Richard Bruton
Question:505 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of schools at primary and second level which are due to lose teachers for the coming school years due to falling enrolments. [18394/00]
Written Answers. - School Staffing.
The staffing allocation to schools for a particular school year is determined by the enrolment at the end of September of the preceding year.
While it is anticipated that enrolments generally will fall in the coming school years, it is not possible to predict the position in individual schools and determine the overall number of teaching posts that will be lost at primary and second level.
Richard Bruton
Question:506 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of extra teachers he will be appointing for the coming school year, at first and second level; and the make-up of these allocations between remedial and the home school community liaison. [18395/00]
The Deputy will be aware that 1,000 additional teaching posts will be provided at second level for the 2000-01 school year.
With effect from the beginning of the 1999-2000 school year, all second level schools in the free education scheme have an entitlement to an ex-quota allocation in respect of remedial teaching. The actual allocation to an individual school for a particular school year is determined by the enrolment in the school at the end of the preceding September. Schools with enrolments of 600 or more pupils are entitled to an allocation of a full post while schools with enrolments under 600 are entitled to an allocation of 0.5 of a post for remedial teaching.
All second level schools that are designated as disadvantaged have been invited to participate in the home-school-community liaison scheme and have been given an additional teacher allocation for this purpose.
At primary level teaching posts arising from the demographic dividend are being retained for the 2000-01 school year. These posts are being used to reduce the threshold for the appointment of administrative principals.
The retention of the posts has also enabled me to implement improvements in the appointment and retention figures at certain points in the staffing schedule.
I intend allocating two hundred additional posts next September to primary schools where there are young people at risk of educational disadvantage. Differing levels of interventions will include extra teacher support and-or extra funding which reflect the levels of need identified. Also, within this new approach, schools that are designated as serving areas of disadvantage will retain supports they already have and may be eligible for additional help.