Vol. 560 No. 1
502 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which his Department has examined primary and post-primary school requirements in Kilcock, County Kildare, regarding the provision of extra build ings and teaching staff, mainstream or specialist; if the necessary funding is provided to advance any such project in 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1932/03]
The Department has approved an extension project at Scoil Dara, Kilcock, County Kildare, and construction of the project is currently under way. The mainstream staffing of primary and post-primary schools is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, agreed between the Department and the education partners.
Mainstream staffing of schools in Kilcock for the 2003-04 school year will be determined by reference to this schedule, in the normal fashion. In connection with the overall accommodation requirement in the Kilcock area, my Department's planning section will continue to monitor the situation and any additional requirements will be addressed as expeditiously as possible and in the context of the budgetary allocation for the capital programme.
503 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which he has responded to the requirements as set out by the school authorities at Scoil Clochar Naofa, Kilcock, County Kildare; the stage of this project; if he has provided funding for the advancement of the project in 2003; if the accommodation currently in existence meets in full all of the health and safety requirements; the number of children currently attending this school; the likely attendance in the future; his plans to allocate sufficient money in the 2003 financial year to bring the project to a conclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1933/03]
The 2003 capital programme has been published and full details in relation to individual projects are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie.
An application for improved accommodation has been received from the management authorities at Scoil Clochar Naofa, Kilcock. However, my Department does not intend to allow further large-scale projects into architectural planning during 2003. The school's application will be considered again in the context of the 2004 capital programme.
504 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science the extent to which extra facilities, accommodation or teaching staff, mainstream or specialist, is required and proposed at the primary and post-primary schools in Maynooth, County Kildare; the timescale for his response to meet the requirements as set out; if the necessary funding is available to his Department for such provision; if his Department has been in correspondence with the authorities at either the Presentation Convent school or the boys school in recent times in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1934/03]
The building projects for the proposed extensions at Maynooth post-primary school and the Presentation Convent school are at an early stage of architectural planning and will not be authorised to progress beyond this current stage.
My Department's building unit has no record of receiving an application for grant aid for improved accommodation at Maynooth boys national school. The mainstream staffing of primary schools is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, agreed between the Department and the education partners. Mainstream staffing of primary schools in Maynooth for the 2003-04 school year will be determined by reference to this schedule, in the normal fashion.
The teacher allocation to second level schools for a particular school year consists of the allocation warranted by the recognised pupil enrolment at the end of the preceding September, as determined by the current pupil-teacher ratio, together with approved ex quota or concessionary posts as appropriate. Ex quota posts include principal, deputy principal, learning support-remedial, career guidance and resource teaching posts. Individual second level school authorities may also apply for additional teaching resources to cater for essential curricular requirements, special needs pupils, traveller pupils and non-national pupils with significant English language difficulties.
