Government Commitment The Programme for Government commits to developing a National Literacy Strategy for children and young people as a matter of urgency, with school-level targets that are related to national targets.
B+
Grade:
2.2 Child Literacy
Every school will be required to have a Literacy Action Plan, with demonstrable outcomes. Responsibility for achieving these outcomes will be vested in the school principals, who will also receive continuing professional development to support the implementation of the strategy. Progress
On Track The Programme for Government also commits to: - Improving pre-service and in-service training in the teaching of literacy for all primary and secondary school teachers, with dedicated literacy mentors to work intensively with teachers in the most disadvantaged primary schools. - Increasing time spent on literacy: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) primary schools will be required to teach literacy for 120 minutes per day; non-DEIS schools to teach literacy for 90 minutes per day. This time includes incorporating structured literacy tuition into the teaching of other subjects. Progress
Progress Made What’s happening? The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy continues to be rolled out. Investments have been protected. Increased time is to be spent on literacy in all schools. Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life – the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020, launched in July 2011,51 sets out clear targets for children’s literacy performance at primary and second-level, with a view to substantially improving performance by 2020. The Strategy will continue to be rolled out in 2013 at a cost of €6.5 million.52 This investment was protected in Budget 2013.53 There are now 22 primary and 15 post-primary, full-time equivalent, literacy advisors and 10 primary and 2 post-primary full-time equivalent numeracy advisors within the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST).54 The Strategy requires all schools to engage in school self-evaluation and produce School Improvement Plans from 2012/2013, which include specific targets for the promotion and improvement of literacy and numeracy.55 Primary schools are required to have an action plan for either literacy or numeracy in place no later than the end of the school year 2013/2014, with an action plan for the other the following year. All 860 Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) schools have Action Plans in which literacy is one of the key themes.56
51 Ibid. 52 Department of Education and Skills, Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life: The National Strategy to improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020, Dublin: Department of Education and Skills. 53 Department of Education and Skills, ‘Minister Quinn protects frontline education services in Budget 2013’ [press release], 5 December 2012, http://www.education.ie/en/Press-Events/Press-Releases/2012-Press-Releases/PR2012-12-05.html [accessed 18 January 2013]. 54 Information received by the Children’s Rights Alliance from the Department of Education and Skills, 28 January 2013. 55 Department of Education and Skills, Literacy and Numeracy for Learning for Life: The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020, p. 78. 56 Ibid. 18
Children’s Rights Alliance Report Card 2013