Education Structures under RPA

For more information about the RPA and education go the DE website.

This section contains information on:

• Structures
• Policy Information
• Timeline for Education

Structures

1. One Educations and Skills Authority

This will replace the five existing Education and Library Boards, the Council for Curriculum and Educational Assessment, the Regional Training Unit and will take over the front line services of Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, NI Council for Integrated Education and Comhairle na Gaelscolaiochta.

2. The Youth Council and youth service administration will also be in the new ESA

3. Education and Training Inspectorate

4. Education Advisory Forum

This body was designed to act as “a unified interface between the Department of Education and the education sector”. It will be a statutory body and the Chair will be appointed by the Minister for Education but it will not be a separately constituted Non-Departmental Public Body or QUANGO. The Department of Education is currently seeking comments on the role and structure of the EAF including which stakeholders should be represented. Click here to see the DE policy paper which deals with this.

5. A central library authority.

Libraries are under the remit of DECAL. The Library Authority will be a Non Departmental Public Body. Consultation on the legislation to create the Library Authority is now open and closes on 20 April. Click here to see the consultation document.

Policy Documents

The Department of Education have issued 20 different policy documents outlining current thinking on a number of high level issues related to the RPA. You can see all of the policy documents here.

Some of the documents that will be of particular interest to the voluntary and community sector will be.

Paper 4: The relationship between DE and stakeholders and implications for the planned review of advice.
This looks at the make up and functions of the Educational Advisory Forum including how the voices of children and young people can be heard. However the voluntary and community sector are not mentioned as ‘stakeholders’ and neither is NI Commissioner for Children and Young People. Click here to see this paper.

Paper 5: Governance and Accountability.
This outlines the current thinking on issues including the functions, role and make-up of the Board of the Education and Skills Authority. Click here to see this paper.

Paper 6: Schools Estate
The issue of schools estate is not just about buildings. Getting schools estate right is fundamental to the creation of a quality, shared education system which is fit for purpose. Click here to see this paper.

Paper 9: Youth Work
This paper considers the important role of the youth service. It explores how responsibility for youth provision might be divided between DE and the new Education and Skills Authority and what the impact of this will be on youth service provision. Click here to see this paper.

Implementing changes to education.

DE has established a stakeholders forum to help guide the implementation of the RPA. You can read the minutes of their meetings here.

There have also been 11 teams established in DE each responsible for

Programme Management Office (PMO)
Remit: To oversee the project management of the RPA within DE and provide a central point of contact for enquiries. The PMO also services the Programme Management Board, the Stakeholders Group and the Communications Steering Group.

Procurement and Delivery for the School’s estate
Remit: To implement the new planning, procurement and delivery arrangements and estates management strand of the RPA.

Employing Authority
Remit: To determine how employing authority functions will be undertaken by the ESA while protecting the ethos and status of schools.

Review of Advice
Remit: To determine how the Department will receive and use advice from the education sector. It will also be responsible for determining the role and remit of the Education Advisory Forum.

Monitoring, Advice and Research
Remit: To develop a new approach to securing advice from education providers, sectoral interests, parents and pupils and to develop an integrated approach to monitoring and research.

Youth Services
Remit: To develop a new model for Youth Service structures, which reflects needs at a local level.

Legislation
Remit: To oversee the production of the necessary primary and subordinate legislation to implement the RPA.

Governance and Accountability
Remit: To determine the governance and accountability arrangements for the ESA and the role and remit of it’s Board

Internal Review
Remit: To determine which operational functions within DE should transfer to the ESA.

Human Resources
Remit:To identify the HR issues arising from RPA in partnership with stakeholders and to develop and implement proposals to address these. For further information on this project please click here.

ICT
Remit: To plan for the future direction of ICT within the ESA, in partnership with stakeholders and to identify ways of achieving efficiencies.

Time Line for Education

Jan 2007 New Chief Executive for the Library Authority

April – June 2007 Draft legislation for education restructuring out to consultation.

October – December 2007 Legislation for education restructuring completes Parliamentary stages.

January – March 2008 Shadow Education and Skills Authority in place

April 2008 Education and Skills Authority operational

April 2008 New library authority operational