Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 March 2023
238. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if the number of teachers will remain the same in a school (details supplied) given the circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10688/23]
View answerThe key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
For the 2023/24 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 23 pupils which is a historical low ratio. Lower thresholds apply to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools.
The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria, to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Information on the appeals process and application forms are available in Circular 0006/2023.
The Special Education Teaching allocation, as outlined in Circular 0020/2022 for primary schools provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years. All schools are advised in the first instance to review whether the needs of newly enrolled pupils can be met from within existing allocations.
The Department also provides specific English Language support to schools with pupils newly arrived into the country that have English as an additional language.
Further language support may also be provided, through the staffing appeals process, to schools that have a high concentration of pupils enrolled who have received less than 3 years EAL support and currently have less than B1 (level 3) proficiency in English.
The allocation of special education needs resources to each school is designed to cater for normal changes in a schools profile between profile updating events which occur circa ever two years.
However the SET Model allocation process was not designed to handle the unprecedented and immediate and ongoing increases in school enrolments following the commencement of the war in Ukraine and this required a specific response.
The addition temporary SET Hours/ or SNA posts being provided to schools is based on threshold tables and are designed and have been implemented in line with the overall SET allocation model to ensure that schools and their students with special education needs were not impacted negatively. The temporary allocations are automatically applied to schools once they reach the relevant thresholds and reviewed on a regular basis and adjusted if enrolments reach a new threshold level.
The additional temporary hours provided to schools are whole school resources and are not for any specific to any cohort of students but are to be utilised by schools in line with Special Education Needs policies that resources are focussed on those pupils with special educational needs (irrespective of nationality).
The Department of Education is happy to confirm that all schools in County Limerick have received temporary additional Special Education resource allocations where their enrolment of Ukrainian students reaches the relevant threshold.
