Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 26 May 2004

Vol. 586 No. 3

Adjournment Debate.

School Accommodation.

Ms Enright

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera. I know she does not have direct responsibility for the school building programme and I regret the other Minister has left. Like me, he has had a long day here.

This is a very urgent issue. Gaelscoil Portlaoise was established in 1998 and was granted official recognition shortly afterwards. Since then it has been in a number of different locations, with ensuing problems. There are 30 junior infants enrolled for next September so it will have a total enrolment of 175 pupils. At one stage it was located in the prison officers' club but it is now located in the Portlaoise GAA Centre.

There is a problem with the provision of education at both primary and post-primary levels in Portlaoise town in general, with schools at both levels being overcrowded, unsuitable or in poor condition. I have put down parliamentary questions on this matter but I am constantly told that the schools will be considered in light of the McCarthy report, with which the Minister of State is probably familiar. It is famous in County Laois. The Minister told me yesterday that his officials are concentrating on the needs of national schools in the town and while I welcome that development, those involved in the post-primary sector do not feel those problems have been resolved. The Minister stated that there are adequate primary school places, but unfortunately I cannot judge that. I put down a parliamentary question on this issue and the reply I received yesterday was that due to the resources required the Minister could not give me that information unless I specified exactly what I wanted.

It is clear that the provision for Gaelscoil Portlaoise is inadequate, and the situation is the same for Emo national school, which is down the road. The school sought development costs for a site at Midland Dairies 18 months ago and parents agreed to raise funds to defray some of the Department's costs. This site fell through because there was no decision from the Department even after planning permission was granted. Since August 2003 another application has been with the Department.

The school is currently housed in the GAA centre and while the GAA has been very obliging, the school is effectively operating in a licensed premises. The planning permission for this arrangement is temporary and ends in June, as does the lease. This is a very urgent issue. There is a proposal before Laois County Council next Monday which seeks to rezone land for housing and educational purposes, and naturally councillors are reluctant to rezone more houses unless there is sufficient educational provision to go along with them, which is a common-sense approach on their part. However, there have been no guarantees from the Department that temporary accommodation will be provided at this location at this time. They want to move to temporary accommodation on this site because they can be guaranteed it is for educational purposes and they will not be in a prison officers' club or a GAA centre.

A letter was given to the Minister. The developer has agreed to charge only what the GAA charges. Therefore, the cost to the Department will not impose any extra burden. Given that this is an extremely urgent matter I look forward to the Minister of State's reply. I cannot stress enough that this gaelscoil needs to have a guarantee in regard to temporary accommodation from September next. In the long term, like other schools in Portlaoise, it needs to know, aside from the McCarthy plans, what the Department's plans are for the provision of education in the town.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science (Miss de Valera)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me with an opportunity to outline to this House the current position regarding plans for the long-term accommodation of Gaelscoil Portlaoise.

Gaelscoil Portlaoise was established with provisional recognition from the Department in September 1998 to cater for the demand in the Portlaoise area for primary education through the medium of Irish. The school was granted permanent recognition in September 2000. It has a current enrolment of 135 pupils and it has a staffing level of a principal and four classroom assistants.

The school is currently located in temporary accommodation on the grounds of Portlaoise GAA club and the Department grant-aids the rental costs of these premises to the tune of 95%. The lease on the GAA premises is due to expire at the end of the current school year. The Department's planning and building unit is currently examining a recent proposal submitted by Deputy Fleming on behalf of the school authorities to move the school to a site in the Kilminchy Road area on a temporary basis. By way of explaining the background to the development of a long-term plan for the provision of primary and post-primary school accommodation in the Portlaoise area, recently Dr. Tom McCarthy was appointed to assist in this process.

Following receipt of Dr. McCarthy's recommendations, it was decided that educational provision at post-primary level required to be addressed as a matter of urgency. As this has now been finalised, officials in the school planning section of the Department are examining educational provision at primary level with a view to establishing the best way forward. This will include an examination of the options for the long-term accommodation needs of Gaelscoil Portlaoise.

Dr. McCarthy's recommendations suggest that the long-term accommodation requirement for the school is likely to be eight classrooms. He also recommends a measure of reconfiguration of existing primary accommodation in Portlaoise. The outcome of such a reconfiguration could result in surplus accommodation becoming available which could be used to house the gaelscoil on a long-term basis. Discussions have been initiated with primary providers in Portlaoise on foot of Dr. McCarthy's recommendations to bring this matter forward.

I assure the House that the approach being taken by the Department in planning the provision of long-term primary infrastructure for Portlaoise is consistent with best planning practice. The Department is confident it will deliver state-of-the-art facilities based on a thorough assessment of the future educational needs of the area.

School Staffing.

Mr. P. Breen

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Adjournment. I apologise for my colleague, Deputy James Breen, who was to speak on the matter with me. He had a medical appointment and, unfortunately, cannot be here.

I am delighted to have an opportunity to raise the issue that faces the principal and teachers and, more importantly, the students of Ennis community college. It concerns staffing levels at the college for the 2004-05 academic year in light of the fact that the Department of Education and Science insists on a reduction of six teachers.

Ennis community college provides comprehensive education in academic and vocational subjects for boys and girls from a catchment area of approximately ten miles. The college is non-denominational but provides the majority religious requirements. All Oireachtas Members were invited by the principal to a meeting on Monday last. I appreciate the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, had an important previously arranged engagement in Cork and could not attend the meeting that evening. Concern was expressed regarding the proposed teacher losses, particularly resource teachers who are on contract and most likely to lose their jobs in the event of the reductions taking place this year.

Ennis community college has over 380 students and currently approximately 60 students attend the resource service. This figure does not include the 18 non-nationals who also attend resource services. During the past 30 years there has been a strong movement towards the integration of pupils with special needs in mainstream schools. The needs of Ennis students include specific, mild and general disability, emotional and behavioural difficulties, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech and language disorders and various other syndromes. There is also a deaf unit in the school and many of the students need one-to-one attention. I can assure the Minister of State the three resource teachers do an excellent job, their reputation is second to none and they have achieved enormous success with the students. Therefore, the special needs department is needed in Ennis community college.

To be fair to all, the college authorities acknowledge there should be a staff reduction given that numbers have fallen in the college in recent years. The present staffing level is approximately 40. I understand three teaching staff are due to retire in the near future. What the college seeks is some breathing space over the next 12 months so the staff numbers can be reduced in an organised fashion rather than by the loss of six teachers at once. I understand from the college authorities that if this is to happen in September the special needs unit in the school will be affected and we all know the effect this will have on students with special needs.

I ask the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, and my constituency colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy de Valera, who has a special interest in the college, to make some arrangement to facilitate Ennis community college. If that means the provision of extra funding for the next 12 months to maintain the present staff numbers, and particularly the three resource teachers who do an excellent job for students with special needs, so be it.

Miss de Valera

The Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Noel Dempsey, regrets he cannot be present but has asked me to make a number of points on his behalf.

Ennis community college operates under County Clare Vocational Educational Committee. The Department approves an annual teacher allocation for each VEC based on the number of schools and the enrolment in the schools on 30 September of the previous year. The chief executive officer of the VEC allocates the teaching resources to the VEC schools from within the overall VEC allocation. The staffing schedule, outlining the allocation to County Clare VEC issued in February of this year. Requests for adjustments to the teacher allocation are considered by the Department of Education and Science in the areas of curricular, increased enrolment, special needs students, Traveller and non-national enrolment.

For the current school year County Clare VEC has allocated Ennis community college a principal teacher, deputy principal, 27.30 whole-time teacher equivalents, 2.5 lán Gaeilge posts, one disadvantaged area post, one guidance counsellor, one remedial teacher, 2.61 whole-time teachers in respect of special needs students, 2.33 whole-time teachers for a hearing impaired unit, one teacher for non-nationals and 1.43 whole-time teachers for Travellers. This allocation was based on the enrolment of 466 pupils on 30 September 2002.

For the upcoming school year County Clare VEC has allocated Ennis community college a principal teacher, 23.60 whole-time teacher equivalents, 4.64 whole-time teachers for lán Gaeilge and hearing impaired unit, one disadvantaged area post, one guidance counsellor and one remedial teacher. This allocation was based on an enrolment of 403 pupils on 30 September 2003. The request for adjustments to the teacher allocation based on special needs, Travellers and non-nationals in Ennis community college is currently under consideration in the Department and County Clare VEC will be notified of a decision in the near future.

An independent appeals board is in place to deal with appeals of a curricular nature made by schools or VECs. The criteria for such appeals are set out in appendix 2 of the second level teacher allocations document 2004-05 issued to all VECs and which is also available on the Department's website. County Clare VEC has appealed to the independent committee and the decision on this appeal will be notified to the VEC in early June.

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter in this House.