Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 28 Mar 2002

Vol. 551 No. 4

Written Answers. - Educational Support.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

227 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will confirm his agreement with representatives of the Marist primary school and Scoil Íosagáin Crumlin, whom he met on 23 July 2001, that he would continue to half fund the cost of employing a child care worker who works to a support teacher in their educational support project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10742/02]

Minister for Education and Science (Dr. Woods)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 266 together.

I am aware of the circumstances of the schools referred to by the Deputies. These schools are already benefiting under a number of schemes aimed at addressing educational disadvantage. However, there is no scheme providing child care workers in schools generally and, accordingly, it is not possible to give any commitment in that regard.

The Deputies are aware of the major new disadvantage programme, Giving Children An Even Break, which I launched in January 2001, to deal with educational disadvantage in primary schools. Giving Children An Even Break is being run over a three year period and will cost some €33 million with the allocation of over 200 teaching posts. The schools targeted under Giving Children An Even Break were identified through a comprehensive and objective survey of all primary schools carried out in March-April 2000 by the Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, on my Department's behalf.

Schools already in receipt of additional resources under the disadvantaged areas scheme, including the schools in question, retain their entitlements under that scheme, and also receive extra funding. Under the disadvantaged areas scheme, the schools in question are each benefiting from the services of a disadvantaged concessionary teacher and a shared home-school-community liaison teacher. The schools also qualify for special supplementary capitation funding at the rate of €38.09 per pupil and a refund of the television licence fee.

There are separate urban and rural dimensions to Giving Children An Even Break. The schools in question have been included in the urban dimension and are eligible to receive supplementary capitation funding in respect of the current school year, towards providing additional educational supports for the children concerned. Scoil Íosagáin has been allocated €1,658 and Marist national school will receive €4,039. This funding is in addition to grants of €3,885 to Scoil Íosagáin and €10,323 to Marist national scheme under the disadvantaged areas scheme.

Schools categorised as urban in Giving Children An Even Break with the highest concentrations of at risk pupils, including the schools in question, are being supported, where necessary, through staff allocations to implement a pupil teacher ratio of 20:1 in the junior classes, infants through second class, and a pupil teacher ratio of 29:1 in senior classes, third through sixth classes.

The schools referred to by the Deputies have been included in the support teacher project since 1999 and share the services of a support teacher who works with pupils with disruptive, disturbed or withdrawn behaviour. One of the schools in question is also in the Early Start scheme and has been allocated additional resources to cater for the pre school children attending.

I wish to assure the Deputies that the position of these schools will fall for consideration again in the context of the development of measures to address educational disadvantage generally.