02 April, 2018 - Schools funded to work together on Experimental Projects, as Minister Bruton rewards Excellence & Innovation

Minister Bruton empowers schools to work together and try innovative projects to see what works and what doesn’t

Minister opens second call to School Excellence Fund – DEIS and invites applications to School Excellence Fund - Creative

Speaking ahead of the teacher conferences, the Minister for Education and Skills Richard Bruton T.D. today (Monday) reaffirmed his commitment to encouraging innovation and excellence in our education system, by announcing that over 265 schools are to be funded through the School Excellence Fund for Digital, STEM and tackling disadvantage.

The Minister also announced a second call to School Excellence Fund –DEIS and that applications to School Excellence Fund – Creative are open.

The School Excellence Fund is an initiative in the Programme for Government, pioneered by Minister Bruton to encourage and recognize excellence and innovation in our schools. Never before have schools been funded to work together on innovative solutions and given the freedom to experiment with new projects to see what works and what doesn’t.

The benefit of this approach is that it gives school leaders on the ground the support to collaborate on ideas based on their local experience and unique perspective. It allows them to work together, in some cases with higher education institutions and enterprise, and experiment to find creative solutions to complex problems. Successful approaches can then be shared across the school sector.

The Minister has set the ambition to make Ireland’s Education and Training service the best in Europe by 2026. This transformative approach to supporting local innovation will be key to realizing this vision.

Schools Excellence Fund- Digital

Children are naturally creative, curious and adaptable. SEF- Digital seeks to nurture these qualities by supporting schools to work together on projects which will use inventive methods to enhance teaching and learning through digital technology.

The Minister today announced that over 200 schools in 32 clusters have been chosen from what has been a huge demand. Each cluster will receive up to €20,000 funding over the course of the programme.

Sample of projects to be funded:

• A cluster of 6 post-primary schools in Dublin, Cork, and Westmeath will work together on a project that will use drones to record footage of the local areas surrounding the schools. This footage will then be used to inform core elements of the Junior and Senior Cycle Geography curricula.
• A mixed cluster of 9 primary and post-primary schools are partnering with Trinity College and UCD to work on the maths curricula in the transition from primary to post-primary. The cluster will investigate activities using IZAK9 cubes, Geogebra and other technologies to engage students in collaborative learning, problem solving, hypothesis development and testing. Digital portfolios will be used to track progress and outcomes.
• An Educate Together national school and 4 DEIS primary schools will collaborate on a project which will use technology to facilitate pupils working together and sharing knowledge and information, enhancing their communication skills. There are different projects for defined class groups, beginning at introductory level for infant classes, up to a website project for 6th class, with newspaper/book project, photo gallery project, among others, in between.
• A cluster of 6 Gaelscoileanna, in Dublin and Kildare will work on a project which aims to improve Computational Thinking Skills through the use of Robotic materials, with a particular emphasis on expanding the range of resources available in Irish.
• A cluster of midlands post-primary schools’, project will use industry leading training in MoJo (mobile journalism) video content creation to enhance teaching, learning and digital literacy among educators and students in the cluster schools.
• A DEIS post-primary school will work with 4 primary schools (3 DEIS and one special school) on a coding project

Schools Excellence Fund – DEIS

SEF-DEIS will support participating clusters of schools to explore new, innovative solutions to tackle educational disadvantage and improve learning outcomes for students.

The Minister today announced that 35 pre-schools, primary and post primary schools in 10 clusters around the country are being supported in the first iteration.

Example of projects to be funded:

• A post primary school and 3 feeder primary schools in Athlone will be working towards improving student attitudes to and attainment in the STEM subjects. The cluster will build on links with Athlone Institute of Technology and will explore the development of links with local businesses working in the technology sector.    
• A cluster in north east inner city Dublin, made up of 4 primary schools and 3 pre-schools is working on how they can collaborate with each other and with external agencies to better improve language skills of students from a young age and at important transitions.
• A post primary school and 2 feeder primary schools in Rathangan, County Kildare are collaborating to develop a programme to improve the uptake of Leaving Certificate Higher Level Mathematics. The programme will be delivered to students in 5^th and 6^th classes in the primary schools, all the way up to junior cycle in the post primary school.

The Minister announced that applications for the second phase of the School Excellence Fund – DEIS are now open. Approximately 40 additional schools in a further 10 clusters will be selected to participate in this phase of the programme from September 2018. The Minister also announced that a third phase will commence in September 2019.

Schools Excellence Fund – STEM

SEF-STEM supports schools to work together on projects in accordance with the government’s ambitious plans to promote the teaching and learning of the STEM subjects.

The Minister today announced that at least 30 schools in 10 clusters have been chosen and each cluster will receive up to €20,000 funding over the course of the programme.

Sample of projects to be funded:

• 4 Kerry primary schools will promote STEM and develop STEM spaces in the participating schools, with significant industry support from Liebherr, a major local manufacturing company.  The project will use a wide range of projects to support this, including programming drones, with a pilot's license to be awarded by Kerry Airport to any pupil who can fly a specified route.
• A cluster comprising 5 primary schools and 1 DEIS post-primary school from Kilkenny, Tipperary and Laois will conduct an outreach programme to local primary schools to increase the uptake, particularly of girls, in the JC Short Course in Coding. The overall aim of the project is to increase the numbers pursuing the suite of STEM subjects.
• A cluster of 1 post-primary school and 5 primary schools in Offaly, intends to build on the legacy of Birr town as a former site of a Weather station, and the tradition of engineering innovation and space exploration through Birr Castle and the Lofar project (TCD). The project aims to create a two-way active learning environment through the establishment of a STE(A)M hub for all schools in the midlands. Outcomes include learner-built weather stations in each school, plant communicators, and GPS tracking systems.

School Excellence Fund – Creative

School Excellence Fund – Creative will support clusters of schools to use art and creativity to address shared challenges or to achieve better learning outcomes.

The scheme will provide an opportunity for clusters to experiment, innovate and collaborate on the design, implementation and evaluation of bespoke arts and creative projects.

Applications are now open. Interested schools can find out more information here:

• Schools Excellence Fund - Creative Clusters
• Ciste Barr Feabhais Scoileanna - Braislí Cruthaitheacha

Speaking ahead of the INTO conference, Minister Bruton said, “We have an ambitious plan to make Ireland’s education and training service the best in Europe by 2026. I believe that in order to get there, we need to be actively supporting and recognizing excellence and innovation among our education leaders.

“I am encouraged and inspired by the projects that we will be supporting through SEF- Digital, SEF- STEM and SEF – DEIS. Each Fund was substantially over-subscribed and exceeded our expectations. There are some very novel approaches being taken in some really important spheres and it is fantastic to see such creative solutions being applied to these complex problems. I look forward to seeing what we can learn from each and share more broadly across the school sector.

“This is a step change in education. Never before have we put funding and resources in place to support schools in working together locally to trial new ideas and experiment with what works and what doesn’t. I am committed to building on this initiative and expanding on this approach during my time as Minister.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all the teachers, school leaders, students, schools, higher level institutions and businesses who came together to work on these really exciting projects. Leadership is the key to making this approach work and we are very lucky in Ireland to have excellent school leaders.”

Notes for Editors

SEF – Digital

The Digital Strategy for Schools outlines a vision for the embedding of digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment in primary and post primary schools. The Strategy outlines a programme of work across a number of themes:

• Teaching, Learning and Assessment using Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
• Teachers’ Professional learning
• Leadership, research and policy
• ICT Infrastructure

Significant investment and resources are being deployed to support the implementation of the Strategy including the development of The Digital learning Framework (DLF), which is designed to assist school in embedding digital technologies in teaching, learning and assessment. In addition, significant additional grant funding is being made available to schools to upgrade ICT equipment.

One of the proposed actions to achieve this vision is the creation of a scheme that would further enhance the teaching and learning environment in schools using digital technologies and which would encourage collaboration and innovation between teachers and schools. The School Excellence Fund – Digital Programme provides for the opportunity for schools to work together in clusters in a supported way for a period of three years. The programme was launched in December with a closing date of February 2^nd for receipt of applications.

A cluster is defined as a collection of schools who collaborate in the design, delivery, evaluation and dissemination of the outcomes of these innovative projects. It was also open to individual schools to apply under the Programme and some of those schools are being added to existing clusters approved.

A Working Group was established to oversee implementation of the Programme and consider and advise on the applications to be selected for inclusion under the Programme.

SEF – DEIS

SEF-DEIS is designed to ensure that innovative approaches and proposals to tackle educational disadvantage are supported and rewarded.

The overarching aim of the initiative is to improve learning outcomes for young people. In order to achieve improved outcomes, schools in the SEF-DEIS will be challenged to promote innovation by adopting new evidence-based approaches to tackling under-performance in literacy and in the STEM subjects or in the Arts subjects.

There are ten clusters, comprising thirty-five schools, currently involved in the first phase of the SEF-DEIS. They are working on a diverse range of themes including:

• A cluster comprising one post-primary school and its two main feeder primary schools working towards ensuring that students learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) develop sufficient higher order language skills to access the full curriculum and to achieve at the level of their ability (Balbriggan).
• A cluster comprising one post-primary school and three feeder primary schools collaborating with a local third level institute and local industry to improve student attainment in Science. The schools are working towards improving student attitudes to and attainment in the subject (Athlone, Westmeath).
• Teachers in a cluster comprising four primary schools and three pre-schools collaborating with each other and with external agencies to ensure improved outcomes in language. This will involve the development and delivery of an evidence-informed programme at the level of the classroom and in the home (Dublin north east inner city)
• Teachers in a cluster comprising one post-primary school and two feeder primary schools working towards the development of a programme in Mathematics that will be delivered to senior pupils in the primary schools and to junior cycle students in the post-primary school with the ultimate aim of improving the uptake and attainment at higher level in Mathematics in State examinations (Rathangan, Kildare).
• A cluster comprising one primary and a post-primary school has decided to develop the students’ computational thinking skills and their problem-solving skills as a means of better supporting the transition of primary pupils into the post-primary school. The work will be supported by a local third level institution (Clonmel, Tipperary).
• Another primary and post-primary school have collaborated to develop the PEACH project –Physical, Emotional, Active, Cognitive, Health project. This project will focus on the students’ wellbeing by addressing their needs in the areas identified above. Parental involvement will be an important element of the programme, as it will be in most of the other projects (Cork City).
• A rural cluster of schools will focus on the development of a cross-sectoral approach to the development of the students’ communication skills. Teachers will engage in collaborative review of their practices with a view to enhancing their communications skills and teaching methodologies while students will be expected to demonstrate improved communication skills over time (West Sligo).
• A cluster comprising two primary and one post-primary schools will seek to improve students’ literacy skills by adopting a cross-sectoral approach to the development of their oral language skills. The project will seek to ensure continuity of teachers’ practices and students’ experiences between the two levels (Enniscorthy, Wexford).
• A cluster comprising one post-primary and three primary schools is seeking to bring about attitudinal change among students to Science. The schools will work with the local business community to tap into available expertise and teachers will engage in cross-sectoral peer observation as a means of improving practices in the area of Science teaching (Inchicore, Dublin).
• Three schools, one post-primary and two primary are collaborating to ensure that high ability students achieve to the best of those abilities. Ultimately, the project is aimed at ensuring greater uptake at higher level in senior cycle Physics and Chemistry. The schools will collaborate through the implementation of a cross-sectoral approach to teaching STEM subjects (Limerick city).

Schools have been encouraged to submit applications for inclusion in the second phase of the SEF-DEIS by 18 May. It is envisaged that ten clusters comprising approximately forty schools will be selected to participate in the programme from September 2018. More information, including how to apply can be found here: http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/school-excellence-fund/school-excellence-fund.html

SEF – Gaeltacht

Schools in the Gaeltacht play a critical role in the preservation of the Irish language in their communities through the provision of high quality Irish-medium education. The Minister launched the Policy on Gaeltacht Education in 2016, which is the first Gaeltacht specific education policy in the history of the state. Funding for the implementation of the Policy has more than doubled in 2018 increasing to €2.3m, indicating this government’s commitment to supporting the Irish language and Gaeltacht schools.

A key feature of Policy implementation was the launch of the Gaeltacht School Recognition Scheme in April 2017 which provides Gaeltacht schools with the opportunity to access extra supports and resources to assist them in achieving Gaeltacht status through the development of action plans and implementation of specific language-based criteria. Through the school self-evaluation process and Recognition Scheme, 133 schools in the Gaeltacht are moving towards full Irish-medium immersion education with the support of their local language-planning committees.

To support the promotion of innovation and excellence in the delivery of Irish-medium education through the Scheme, schools that achieve Gaeltacht School Recognition over the next few years will also have the opportunity to work towards becoming Irish-medium Gaeltacht Schools of Excellence / Scoileanna Gaeltachta Barr Feabhais. This will enable schools to share their practices with other Gaeltacht schools and become involved in leading communities of practice.

 Another exciting and ground- breaking research-based project which is on track for implementation on pilot basis in the 2018/2019 school year is the implementation of a pilot e-hub digital project in four post-primary Gaeltacht schools participating in the Scheme. The roll-out of this project will not only be of great interest to Gaeltacht communities but also to those with an interest in how ICT and online synchronous and asynchronous learning can assist in extending the range of subject options through Irish for post-primary students.

SEF – Step Up

The Inspectorate and the Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) support service are collaborating on a project to support and encourage post-primary schools to use the school self-evaluation process to achieve the highest level of quality in the implementation of the new Junior Cycle framework in specific subject areas. Schools will have access to dedicated support from JCT and to advice from inspectors in order to encourage them to use innovative teaching approaches and to assist them in progressing from providing effective learning experiences to highly effective learning for their students.  

SEF – Creative

Creative Clusters is a pilot initiative of the Department of Education and Skills, led by and in partnership with the 21 full-time Teacher Education Centres (ATECI). Creative Clusters provide schools with access to creative people, skills and resources alongside supporting them to draw on their own skills and experiences and those within their wider communities. Creative Clusters is an important initiative of Creative Youth – A Plan to Enable the Creative Potential of Every Child and Young Person, which was published in December 2017 as part of the Creative Ireland Programme.

Applications are now open. Interested schools can find out more information here: Schools Excellence Fund - Creative Clusters

SEF – STEM

The remaining SEF-STEM clusters will be informed once they return from the Easter Holidays.