I thank Deputy Boland for raising this question. I acknowledge that she has prioritised this with me and wants to ensure that every child, parent and teacher in her constituency has the resources, supports and indeed the appropriate school buildings he or she requires in the years ahead. I am absolutely committed to working with her and all of the schools in that regard. My role in this Department, working with the building unit, is to make sure it has the resources it needs and that it then supports and works with principals and design teams to ensure projects can be progressed in a timely manner. We have a strong track record of delivery. Since 2020, more than €5.8 billion has been invested in our schools throughout the country, which has involved the completion of more than 1,300 school building projects in a record investment. In Dublin alone, €1.3 billion has been spent in that time. In order to ensure a timely roll-out of these projects, a number of things have been done. We have increased the support and the staff in the buildings unit. There currently is a staff of 240 with ongoing recruitment in that regard. A comprehensive suite of design guidance has been put in place for the delivery of school building projects, including standardised designs and room layouts with a strong emphasis on streamlining arrangements to support delivery. There is a particular circular with regard to repurposing additional accommodation, which has been particularly helpful to help with the opening of new special classes. There is a strong emphasis on procurement frameworks for design teams. There are new building officers and projects managers specifically to support schools and to make sure there is a focus on delivery, particularly for the more complex projects. We are working as well to make sure we have IT solutions to help support the roll-out of solar PV panel programmes, which are also part and parcel of much of the work taking place. I acknowledge that some of the programmes and projects do not move as quickly as we would like. There often are reasons for that. Sometimes we have to manage the budget we have with the projects that are coming through. I assure the Deputy that we will work with all schools to make sure that as many of them can be progressed at the same time in a timely manner. We are working and constantly engaging with schools in order that this can be communicated.
Sentiment score: 0.41
If the Deputies want to send on individual projects, I can follow up to see at what stages they are. It is important to stress that there is record investment going into school buildings. We have 3,000 primary schools and 700 post-primary schools. The priority and focus always has to be to make sure, where additional accommodation is required, that we do this first, if an extension is required. I fully accept that some schools are decades old and need to be refurbished but we need to make sure that the steady pipeline is being worked through and it is being done as quickly as possible. This year alone, we have more than 300 projects, which are costing €1.5 billion, so these are not small projects. These are new schools, extensions and refurbishments. Much of the funding is being invested in making sure that the school places we have been discussing, in particular the special school places, can be provided and rolled out. I commit that the Department will work with principals and teachers to make sure that as many projects as possible can be rolled out. My role is to make sure we get as much money in the budget as possible. The more I can get this year and the more I can get in the national development plan review, the more we can invest in our schools' infrastructure.
Sentiment score: 0.18
I would be happy to see some of these schools with the Deputy. She touched on the importance of not forgetting that the more we invest in schools now, the less they will need later on. New summer works and a climate programme have been announced and will be rolled out. It is important to make sure we are investing in changes to the buildings themselves that will provide efficiencies but that will also make sure that the maintenance is kept up. I hope to be able to announce the minor works grant scheme as well. This will provide that small amount of funding that actually saves in the long run. The PV grants and other areas that I have mentioned are not about just investing in the infrastructure but they provide cost savings on energy bills as well. To the Deputy's original point, the objective of the Department and my role and that of the Deputy is to make sure that students are supported to fulfil their potential. This means them having the resources they need, including teachers, SNAs, and special education teachers. Students have to be educated in a setting that is conducive to that and this is why I am committed to securing more money in the budget so that we can develop more projects. I take the Deputy's point on timely engagement with principals. This might be something I could speak directly to her about how it is working at the moment and how we can improve it.
Sentiment score: 0.47
I look forward to working with the Deputy on this project and many others. As she knows, the Department approved the additional school accommodation project for St. Brigids School Cabinteely. The project is devolved for delivery to the school authority and a design team has been appointed to progress the project through the necessary architectural stages of design, statutory approvals, procurement and construction. The project was initially approved to provide ten mainstream classrooms and three special education tuition rooms along with ancillary accommodation. In October 2024, my Department increased the brief of the project to include the provision for a three-classroom special education needs base. The Department is awaiting the submission of a revised stage 1 report to include the SEN provision. Once received, this report will be reviewed, from both a technical and cost perspective in accordance with the Government's infrastructure guidelines. All projects, including this one, undergo the necessary due diligence outlined in the guidelines. The design team was initially appointed for this project in 2020. There has been a lot of back and forth on this. It has now changed again. Thankfully, additional classrooms are being provided for children with special educational needs. If we can move on to the next stage and the stage 1 report is presented to the Department, we will then be able to move on more quickly to the next stage. I cannot give a specific timeline beyond that, but once we receive the report, the Department will be able to move forward. There are a number of projects that from everybody's perspective, we want to see progressing as quickly as possible, particularly where additional accommodation is being provided to meet a specific need around special education. My Department is committed to this project and once that information is provided, we will be able to progress it further.
Sentiment score: 0.25
There are often different reasons projects are delayed. It is not always the fault of the Department but there are often design, planning or funding issues. It is important to make sure that funding is managed throughout the year. There are only so many projects that can be progressed at a certain time. The focus and priority is always where additional accommodation is needed. More than 100,000 places have been brought onstream over the past number of years alone where extensions or refurbishment were needed, in particular where school buildings had fallen into disrepair. That is the priority and must be the focus but, in addition, there are always other projects being developed, such as schools moving out from an existing school building into a new build. We acknowledge that over decades there is a normal amount of wear and tear and we must make sure children are being educated in the best possible setting. I will come back directly to Deputy Timmins on the schools he mentions, as I do not have an update here with me. I acknowledge that Deputy O'Connell has been hugely supportive of the schools in her area. I look forward to working with her on making sure these projects can progress as quickly as possible. In terms of the Department-----
Sentiment score: 0.16
-----it sets out timelines for the different stages and how long they should take.
Sentiment score: 0.00
We could look at putting a system in place on the engagement that would then take place with schools when they go beyond the timeline.
Sentiment score: 0.46
This is a commonly occurring theme. I am sorry.
Sentiment score: -0.04
Insofar as possible, where there are new builds or where schools have to be moved, the Department always attempts to keep some of the play space and to make sure it is not completely taken. The Department also ensures play areas are part and parcel of the development of new builds, be it PE halls inside the school or covered areas for children to be able to use in bad weather or if they do not have outdoor space. It is always a priority to make sure a play space is provided when new schools are developed or when schools are being moved or that such space can be accommodated or provided in another setting. It is not always possible or straightforward but it is something the Department prioritises. This also comes back to Deputy Boland's question on what in particular is being done to try to support schools and principals. Work has been done in that regard. There are officers and project managers who directly support principals and schools. Again, maybe it is a matter of looking at how that is working and how we can somehow improve it.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I thank the Deputy for raising this question. Reform of the leaving certificate senior cycle is the right thing to do. This is something that will benefit students. Nobody I have spoken to, including those who have concerns or who requested that this be delayed, has said we should not progress this, because everybody acknowledges it is the right thing to do. That is why I am committed to ensuring this is delivered and that we start this process next September. There is considerable momentum in the programme of work that is under way, which is primarily focused on preparing for the upcoming school year. When we look at what is happening, thousands of the 73,000 students who will be entering fifth year in September have already made their subject decisions. They have already based them on the fact there will be a new curriculum. The leaving cert has served students well but this is about making sure we support students and reduce the amount of pressure they are under. Currently, the focus is on one exam at the end that can often go wrong for students. We need to take away that significant pressure and make sure there is an additional focus on critical and creative thinking and other types of skills. Leaving cert reform is central to how we do this. In terms of what we have done and what I am doing, I am working with schools, teachers and students. The specifications or curriculum for the nine new and revised subjects in tranche 1 were published in September 2024. Their introduction to schools is being supported by a comprehensive package of support. Training has already been taken up by 26,000 teachers. A total of €12 million in funding has been provided to schools to support the introduction of new science subjects. I hope to be able to support them even further. Tomorrow, the State Examinations Commission will publish sample examination papers for each of the new tranche 1 subjects. There are 72 in total, two for each subject at higher and ordinary level. Following the publication, a series of webinars will take place for teachers, focused on these papers. Sample additional assessment component briefs will be provided by the State Examinations Commission at the start of the next school year.
Sentiment score: 0.18
There is much more in train, which I will outline. A significant amount of work is already under way in that regard.
Sentiment score: 0.10
This is not accelerated. This is something that was committed to ten years ago and it has taken until now to get to the point where it is going to start in September. Given the momentum I have mentioned, it is important we make sure it starts but that we support teachers, unions and students in making sure it happens in the best way possible and that students benefit from it. A number of things have been done such as training, money for science labs, the State Examinations Commission publishing the sample papers tomorrow, the additional assessment components briefs that will be provided at the beginning of the school year, and guidelines to support completion of the additional assessment components. Tranche 1 was published last December, having been developed with the SEC. The process involved teacher focus groups. There has been provision to schools with instructions around the use of AI in course work since 2023, but in addition and separately, my Department is working with the State Examinations Commission to develop high-level guidance on the use of AI in teaching and learning. It is anticipated that this will be published shortly. Everybody acknowledges AI is here to stay. It is not about preventing students from using it but to make sure that insofar as possible-----
Sentiment score: 0.21
-----they use it in the most appropriate way, and that they learn as well when they are using it.
Sentiment score: 0.27
I am absolutely committed to working with teachers and their unions to ensure we get this right. Today, following weeks of engagement with all the unions, I invited the ASTI and the TUI to engage intensively to see what more I can do to support them. Everything I outlined here, from the training and funding that is being provided, the papers that have been outlined, the further training that will be provided, the guidance that will be given around AI and what I am doing now in engaging with them further, I hope extensively, to see what else I can do, is to make sure this can be rolled out and that students will benefit from it. Thousands of students, as I mentioned, have taken up their subjects and thousands of teachers are preparing for this. I know from talking to students that they want this. They feel it will benefit them because the focus will not just be on one or two exams at the end of the year. This will assess other skills they have and make sure that is done throughout the year so that there is not just a focus on the end of the year. I am absolutely committed to working with the unions, teachers and students to make sure this can be rolled out and that everyone can benefit from it.
Sentiment score: 0.49
I thank the Deputy. While the provision of clinical therapy supports to children is the responsibility of the HSE, it is the Government’s ambition to make sure therapies are provided in schools. This was committed to in the programme for Government and it is to build on the work being done through the Department of Education, with a number of teams already in place within our schools through the education therapy support service, ETSS, working in conjunction with the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. At the moment, 39 therapists are working in schools to build the capacity of teachers and other school staff, as well as working with students and children. The ambition now is to make sure we can roll out a programme across the board, starting with special schools but the ambition is very much to move to special education classrooms as well. This will be done through the NCSE. It will be the employer and, most important, children will receive direct therapies and supports in schools, including from occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, and a whole community response will be taken. It will not just be direct supports for young children. Teachers will be provided with the training, resources and supports they need, parents will be included in this and there will be a whole-of-school approach. Work has started on this. We have held a number of Cabinet committees where the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, and I have met and engaged with the Departments of children, disability and health as well as the Department of further and higher education to make sure we are able to provide the therapists while at the same time complementing the work of the child and disability network teams, CDNTs, and the other therapists in the system providing support to everyone else. We need to increase the places. The Minister, Deputy Lawless, is working closely with the Minister for Health to make sure we can double the number of therapist places in our universities. That is a clear commitment we gave in the programme for Government. The work is under way to make sure we have that steady flow and capacity within the therapy professions overall. This is an absolute priority for the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, me, the Department and the Government.
Sentiment score: 0.41
While I cannot give the Deputy a timeline for the doubling of places, I know it is being worked on directly by the Ministers, Deputies Lawless and Carroll MacNeill. The more quickly it can happen, the more quickly we can fill our places overall. The change on qualifications is work that has just started, so the focus and priority have been on outlining what the therapy service will look like and how we can progress it as soon as possible. The Deputy is correct that we can provide school places for young people, but we need to make sure that when they get into school, they get access to the right supports and education. That should include therapies and they should get direct support in the schools as well as in their communities. This is about complementing the work being done outside the school as well. Deputy Ó Murchú raised Senan. I have spoken to David and Tina. The Deputy is correct that the number one priority is making sure that Senan has a school place immediately and then making sure he has access to the right school place, supports and therapies he needs. I will do absolutely everything possible to make sure that is the case.
Sentiment score: 0.33
This is about building capacity and the thing that has come to me most in recent weeks, when engaging with parents and children about what they want, is that they want the place that is most appropriate for them, although that can be different for every young person and student. It might be a special school, a special classroom in a mainstream school or a mainstream place with additional supports. In rolling out the therapies, while we have given a commitment to starting with special schools because that is where the need is most acute, my priority and that of the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, is to make sure that it is not just in special schools but is extended to children who are in special education classrooms. If we can make progress and build capacity, we will have supports available to every child who needs them. That is about making sure the structure works, that we get it up and running as quickly as possible and that it complements a lot of the positive work that is happening. We all acknowledge we can do more and that we can do better, and that is what we are trying to achieve here. There is an absolute commitment by the Government to making sure we provide these therapies in our schools and that those who need them most get them.
Sentiment score: 0.64
I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. The school transport 2030 report, which was published in early 2024, marks the largest review of the school transport scheme since it was established in 1967. We are committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendations of expanding access to the scheme in order that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030 and to continue to improve the scheme in order that it provides a valuable service for those families who rely on it while providing value for money to the Exchequer. The recommended changes to the future operation of the scheme include expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges and moving towards better integration with public transport. A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations, which is how we have to progress it, began at the start of the current school year. As indicated at the time of the launch of the review, a number of pilots were to be trialled in 2024-2025, as the Deputy mentioned, in conjunction with the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann. As also indicated at that time, it was intended that, following closure of the application process for the 2024-2025 school year, consideration would be given to further potential pilots. A total of 14 pilot projects are under way this school year. These pilots are being evaluated and, once we get the information, they will provide valuable insights into the impact of increased demand on the scheme, the potential for integrating public transport with school transport services, and opportunities to promote more sustainable modes of transport. The findings from the evaluation will guide the planning and implementation needed for a national roll-out of a revised school transport scheme. Planning is under way already for the 2025-2026 school year and further information will be available shortly. The pilots are still under way and we still need to get the feedback from them, but it is extremely important we look at as many ways as possible in which we can provide school transport. If a bus route is already available and has space to accommodate young schoolchildren, then that is what we need to look at. We must also look at expanding the criteria and what other types of routes we might be able to provide. This is what the Department is looking at now. Obviously, we must have the resources to roll this out in the year ahead.
Sentiment score: 0.22
I thank both Deputies. I acknowledge this is very stressful for many parents, families and children. It is an issue we are all dealing with. I am dealing with it in my constituency as well. I refer to where there is no particular bus route in place or where parents are looking to see how the criteria might change and how soon we can implement it. While I cannot give the Deputies all those details now, I can say all the pilots have progressed. We hope to get a review of how they have worked and are working as soon as possible, which will then feed into any possible changes that may take place this year. Again, that must be subject to resource availability. All this must be taken in the round. It is important to say and stress that 172,500 children are already getting transport to school every day in 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes. The daily trips cover 100 million km. A huge level of investment, therefore, is already going into our school transport. We are now trying to see how we can progress this even further and include even more children and ensure we add additional routes, as well as exploring where we can sync up with other existing routes. This is part of what the pilot process is doing now. The Deputies are right. The applications are open now. The closing date for new applications is Friday, 25 April, so I encourage parents, families and students to ensure they get their applications in before the deadline. The Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, the Department and I will be working with families and students to ensure that, insofar as possible, we start the expansion to be able to reach the 100,000 extra students over the coming years. It is something that will obviously have to be done on a phased basis.
Sentiment score: 0.12
What I can say is we are working on things now. While I cannot set out now whether there will be changes or what possible changes might take place this year, I can say the pilots are under way and we are evaluating them. We are also looking at other potential measures that might be applied for this coming year. This must depend on the resources available. There is a very clear commitment in the programme for Government and a very clear report setting out that we need 100,000 new additional spaces. We are absolutely committed to providing them, but it will have to be done on a phased basis. This is what we are working on now. The Minister of State and I hope to be in a position to be able to outline and set out that undertaking as soon as possible. I really do understand and appreciate the difficulties. I know many parents in my area of my constituency who for many years have been looking to get a new bus route. It has not fitted into the criteria that have existed to date. I know, therefore, there are many children looking to see how progress can be made and how quickly we can make it. We are working on this endeavour.
Sentiment score: 0.15