There is a stigma around golf. It is a sport, unfortunately, that gets a bit of a tough time. The country needs to recognise that our golfers have done exceptionally well at an international level, from captains of Ryder Cup teams to those who have gone on to win major tournaments all over the world. They have brought pride to the people of Ireland. The question today is around recognising the sport on the curriculum, at leaving certificate and other levels, and the positive benefits it may bring.

I am very happy to let the NCCA do its process, which is independent, but I am keen to expand participation in all sports. That means encouraging our young people to take part in the sport of their choice.

Last weekend, I was at the rugby. This weekend, I will be meeting with some GAA organisations. Last week, I met the baton twirlers-----

There are a range of sports. If we are serious about getting people to participate in sport, every single sport has to be used to encourage participation and get those numbers up to 60% of the adult population participating in sport. Golf is very much part of that. From what I saw in Youghal, and from what Deputy O'Connor discussed with me regarding the local golf club, we can have a situation where golf is accessible to children and young people in school. In my view, it can be very much part of the leaving certificate PE programme, which has been one of the outstanding successes of the Department of Education over the past number of years.

In the current school year, more than 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post-primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who arrived in Ireland from Ukraine, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. As such, the school transport scheme represents a highly significant logistical operation and is a significant pillar of Ireland’s public transport system.

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02 million. There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023-24 school year in comparison with the 2022-23 school year. Under the current terms of the scheme, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 km from, and are attending, their nearest school and, at post-primary level, where they reside not less than 4.8 km from, and are attending, their nearest post-primary school or education centre, as determined by the Department and Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Any children who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or are otherwise known as concessionary applicants, and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for.

The school transport scheme has been operating for more than 55 years since its establishment in 1967. This review is one of the most extensive investigations that has been carried out into the scheme since then. Undoubtedly, the school transport scheme is of huge importance to families, and there has been a significant amount of change in this country since the scheme was established. A review of the school transport scheme has recently been completed by a steering group with high-level membership from relevant Departments and other bodies, reflecting the importance of the scheme for access to education and other wider Government objectives. The review has been conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure it serves students and their families efficiently and effectively. Considering how to best maximise the benefits now and into the future has been a significant factor in the ongoing review of the scheme, which commenced in February 2021.

The Minister is correct that the review has been extensive. That is one way to describe it. It has been going on since February 2021. The Minister said earlier that she would have the review published by the end of March. Does she envisage the report, and the review in its entirety, being published at that time?

The school transport system is quite unique in that parents, students and Deputies want it, but each of those moving parts also needs this to happen for a variety of reasons. If this review is to be published by the end of March, will she outline what impact she sees it having on 2024-25 school year applications?

I acknowledge that interim measures were taken by the Department following the first phase of the review, namely, the temporary alleviation measures, TAMS, introduced at post-primary level, which are being continued for the current school year. Under these measures, which were introduced in 2019, transport is provided where there is a route in operation and where capacity exists for concessionary post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school, are attending their second-nearest school, and who applied and paid on time.

The Deputy referenced the extensive engagement that took place. This was quite significant because it was the first time in the 55 years of the school transport system that such a review took place. It is my aim and expectation that we will publish it in the first quarter of this year. The steps for that are for the review to go to a Cabinet sub-committee and then to Cabinet. Following that, it will be published. Prior to the review going to Cabinet, I am not in a position to give the detail on it. However, it will be published in the first quarter of this year.

As I said, we all want this to work and to work effectively. I again ask the Minister what impact she sees this review, to be published by the end of the first quarter of this year, having on applications for school students for the 2024-25 school year.

The significant reduction in the number of vehicles on the road will not be lost on anybody who has been in a car during the mid-term break this week. We can make that a permanent feature if we have a fully functional and fully resourced school transport system. There is another aspect to this outside of traffic. Road safety concerns are involved with the high volume of cars that are on the roads around schools. There are also congestion and traffic issues and the general sense of schools being very busy and unwelcoming places sometimes, especially when we know that the demand from parents is there in rural Ireland. We know the difficulties the eligible and concessionary student classifications have caused. Again, what impact does the Minister see this review having on the 2024-25 school year?

My initial point is that there has been extensive engagement on this, but the Minister is the only Minister who has delivered on the review, which has been promised on numerous occasions by successive Governments. It is great to see it being finally brought to Cabinet. I commend the Minister on that. She said it would be brought through the various stages by the end of quarter 1. Will she clarify whether the changes proposed will take effect when the portal opens, which typically happens in April? Will whatever recommendations that are made take effect with the opening of that portal? I reiterate my call, which I have made dozens of times at this stage, for some flexibility to be built into the system, especially in the areas of Carrignavar, Glenville, Watergrasshill and those villages that face a geographical challenge in terms of proximity to schools.

Could some flexibility be built into Bus Éireann to allow it to make some discretionary cases where there is a demand for the service?

I support the comments made by Deputy Clarke on this issue. On top of the issue of transport to school, I also flag the issue of transport between school campuses. The proposal put forward by the Minister's Department for Owenabue Educate Together national school sees the school split between two campuses for its temporary accommodation. Split campuses are rarely ideal. However, in a situation of being on two opposite sides of such a busy town as Carrigaline, it is completely unworkable. It will be unworkable for staff in particular transferring between the two, but also for parents dropping off between the two if they have a child in the secondary school as well. It is unworkable. It is a significant threat to the school and to its ability to grow and prosper. I have written to the Minister in the past few days. Is it possible to get a response to that? I also believe it is possible to locate the entire school temporary accommodation on the site where its permanent accommodation will be at the end of it.

At the outset I would like to say that I appreciate the importance of the school transport scheme. I know of its value in many rural areas in particular. It was for that reason we ensured we got the widest spectrum of opinion in terms of how we should operate. That was not just families currently using the system, but families who have not used the system and would like to use it. There were those who engaged with the system from a special education point of view. An analysis of school transport schemes in other jurisdictions was also conducted. This included looking at systems in the EU, the UK, the United States and Australia. The final report and its recommendations on the future operation and strategic development of the scheme will be brought before a Cabinet subcommittee. It will then be brought before Cabinet, and it will only be at that point we will be in a position to say what actions will be determined by Government. However, nobody for one minute underestimates the value and importance of the school transport scheme.

I did not get a chance to respond to Deputy Ó Laoghaire but I will come back to him at another time.

The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year more than 161,000 children, including more than 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post-primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported daily to primary and post-primary schools. As referenced earlier, the total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02 million. There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023-2024 school year in comparison to the 2022-2023 school year, which again points to the importance of the scheme.

Everybody is aware of the criteria. At primary school level the student must reside not less 3.2 km from and attend their nearest national school. At post-primary level they must reside not less than 4.8 km from and attend their nearest post-primary school. The school transport scheme is a demand-led scheme based on the number of children who apply. The scheme is operated using a mix of Bus Éireann-owned vehicles and directly recruited drivers and private contractors who recruit their own drivers to operate on the scheme. As part of the operation of the scheme, Bus Éireann manages the procurement tender process and contract management arrangements to include services provided by contractors under the scheme. There are currently in the region of 7,000 vehicles operating on the scheme. The competitive procurement process is conducted in accordance with the negotiated procedure under national and EU procurement legislation.

As more than 90% of school bus services are contracted locally, each contractor recruits school bus drivers directly. Each contractor is responsible for ensuring that all the required training has been provided to their drivers and that all the necessary licences and professional standards are in place. The safety of children and young people using the school transport scheme is of paramount importance, and we all appreciate that.

While Bus Éireann advertises for contractors through eTenders in accordance with national and EU procurement legislation, it has also sought taxi or bus operators through a mix of targeted campaigns through NTA bulletins.

I thank the Minister for her comprehensive reply. My concern is, and I think she would agree, that the service has expanded substantially in recent years and there is a growing demand. As recently as last night I had a meeting with a number of parents. They are concerned because, of 16 children, only five are able to get school transport when all 16 should be getting it. Their concern is that if we want to cater for all of the children, there would have to be an increase in the number of places and buses available. My colleague, Deputy O'Sullivan, already raised issues in rural areas like Glenville, Carrignavar, Watergrasshill, upper Glanmire, Grenagh and the Blarney area. There are challenges there and it is important there is a comprehensive service. Are we sure we will have a sufficient number of drivers for the coming year?

I acknowledge that Deputy O'Sullivan raised a similar issue. I also acknowledge that in the current school year Bus Éireann reported particular issues with the availability of drivers and contractors. This included a number handing contracts back unexpectedly and the receipt of zero bids handed out for contracts tendered out in certain areas. This is against a backdrop of significant driver shortages in the labour market overall, and competing demands for drivers to deliver additional public service initiatives such as Connecting Ireland, BusConnects, Local Link services and such schemes.

Bus Éireann continues to prioritise sourcing drivers and contractors for the small number of areas where transport is not available. As well as commencing the planning process earlier for the 2024-2025 school year, the Department engages with Bus Éireann daily relating to operational matters. Monthly operational and quarterly strategic meetings are also held. The Department continues to engage closely with Bus Éireann on the current and future availability of drivers and contractors, which as reported is the wider issue nationally. The Department of Education also engages regularly with the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority.

In a lot of cases it is two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. Could there be further engagement about getting more people and making sure they have suitable qualifications? Can a special effort be made over the next few months to make sure people who want to assist in providing the transport have the necessary training and are available to drive the buses so we can make sure we have a comprehensive service in every area?

I support the premise Deputy Burke has put forward. We have also had conversations about the retirement age for drivers, or the age at which they are not allowed to drive for Bus Éireann in particular. However, we all have anecdotes. I have often driven to matches and so on, as a school teacher, with a bus driver who is well into his 70s. We have always arrived safely at the pitch and been returned home safely too. In an era where we are extending the ages for people who can serve in the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána, albeit not into their 70s, that is perhaps something that could be looked at, even on a pilot basis. There might be some additional test that people could take to try to re-engage with the workforce.

I will talk specifically about school transport for those with disabilities. There seems to be some sort of anomaly. I will just give a quick example. There was a family in Dundalk that applied for a school in Dundalk with an autism spectrum disorders, ASD, unit but there was no room. They went to one in a rural post-primary school. They then failed to qualify for transport on the basis that one of the schools with no room, which had an ASD unit, was the nearest school to them.

I will send the Minister the details later, but it needs to be looked at in a more general sense.

If the nearest school is full, the next nearest school becomes the school for which transport will be automatically provided. I would be interested in seeing the individual circumstances for that one.

Regarding having an appropriate number of bus drivers, as I said earlier, this is not unique to the school transport system and is a wider issue for transport providers. Bus Éireann has conducted a national and local media advertising campaign seeking additional drivers and contractor operators for the scheme. As late as yesterday I heard a specific campaign targeted towards females who might be interested in taking up positions as bus drivers. There is a comprehensive recruitment campaign where possible. The question of age is a matter for Bus Éireann. It is very much within its remit to determine the age qualification. Bus Éireann has engaged and told us it will keep it under review.

I wish to ask about two school extension projects in the Kilcoole and Greystones area. Coláiste Chraobh Abhann has planning permission and is waiting to go to the stage to build the extension. The other is Temple Carrig School in Blacklion in Greystones, which is waiting to go into the planning process. The Minister will be well aware of the issue we have with schools in the Greystones and Kilcoole area. I ask her to update me on those two extension projects.

Since 2020, my Department has invested in the region of €4.3 billion in our schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 800 school building projects. Construction is under way on approximately 300 projects, which includes 34 new school buildings. These 300 projects at construction involve a total State investment of in excess of €1.2 billion. There are also 90 projects at the tender process, including a further 28 new school buildings. All of these new school buildings are flagship projects in their area and will transform the education infrastructure for those school communities. This is a record level of investment in our schools and highlights the Government’s very strong track record of delivery in providing additional capacity and modern facilities for our school communities.

The permanent building project for Greystones Community College will deliver a new 1,000-pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including four classrooms for children with special educational needs. The project is being delivered under my Department's design and build programme and is at tender stage. The invitation to tender for the project issued in April 2023 as part of a bundle of projects for ten schools issued to the Department's framework of design and build contractors. Given the scale of works involving new purpose-built accommodation for ten schools, some of which are on-campus sites, the tender process involves a very large volume of documentation and drawings and takes approximately eight to 12 months. Tender returns have been received and are being evaluated. Given the scale of this investment, this tender evaluation process by the Department's technical staff and project management team takes time to work through properly.

The Department is very conscious of the importance of getting these projects, including the project for Greystones Community College, delivered as quickly as possible. The tender evaluation process is well advanced and will be coming to a conclusion shortly. Once the contractor has been appointed, it is anticipated that construction will commence shortly thereafter. The construction duration for the project is estimated at 65 weeks. The Department will continue to keep the school and its patron body updated as the project progresses.

Requirements for school places are kept under ongoing review in the context of available information on population, enrolments and residential development activity.

I am delighted to hear the Minister refer to the 1,000-pupil Greystones Community College project which is also part of the of the building mix required in Greystones. However, my question related to the extensions for Temple Carrig School and to Coláiste Chraobh Abhann. They are all part of the mix. As the Minister knows, every year we go through this frantic process of trying to find school places in Greystones.

Coláiste Chraobh Abhann has planning permission and I think is at stage 2B of the process. We really need that process to be speeded up so that extension can go ahead to provide another 200 places. Temple Carrig has not yet entered the planning process and is at stage 1. I appreciate the different stages in the public spending code, but we have this crunch every year in Greystones. If possible, I would like to see those two projects prioritised and speeded up as well as Greystones Community College, which will provide a 1,000-pupil school. That will actually solve the school places issue in Greystones, Kilcoole and north Wicklow in the long term.

I appreciate the importance of the provision of school places. As I mentioned, there has been a significant investment by the Department of Education, with more than €4.2 billion since this Government came into office. A sum of €1.2 billion has been allocated this year for works at various stages of construction.

There is significant demand for places in areas where there has been exponential growth in housing. I acknowledge the co-operation we have received from schools on the ground. For example, a few days ago there was the announcement of an additional 47 places being made available to accommodate first-year students in this area. More will be done when clearer numbers for the requirements are made available to us in the area the Deputy mentioned.

On the two schools the Deputy mentioned, it is a priority for the Department to deliver all projects in a timely and efficient manner and to meet the needs. Where we are not in a position to meet the needs immediately, we provide modular accommodation.

I have put this question to the Minister, Deputy Harris, on a number of occasions in his role as Minister for further and higher education. It relates to the designation of universities or technological universities as centres of excellence for the purposes of teacher training education. As it stands, only a certain number of universities are sanctioned as centres of excellence. It means places like South East Technological University, SETU, are locked out of teacher training provision. I believe we could look to change this.

I thank the Deputy for his question. I published an initial teacher education policy statement in 2023, presenting a vision for policy and provision across the sector. It aims to ensure student teachers at primary and post-primary level have the skills to support all of our children and young people as learners in the years ahead. One of the policy's guiding principles is the continuation of the vision that initial teacher education will be led by a small number of university-led centres of teacher education excellence and that each of these will have a critical mass to provide for good teaching, research and international co-operation, with structures to ensure meaningful collaboration across educational sectors.

This reaffirms the position first set out in the 2012 report of the international review panel on the structure of initial teacher education in Ireland. At that time, there were 19 publicly funded higher education institutions providing programmes for primary and post-primary teachers. There were also a number of private providers. However, this growth was not co-ordinated and had evolved in a piecemeal manner, resulting in a variety of models of provision by a range of providers. The review panel concluded that this provision did not conform with high-performing international practice. A review of progress, carried out by Professor Pasi Sahlberg in 2019, found considerable progress towards achieving this objective.

Under section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, all initial teacher education programmes must be accredited by the Teaching Council for registration purposes. The policy statement includes a phased implementation plan that sets out practical ways to enhance initial teacher education in the years ahead. My Department continues to work closely with the Department of further and higher education as well as with the Teaching Council in this regard. Within this context, the policy statement recognises the contributions technological universities can make to providing subject expertise for initial teacher education.

A number of technological universities are already involved and contributing to initial teacher education in a range of areas, while the linkage to a centre in line with policy remains key. At present, a bachelor of education in technology, engineering and graphics (post-primary) is being delivered through a partnership between Dublin City University and Technological University of the Shannon, TUS, Athlone.

I thank the Minister for her response. I am hearing a status quo response as opposed to the opportunity to change.

The Minister will know this landscape well. For primary teacher education, you will be looking at the three colleges in Dublin or at Limerick. It is a little more open in terms of secondary school education. To be parochial about it - not parochial but regional - there are 600,000 people living within an hour of Waterford city and in the south-east region, yet there is no option to pursue teacher training in that region. That means people like myself who trained as teachers had to leave the region and often, once a young person leaves a region, he or she is lost for good, not to mention the additional expense placed on parents. SETU already has a well-established school of education which caters at the moment for further education but there is an opportunity to allow a new player to enter and provide teacher training within the south-east region. I am sure other areas would welcome this opportunity. We know we have a need for additional teacher training. We should be looking at designating SETU and other areas as centres of excellence.

I was in my conclusion going to say there are examples of technological universities making provision in this area. The bachelor of education in technology, engineering and graphics at post-primary level is being delivered by a partnership between DCU and TUS Athlone. The first two years of study takes place at the TUS Athlone campus and the final two years at the DCU institute of education in Dublin. This is an excellent example of the type of innovative collaboration which can take place.

As autonomous bodies, it falls to individual higher education institutions to consider the scope of their further provision in line with their missions or strategies. The Department of Education favours new programmes being introduced in areas where there is an identified national need. In this regard, it would be expected there would be a liaison with the Department by higher education institutions, as well as with the Teaching Council and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, when considering new programme proposals. It is also expected due regard would be given to the available data on teacher supply needs. The policy statement includes a number of actions in this vein, as previously outlined.

The autonomy of the universities is one thing but this gateway around designation as a centre of excellence has effectively locked the likes of SETU out of this sector.

Another aspect I draw the Minister's attention to is SETU's capacity to be a Gaeltacht university. We have a Gaeltacht in Waterford and an area where there is a real need is teachers teaching subjects through the medium of Irish. Our Gaelcholáistí are struggling to get their hands on suitably qualified teachers. There is an opportunity for SETU to step into this space. For many mothers and fathers living in the south east whose children want to study to become primary or secondary teachers, that involves sending the child away, with all the cost that involves. Within the south east are 600,000 people who look to Waterford for their core services. SETU, given the appropriate designation, can provide the service. It should be given the opportunity to do so.

The Department of Education favours new programmes being introduced in areas where there is an identified national need. It is important there is a national need identified. That would demand appropriate engagement, liaison or collaboration with the Department of Education, as well as the Department of further and higher education and the Teaching Council. If the local technological university is in a position to make a proposal, there is an identified need and it chooses to liaise with the three bodies mentioned, that can be given consideration. It is not just one singular responsibility; there is a triumvirate that must be engaged with and it must be seen to be of benefit and to meet a need on the ground.