Richard Bruton
Question:1 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the action, if any, he will take to improve the poor impact of remedial services in disadvantaged schools. [20008/99]
Ceisteanna–Questions. Priority Questions. - School Remedial Services.
A number of steps are being taken to address the weaknesses identified in the delivery of remedial education at primary level revealed in the recent report, "Study of Remedial Education in Irish Primary Schools". The summary report of the study has been issued to all primary schools. Principals, including those of schools in designated areas of educational disadvantage, have been requested to convene a meeting with their remedial teachers, staff and board of management to discuss the content of the report and the steps they should take at school level to implement the recommendations.
This whole school approach to planning will have particular significance in schools in designated areas of educational disadvantage. In recognition of this I am allocating significant funding to assist school development planning in these schools. An important focus of this planning will be to identify and address the needs of pupils with serious literacy and other learning difficulties initially in schools in disadvantaged areas and eventually in all schools.
I have increased the allocation of remedial teachers at primary level from 1,302 to 1,463. I am also very conscious of the need to improve the remedial competence of second level schools to enable them provide a more effective remedial service. To this end, in the current year I have increased the number of remedial teachers at second level from 350 to approximately 560 whole time equivalents.
Courses in remedial education are provided every year at six centres for approximately 150 primary and post-primary remedial teachers. One of these centres caters for primary remedial teachers only.
I assure the Deputy that over the next year it is intended to make significant advances in the effectiveness of these resources.
I asked this question about six months ago and I deliberately re-tabled it to provide a chance to raise the issues again. Nothing has happened since we discussed this matter previously. The report has been sent to principals but not a single step has been taken by the Department to deal with the problems. Is it not the case that 85 per cent of children with difficulties in maths are not getting assistance? Is it not also the case that in disadvantaged schools the remedial programme is not improving the relative position of children? Therefore, do we not need a concentrated effort in disadvantaged schools to improve the quality, extent and impact of the remedial resource?
I reject the statement that nothing has been done. That is not true. The key to resolving this and to improving the quality of what we do in the schools lies in the concept of whole school planning and in resourcing that initiative. We have provided the resources for that initiative and have circulated the initiative to all designated disadvantaged schools and all schools participating in other pilot projects relating to early school leaving or retention initiatives. This is the most significant thing we can do. In addition, we have increased the number of remedial teachers, very significantly at primary and second level, something which is important. Basically we are combining an expansion of the service with a reform of it.
We have also invested significant resources in the form of additional library grants for books, which is a fundamental prerequisite for high reading and good literacy standards. Last year for the first time every school in the country received a significant grant to set up libraries. In addition, our general staffing improvements and the revised primary curriculum, which has a very strong emphasis on literacy, will reinforce the initiatives we have taken.
Is it not the case that the Minister has provided more resources, but that he has effectively spread the jam thinly across the system? This year not a single additional remedial teacher has been allocated to a disadvantaged school at either primary or second level where difficulties are being encountered. Does the Minister agree that what is necessary to make an impact is targeted resources in terms of schools which are in difficulty and a proper national directive with proper technical support for remedial teachers? Talking about schools making plans is all very well, but they will want resources to deliver to children in difficulty, something the Minister has not provided in schools which are really suffering.
I reject the Deputy's basic strategy as he is falling into the pattern and approach that was criticised by the study, that is, that we should look at remedial education in isolation from what happens within the classroom or the school in general. The major fault outlined in the study on remedial teaching is that remedial teachers were taken in isolation, that children were taken out of the classroom and sent to remedial teachers.
The Minister is falling into the other trap of saying what schools should do while giving them no resources with which to do it.
Whole school planning is very important. We can pooh-pooh the idea and say it is an airy-fairy concept, but it is not. If one examines some of the projects which have worked in terms of combating disadvantage a common element of all the solutions and strategies has been the issue of whole school planning. The key point is that it is everybody's business that certain children in a school may have a reading or numeracy difficulty and not just the business of the remedial teacher. The Deputy is correct in saying this will require additional resourcing, which we are prepared to give, have given this year and will give over the coming months.
Not one to a disadvantaged school.
Yes, all disadvantaged schools have very sufficient, not only remedial supports—
No, not one.
–-but home-school liaison and teaching council support which we provided this year for the first time. Unfortunately many schools designated as disadvantaged did not even have a home-school provision prior to this September. Deputy Bruton spoke about spreading the jam thinly. The Combat Poverty Agency report identified rural Ireland as having a very significant majority of disadvantaged pupils dispersed throughout the country.
The Minister is distorting the findings of the report.
Many of those children had no access to remedial education.
The Minister is deliberately distorting the findings of the report.
We have provided them with this access, something which is important.