Vol. 555 No. 2
220 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary and secondary schools with full or part-time resource teachers; the number of primary and secondary schools with full or part-time remedial teachers in County Kerry; the number of primary and secondary schools in County Kerry without such staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18192/02]
My Department has allocated resource teacher support to 122 primary schools in County Kerry and 106 of these schools have sanction for at least one resource teacher on a full-time or shared basis. The remaining 16 schools have such provision in the form of part-time hours while 22 primary schools in the county do not currently have resource teacher support. However, such support is allocated only where deemed necessary on the basis of the professionally assessed needs of children attending the school. My Department is continuing to allocate additional resource teacher support on an ongoing basis in response to assessed needs.
In September 1999 the learning support – remedial – teacher service was extended to all primary schools with a pupil teacher ratio of 10:1 or above. Schools with lower pupil teacher ratios were advised that they could seek a remedial service where they could demonstrate a need for such a service. There are currently 50 remedial posts in primary schools in County Kerry.
All 27 post-primary schools in County Kerry have a remedial teaching provision. Of these, eight schools have been allocated one or more full remedial teaching posts. Partial remedial posts have been allocated to the remaining schools. My Department has allocated additional teaching resources to cater for students with special needs to 25 of the post primary schools in County Kerry. Of these, 14 schools have one or more full resource teaching posts and 11 schools have a part time provision.
221 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of secondary schools in County Kerry with and without a full time career guidance teacher; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18193/02]
All second level schools in County Kerry have an allocation in respect of career guidance.
My Department makes a specific ex-quota allocation of teaching posts in respect of guidance to all second level schools. The allocation ranges from 0.36 of a post, eight hours per week, in schools in the free education scheme with an enrolment of less than 200 pupils to two posts in the case of schools with an enrolment of 1,000 pupils or more. In the case of certain fee paying schools, which are not in the free education scheme, 0.5 of a post is allocated in respect of these schools in the 350-499 enrolment category and a full post is allocated in the case of schools with 500 or more pupils.
In addition, certain schools have been allocated additional posts for guidance and counselling under the guidance enhancement initiative to enhance the provision of guidance to young people at risk, to improve links between schools and the world of work and to improve the take-up of science subjects.
Question No. 222 answered with Question No. 197.
