Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 March 2012
40 Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15 with a language support teacher in line with its appeal against the decision to cut this teacher provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14788/12]
View answer41 Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) has not been allocated an additional language support teacher despite 40% of student population of the school requiring such support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14789/12]
View answer42 Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in Dublin 15 has not been allocated an additional language support teacher despite a very large percentage of the student population of the school requiring such support. [14790/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 40 to 42, inclusive, together.
From September 2012 the combined resources available for GAM (General Allocation Model) and language support are being merged into a single simplified allocation process. The need to reform the allocation of the GAM arose because the existing system operated on the basis of 2003 enrolments which are long out of date and had been criticised by the Ombudsman for Children. Schools will have autonomy on how to deploy the resource between language support and learning support depending on their specific needs.
The new arrangements also provide for over 370 additional permanent teaching posts to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support. These arrangements are set out in the Department Circular 0007/2012 which is available on my Department's website. Some of the schools referred to by the Deputy have been allocated some of these posts which reflects the fact that they have high concentrations of pupils that require language support. The full list of all the relevant schools are included as part of the Department Circular 0007/2012.
Further additional temporary language support will also be provided including if necessary to the schools referred to by the Deputy. The mechanism for this is through appeals to the Staffing Appeals Board by any schools that will have high concentrations of pupils that require language support in the 2012/13 school. The closing date for submission of appeals for the April meeting of the Staffing Appeal Board is 23 March, 2012. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
