Vol. 469 No. 6
144 Mr. Flood asked the Minister for Education the reason St. Joseph's school, Tallaght, Dublin 24, is not classified as disadvantaged; if she will designate the school as disadvantaged; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17960/96]
The school referred to by the Deputy is a special school catering for children with mild mental handicap.
Special schools for children with disabilities are not covered by the general disadvantaged areas scheme and do not therefore attract disadvantaged status. This is because the special schools in question are resourced under separate special arrangements which recognise their very particular needs.
As part of this special arrangement, the school to which the Deputy refers enjoys a special pupil teacher ratio of 14:1. It also receives a special rate of capitation funding of £229 per child per annum for children under 12 years of age and £372 for children of 12 years or over.
In contrast, schools which are classified as disadvantaged enjoy a maximum class size of 29:1 and receive a capitation rate of £75 per child.
