One-to-one school counselling cut

Most schools have been forced to offer less one-to-one counselling for students and almost half give less guidance to junior cycle classes since a cut imposed by the Department of Education three years ago.

A survey of 83 principals showed 57% of secondary schools had reduced one- to-one supports offered by guidance counsellors since those staff had to be counted within general teacher allocations since 2012, underlining the findings of previous studies and reports.

Before that, any second-level school with at least 500 students was guaranteed the full-time service of a guidance counsellor, but staffing and other pressures resulting from the change mean many are now spending some or all of their working week teaching instead.

Two thirds of principals who last month answered the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland survey said advice to students on subject options for senior cycle is now the main focus of their schools’ guidance counselling services. The focus on junior cycle students has been reduced in order to better meet older students’ needs at 40% of schools, it found.

The issue will be discussed at the union’s annual convention on Wednesday, when a motion seeking a campaign for restoration of full guidance services is to be tabled.

ASTI general secretary Pat King said there was growing evidence that the Budget 2012 decision to end ex-quota status of guidance counsellors was having a major deleterious effect on the capacity of schools to support young people’s wellbeing.

“It is clear from this survey that school principals want a guidance counselling service that meets both the educational and developmental needs of young people,” said Mr King.

“All students must have access to counselling, advice on study skills and self-organisation, and vocational guidance right throughout their second-level education. Schools must be given the resources to deliver such a service.”

The Royal Irish Academy has recently backed calls to prioritise the restoration of guidance counselling as a ringfenced service to help in efforts to widen access to third-level education. As reported at the weekend by the Irish Examiner, it also suggested that any restoration focus on supports for schools with more disadvantaged students, as they are less likely than others to have support at home due to lower tradition of higher education participation.

The Institute of Guidance Counsellors found one in five of its members in second-level schools now teach classes full time because of the impact of the changes on teacher numbers to subject choices. Many schools have been forced to choose between protecting guidance services and keeping minority subjects on offer for students as a result of the 2012 measure.

Education Minister Jan O’Sullivan has said the question of restoring guidance counselling to its safeguarded position is one of a number of issues under consideration for the use of any extra resources that might become available to her department.

The IGC recently linked the guidance cuts to a 25% increase, from 4,800 to 6,000 over the past year, in the numbers of CAO applicants who had not yet listed any college courses by early March.

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