Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 12 Jun 2001

Vol. 537 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - School Staffing.

Mr. Naughten

I thank you, a Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter on the Adjournment. In reply to a parliamentary question on 15 May, the Minister for Education and Science stated that schools benefiting under the Giving Children an Even Break programme for disadvantaged schools would not lose a teacher due to falling enrolments. However, one such school, namely, Abbey boys' national school in Roscommon town, is set to lose its sixth assistant teacher next September due to the fact that it is two children short of maintaining the post. The Department of Education and Science claims that because the particular teacher was not appointed through the disadvantaged programme it cannot maintain the post. The present enrolment in the school is 172 pupils. The Department's guidelines indicate that 174 are required for the retention of the sixth assistant post in schools designated as disadvantaged.

The parish register of births indicates a figure of 190 boys in the past five years, averaging 38 boys per year, which would indicate a healthy population growth in the area for the school for the foreseeable future. Based on the past number of new entrants and taking into account the movement of families to the town for work and other reasons, the school will reach the required number of 175 by September 2001. However, because its pupil numbers have dropped by two, the school is now 23 pupils over the number required for five teachers.

Several factors within the school militate against the successful implementation of a full curriculum with only five classroom teachers and a principal at work. In the absence of a sixth assistant, the school will have no option, but to amalgamate third class, leaving it with a class size of 37 in one room. Alternatively, some of the 37 pupils could be placed with the incoming second class pupils. This would leave the class in what the Department terms a disadvantaged school top heavy and unmanageable in terms of providing proper teaching and in excess of the Department's recommended 22 pupils in second class in a disadvantaged school.

Proportionately, a large number of the students have been psychologically assessed on the Department's recommendation and are now availing of special needs resource teaching each day. Nineteen pupils are receiving such teaching, which is 11% of the school's population. The number availing of learning support assistance is 24, which is 14% of the school's population. The Department has told the school that it must tolerate this situation for a further 12 month period before the sixth assistant will be reinstated, even though there is ample proof that the school will have the required numbers in September this year. How can the Minister stand over this policy of giving children an even break when a disadvantaged school such as Abbey boys' mational school is to lose one of its teachers? It is clearly a case of bureaucracy having gone mad.

Roscommon town is growing with planning permission having been granted for major housing developments in the short-term. Abbey boys' national school has a long history of providing education for boys in Roscommon town and its hinterland. It has a young, hard-working team which is providing fantastic educational opportunities for each and every student. The retention of the sixth assistant post is essential to continue the effective teaching of pupils at the school. The Minister should review the situation and reinstate the sixth teacher in this disadvantaged school.

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to outline to the House the position on staffing in the school referred to by the Deputy. The staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule and finalised for a particular year following discussions with the education partners.

Enrolment at the school in question has decreased from 180 pupils on 30 September 1999 to 171 pupils on 30 September 2000. This latter enrolment will entitle the school to a staffing of a principal and five mainstream class teachers for the 2001-02 school year. In addition, the school has a learning support teacher, a special class teacher for pupils with mild general learning disability and a temporary resource teacher for Travellers.

The only deviation from the agreed schedule, to which I referred, is in the case of schools experiencing a large increase in enrolments. In such cases an additional staffing post may be sanctioned by my Department if the schools meet the defined criteria. Unfortunately, at this time it is not possible to sanction the retention of the sixth mainstream teaching post for the school year 2001-02 as the school's September 2000 enrolment does not meet the retention requirement of 175 pupils. The special class post sanctioned in September 1998 was made permanent in May 2000. This post caters for pupils with a mild general learning disability.

My Department's inspectorate is investigating the provision of a second special class teacher post to cater for additional special needs pupils enrolled in the school. On receipt of the inspector's report, officials of my Department will be in further contact with the school authorities.

The House will be aware of the new disadvantaged programme, Giving Children an Even Break, which I launched on 4 January last. It will run over a three year period and cost £26 million. The programme involves the creation of 204 new primary teaching posts and the allocation of cash grants to over 2,300 primary schools in respect of disadvantaged pupils.

Schools invited to participate in the new programme were identified through a survey of educational disadvantage in primary schools carried out by the Educational Research Centre for the Department last year. A key condition of participation in the new programme is that the additional resources must be used for the provision of holistic supports for pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds. The additional supports to be provided reflect the level of concentration of pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in each school invited to participate in the programme.

There are separate urban and rural dimensions to the new programme. Schools categorised as urban with the highest concentrations of at-risk pupils will be supported where necessary over the three year period through staff allocations to implement a pupil-teacher ratio of 20:1 in the junior classes, and a pupil-teacher ratio of 29:1 in senior classes.

The school in question is included in the urban dimension of the programme and eligible to receive supplementary grant aid of £1,969 towards the provision of suitable educational supports for the pupils concerned. The school was not considered eligible for additional teaching staff, based on the level of concentration of at-risk pupils in the school as reflected in the Educational Research Centre survey outcome.

Where individual schools were concerned about the outcome of the survey, they were invited to make a submission to my Department outlining their circumstances. These submissions, including one from the school concerned, were referred to the Educational Research Centre for consideration and that work is being finalised. The situation of these schools will be considered further when the report of the ERC is received.

I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity of outlining the position on staffing matters in Abbey boys' national school, Roscommon town.