Step 50. Ending commercialism in schools

Following on from the significant increased investment announced as part of the 50 Steps, which should provide tangible benefits for all schools, the Green Party in Government, will examine whether it is legally possible to introduce binding legislation prohibiting schools from directly or indirectly promoting commercial products, through incentive schemes or overt sponsorship. If this is possible, subject to the advice of the Attorney General, we will introduce such legislation within the first two years of office. Should such legislation not be workable, we will introduce a code of practice for schools, based on that proposed by the Campaign for Commercial-Free Education. This code will include the following proposals: The school will not allow itself be used as a vehicle to deliver commercial presentations to the children during school time or on school premises. The school will not partake in incentive schemes or competitions that require it to influence children's commercial purchases or those of their family. The school will make every effort to avoid the use of sponsored curriculum material carrying an overt or prominent advertising message (eg logos, product orientated activities) in its classes. The school will not allow products to be provided in schools that limit the range that can be purchased, eg company-specific vending machines. We will examine the role of advertising and media as part of any curriculum review at primary and second level, so that students can be provided with the age-appropriate tools to deal with advertising in all walks of life in a questioning, critical way.

Step 49. Discretionary intervention fund

In Government, the Green Party will set up a discretionary intervention fund aimed at tackling a range of key areas on an annual basis. We will set up a priority list of additional issues that need to be tackled within the Education System, with further funding provided on the basis of outcomes. An allocation of €116 million has been set aside to examine areas that need to be developed further. Areas that will be funded include: - Additional special needs and resource teachers - The expansion of successful pilot schemes, including Early Start and Breaking the Cycle - Funding to cover the costs of formally recognising ABA schools (already promised, but not fully costed) - Additional funding for the State Examinations Commission should the Leaving Certificate be split over two years - School transport - Substance Abuse Programme Areas that will strongly be considered for additional funding include: - The School Completion Programme - Extension of the Back to School Education Initiative, including payment of an all-year allowance and a re-examination of the eligability criteria - Increased childcare supports for parents, including the integration of a childcare allowance into all adult and community education programmes - Increased supports for adult education organisations - Additional funding for the Royal Irish Academy of Music - The creation of new linkages between the Arts sector and schools, including the employment of professionals to support the primary curriculum - The creation of a model school for the performing arts - Expanding existing pilot school bus schemes in suburban areas, in conjunction with local authorities - Rolling out of the Safe Routes to School Programme nationally - An expansion of breakfast clubs - Provision of school dinners in disadvantaged primary schools - English language classes for foreign national parents - Promotion of new measures to improve health and well-being among children - Increased investment in school libraries - Investment to cover additional book costs for students of limited means Areas that need to be reviewed, with additional funding provided where appropriate - A review of outcomes in Traveller Education - A review of disadvantaged schools and supports available under the DEIS programme - A review of sex education in

Step 48. Resourcing Youth work

In Government the Green Party will develop a new multi-annual programme of funding for the Youth Work sector. In Year 1, separate to this year's Estimates, we will provide an additional allocation of €8.5 million in supports to national and major regional youth work organisations, the special projects for youth scheme, youth information centres and other youth initiatives. An increase of €1.5 million will also be provided to the Young People's Facilities and Services Fund.

Step 47. Youthreach

In Government the Green Party will expand Youthreach by a further 400 places to 4,060 approx at a total estimated cost of €3.5 million. We will also expand NEPS special needs provision to Youthreach as well as the services provided to mainstream schools by the National Council for Special Education and the National Educational Welfare Board. This will include a dedicated team of 20 new educational psychologists, separate to the existing NEPS allocation, at a cost of €1.5 million.

Step 46. Arts Education Fund

In Government the Green Party will create new linkages between Education and the Arts. An additional €10 million Arts Education Fund will be provided to the Arts Council as the body best positioned to deliver in consultation with education partners. The fund will be ring fenced for education and used to add value to work that teachers already carry out to cultivate an interest in music, drama, theatre, dance, visual art and other forms. The criteria will be set out in Government in consultation with the Arts Council and may include the provision of instruments or equipment, the employment of education officers, the funding of visiting groups etc. In Government, the Green Party will also look at establishing a model second level school for the performing arts. This will be considered as part of the Discretionary Intervention Fund in Step 49.

Step 45. Special Educational needs

In Government the Green Party will work to ensure a co-ordinated approach between the health and education areas for children with special needs. This may mean moving responsibility for certain services from Health to the Department of Education and Science. In Government the Green Party will also: - Review the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act to ensure that more emphasis is placed on the rights of the child in the legislation - Review special educational needs provision at primary and second level, assessing and analysing recommendations made by various representatives groups, including the National Parents and Siblings Alliance, Irish Autism Action, the Irish Association for Gifted Children and others. A provisional allocation of €1 million has been set aside to cover the implementation of some key recommendations. If this is not spent it will be added to the fund in Step 49. - Continue with current Government commitments to provide additional resource teachers and special needs assistants, reviewing these allocations to see if an additional investment is required, which could be provided from a fund as outlined in Step 49 - Provide an additional 42 educational psychologists to provide the full complement of 200 NEPS psychologists. An allocation of €3 million will be made to cover the costs of this in Year 1 - Double the investment in equipment for special education from 3 million to €6 million, which will include the aim of allowing some students to retain their equipment from primary into second level - Provide formal recognition to ABA schools. Exact cost in Year 1 to be ascertained. This will be provided out of the fund in Step 49 - Provide for additional speech and language therapists out of Education funding (see Step 49) - Set up an advisory committee wiith a 12-month objective to investigate and advise on the educational provision for exceptionally able students. Membership of this committee should reflect a balance of expertise, as appointed by the Minister. A once-off allocation of €150,000 will be made for this purpose to cover one senior permanent member plus administration costs

Step 44. English language support

In Government the Green Party will provide language support where it is most needed. We will reform the current limit of two additional teachers per school and end the two-year maximum period for language support. We will ensure that existing commitments for language support teachers are met. This will include the provision of the scheduled 350 extra language teachers in addition to the 200 already provided by the current administration under the social partnership agreement, Towards 2016. This will have no additional cost. However we will also carry out an analysis of additional staffing requirements following the scrapping of the two-year rule for language supports. A provisional allocation will be made above current commitments to provide an additional 50 language support teachers at an estimated cost of €2 million.

Step 43. Professional Development

In Government the Green Party will review the system of further training for teachers in consultation with teacher representative bodies. This will include: A review of current professional courses available under the Summer Programme at primary level, including the possibility of making some courses compulsory or providing additional courses throughout the year in return for further course days or pay increments. A review of professional development available through the DES to teachers at second level Further training supports in the teaching of English as a second language to newcomer children in mainstream classes Further training supports in special educational needs including the specific requirements to assist exceptionally able children, including through the SESS Enhanced ICT training for both sectors under the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE) An allocation of €2 million will be made for enhanced teacher training and supports on top of existing supports. The criteria for this allocation will be set out in Government following the outcome of the above-mentioned reviews Trainee teachers allowance Having analysed the case made by student representative bodies regarding the costs of teacher training during the 16-week compulsory classroom teaching practice, the Green Party will provide a vouched allowance to trainee teachers to a maximum of €500. An allocation of €1.1 million will be made available to cover current costs along with those of additional trainee teachers as part of Steps 26 and 27.

Step 42. Teaching of Irish at primary and second level

The Green Party will carry out a comprehensive review of the teaching of Irish at primary and second level. Terms of reference will be drawn up to develop a well-planned and modern approach to language acquisition by Irish pupils, based on the most up to date language acquisition methods. Greater emphasis will also be placed on general competence in spoken Irish. The Green Party supports calls made by Conradh na Gaeilge for the reform of Irish. These include: The phased introduction of 'immersion education' in an all-Irish college as part of the mainstream teacher training process at primary level. This would start with an initial pilot group of students and be rolled out to cover all students over a 15 year period. An allocation of €500,000 is being made to cover Year 1 additional training costs. The inclusion of one extra subject to be taught to every primary school student through Irish. This would also be piloted in schools other than Gaelscoileanna that do not already teach a second subject through Irish and would be rolled out to all schools over a 10 year period. While suitable subjects will be assessed by the NCCA, we recommend physical education as an inclusive and fun way of introducing wider use of Irish into the curriculum. The development of two different syllabi for Irish at second level, ‘Irish Language’ and ‘Irish Language Literature’. The applicant’s ability would be examined in speaking, understanding, reading and writing of the language based on the European Common Framework in the ‘Teanga na Gaeilge’ examinations and all students would be given the opportunity to sit such an exam. Litriocht na Gaeilge would be taught in the Gaelcholaisti and as an extra subject for students who have a special interest or competence in Irish, just as applied maths is taught to those with a special interest or competence in maths.

Step 41. Role of parents in Education

In Government the Green Party will examine further ways of involving parents in the education of their children. This will include: Additional training of parents through the National Parents Councils. An increased funding allocation of €150,000 (NPC - Primary) and €120,000 (NPC Post-Primary) will be made available specifically for this purpose. Review of the Education Act to see what additional role can be played by parents on boards of management Review of the workings and operation of parents associations to see if further supports can be given Review of home teaching to see what additional supports can be provided

Step 40. Lab technicians and review of Science

In Government, the Green Party will ensure that each second level school is provided with a lab assistant. An allocation of €26 million has been made for this purpose. Recognising the importance of Science in our current and future (post peak oil) economic well being, the Green Party will initiate a further review of how Science is taught and seek identifiable targets for increased uptake in the subject. This will include: Introducing Science as a subject in its own right at senior level Reviewing transition year arrangements to ensure that there are no distractions to discourage students taking up more 'difficult' subjects (See Step 9) Setting up a National Interactive Science Centre, as recommended by the Task Force on the Physical Sciences, with a key part of its remit being to educate young people about Science. An initial allocation of €200,000 to cover pre-planning for such a project will be allocated in Year 1.

Step 39. Other curriculum reform

In Government, the Green Party will direct the NCCA to carry out a comprehensive review of all subjects at primary and secondary level, with particular focus given to the methodologies used to teach maths. The wider review will look at how each subject is taught, how each of the different forms of recognised intelligence can be recognised and accomodated within the education system and to ensure that each curriculum is equality proofed. We will look at how young people can recognise and cultivate their individual abilities and how self directed learning and creativity can be fostered while at the same time measuring academic performance. This will also include a review of the entry criteria for the third level sector to ensure that greater opportunities are afforded to those with an aptitude for certain career paths. The potential for new subjects including additional languages will also be examined.

Step 38. Reform of Leaving Certificate Exam

In Government the Green Party will reform the current Leaving Certificate exam programme, in conjunction with our review of Transition Year and the creation of new routes to Further Education. We will look at whether splitting the exam over two years would be of benefit to students in terms of relieving pressure on them and focusing minds away from other distractions

Step 37 . Capitation grant increase for primary schools

Recognising the traditional shortfall in funding for primary schools, in Government the Green Party will increase the standard capitation grant from €163.58 per pupil at primary level to €325 per pupil at an estimated cost of €74 million. We will also marginally increase the standard capitation grant in second level schools to equalise it with the revised primary level figure from €316 per pupil to €325 per pupil at an estimated cost of €3.1 million.

Step 36. VAT refund on fund-raising and voluntary donations

The Green Party will refund all the VAT schools are charged on expenditure arising out of fundraising and all voluntary donations (ie no amount specified). This will be done subject to clarification that this is within the remit of the Government under EU law at the time of the measure being introduced. The current estimated cost of such a measure and Year 1 allocation from the exchequer is €17.5 million.

Step 35. ICT investment

In Government the Green Party will investigate the potential of a new Computer Studies subject. We will resource primary and second level schools to ensure that each pupil has access to a quality ICT infrastructure, with one newly purchased computer for each child of at least 6:1. In addition to existing Government commitments under the National Development Plan, we will provide an extra €54 per pupil (bringing the total up to €100), at an estimated cost of €43.8 million.

Step 34. State planning and delivery of educational facilities

The Green Party will create a new model for the planning and delivery of educational facilities. Following on from Step 4, the DES under a Green Party government will take a proactive approach to providing new schools. School planning will in future be primarily driven by the DES, eventually through the decentralised, regional structure envisaged in Step 33. Under this new system the DES regional bodies would source and deliver temporary and permanent accommodation for new national and second level schools. Patron bodies would then be invited to apply to manage these new schools, which would be located in multi-use campuses and purpose built under Integrated Public Partnership (see Step 3). One or more schools will be sanctioned to operate within a campus, depending on the levels of interest expressed by patron bodies, who may, in cases of competition, have to tender by means of an open competition for delivery of services. A service level agreement will then be drawn up between the DES and the patron body in each instance. In addition to current funding for managerial bodies a new fund will be provided to cover service level agreements with a fee of €77,000 in the year of opening and €17,000 per annum for the next five years of operation*. The latter €17,000 will be paid on a phased-out basis for all schools that have been set up in the last five years. An allocation of €1.5 million has been made in Year 1 to cover average annual costs arising out of this scheme. Patron bodies will still be entitled to plan schools and apply for recognition under the current system, however the DES will increasingly become the driver given the shortage of schools in many parts of the country and the lack of choice available to parents and children in terms of ethos. *This is the model for service level agreements as proposed by the Educate Together patron body. Such a fee would be applicable to cover managerial and set-up/training costs for all new schools, whatever their denomination or ethos.

Step 33. Review of Education Structures

In Government, the Green Party will reform the current decision making and funding structures for education. This will be carried out subject to a comprehensive analysis and review of the existing structures with feasibility studies carried out on our favoured model. An allocation of €2 million has been set aside in Year 1 for this purpose The model we propose builds on recommendations made at the National Forum on Primary Education and Ending Disadvantage* to create new regional education structures. Recognising the existing role played by the VECs, we will create the new system partially by building and improving on existing regional VEC structures to create new, decentralised decision making bodies for primary and second Level. These bodies will oversee many funding functions currently carried out by the Department, with staff decentralised where appropriate to regional office. The bodies will have formal links to local authorities to ensure better planning for education based on county development plans, demographic changes and specific regional needs. Each body will ideally directly correspond to a county council or city council area and could be based at the Local Authority offices. Linkages will also be created with a newly created Further Education sector. Overall responsibility for funding allocations will ultimately rest with the Department of Education and Science, but in line with Green Party principles decision making will take place at the lowest effective level and responsibility for allocating at regional/local authority level will be devolved. *P. 147 of the action plan of the National Forum on Education 2001 (S 3.1.1) states: “This action plan recommends that the Department of Education and Science create regional education structures and devolve responsibility for the organisation and delivery of primary (and other levels of) education to those structures. These regional structures would be accountable to the central structure of the Department of Education and Science and, while administrative duties would form part of their remit, they would also have more significant areas of responsibility, particularly in making decisions around the analysis of regional needs, the development of strategies for the integration of services at a local level and the allocation of funding and resources.”

Step 32. Physical Education infrastructure and equipment investmentment

In Government the Green Party will significantly upgrade physical education capabilities in all schools through the provision of an enhanced additional grant of €1,215 for physical education sports equipment and training for schools, bringing the total shared figure up to €3,215 per school. We will also provide an additional top-up grant of €15 per child per school. Total estimated cost allocated €16.8 million. In Government the Green Party will also pilot Ireland's first Model Sports School at second level. This will be based in Limerick and will be followed over the term of office by nine more regional sports schools in major population centres. These schools will be modelled on the successful Westfields Sports School in Sydney, Australia, where academic performance and the achievement of sporting excellence go hand in hand. Criteria for tender and design will be agreed by the DES. Local authorities and sports clubs may be included as partners as part of an Integrated Public Partnership (IPP) arrangement, assuming this does not interfere with the training requirements of students. Assuming sports facilities such as swimming pools/sports facilities are shared between the local authority, the costs to the DES for upgrading and maintaining existing schools above current costs is estimated at approximately €6 million per school. Allocation in Year 1 for two schools €12 million.

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Step 31. Physical Education reform

In Government, the Green Party will introduce Physical Education or Physical and Health Education as an examinable subject, compulsory to Junior Certificate and optional to Leaving Certificate. This will be done following a feasibility study by the NCCA to see what mix would be required in an enhanced curriculum to achieve the optimum goals of more activity and greater awareness of personal health and nutrition issues. We will also examine and if possible revise the current curriculum at primary level to ensure that, in conjunction with the additional investment required, each student receives between three and four hours' PE a week. We will carry out a nationwide audit of sports facilities at all levels, which the Government has failed to complete in its five-year programme, including facilities currently available at schools, to ensure that all available resources on a community basis are allocated, either voluntarily or through formal arrangements, maximising usage.

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