Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 October 2014
169. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will visit a school (details supplied) in County Kerry to see the chronic understaffing and under resourcing of the school first hand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40587/14]
View answerTeacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing arrangements for the current school year are set out in Circular 0007/2014 which is available on the Department website. The school referred to by the Deputy has a staffing of Principal and 15 classroom teachers in the current school year based on an enrolment of 397 pupils on 30 September, 2013.
Reforms introduced in the 2012/13 school year created a single simplified allocation process to cover both learning and language support. At primary level, GAM/EAL (learning/language support) hours are allocated on the basis of mainstream classroom teaching posts in the school. Schools have autonomy to deploy this resource between learning support and language support depending on the specific needs of the school. This school has a GAM/EAL allocation of 2 full teaching posts and 20 part-time hours.
The new arrangements also provided for additional permanent teaching posts to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support. The school has 1 permanent EAL post.
Further additional temporary EAL support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils (at least 20% of total enrolment) that require language support. These allocations are made on the basis of appeals by any of these schools to the Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal criteria are set out in the published staffing arrangements. The school referred to was allocated a fixed term EAL post by the Primary Staffing Appeals Board at its February 2014 meeting, subject to verification of enrolments at 30 September, 2014.
The school has two resource base posts to cater for NCSE approved hours in the school or in neighbouring schools and one shared post on a fixed term basis.
Work and diary commitments would not facilitate a visit to Co. Kerry in 2014.
