Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 November 2012
355. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills if schools with more than 20% of pupils requiring English as an additional language support are automatically entitled to an English as an additional language teacher; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48290/12]
View answer356. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number or percentage of pupils who require English as an additional language support that are required in a primary school to qualify a school for a full time English as an additional language teacher; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48291/12]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 355 and 356 together.
Circular 0007/2012, which is available on my Department website sets out the criteria for staffing allocations for schools including those for pupils that require language support for the current school year. Under the teacher allocation reforms the combined resources available for GAM (General Allocation Model) and language support (circa 4,100 posts) were used to create a single simplified allocation process to cover both the GAM and language support. Schools have autonomy on how to deploy the resource between language support and learning support depending on their specific needs. The new GAM arrangements also provided for additional permanent teaching posts (circa 370) to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support. Further additional temporary EAL support are also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils (at least 20% of total enrolment) that require language support in the 2012/13 school. These allocations are made on the basis of appeals by any of these schools to the Staffing Appeals Board.
