Vol. 497 No. 5
348 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has received applications from St. Francis' boys' school, Clara, County Offaly, for disadvantaged status and for an ex-quota remedial teacher; his views on whether the school meets the criteria for allocation of both; if he will grant these applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25663/98]
I am aware of the applications referred to by the Deputy.
A study of educational disadvantage conducted by the Combat Poverty Agency and the Education Research Centre in 1996 concluded that disadvantaged status should be confined to 16 per cent of the school—going population. The study noted that such status had already been granted to 17 per cent of pupils. As an alternative to extending the disadvantaged areas scheme to additional schools, the study recommended that available resources should be targeted on the most disadvantaged schools already in the scheme.
The Breaking the Cycle scheme was subsequently introduced to deliver the sort of targeted support recommended in the study.
I am currently reviewing my Department's overall response to the problem of educational disadvantage. My objective is to ensure that all available resources are properly targeted so that children who are educationally disadvantaged receive the support they need to maximise their potential in the education system.
My capacity to allocate additional remedial teacher posts in any given year is dependent on resource availability and the level of competing demand from other special needs areas. I recently allocated 60 additional remedial teacher posts to national schools with effect from September 1998. There are now 1,302 remedial teacher posts in place in national schools.
I am currently examining the scope for further development in this area, in keeping with my objective of ensuring that a remedial service is made available to every national school in the country.
