Vol. 430 No. 4
122 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Education if she will examine the request by a school (details supplied) for a second concessionary teacher, which will fit in with her commitment to support educational opportunities for children in areas of social disadvantage.
The school referred to by the Deputy is included in the Scheme of Assistance for Schools in Designated Areas of Disadvantage, and as such has been allocated a concessionary teaching post and receives supplementary capitation funding amounting to £17 per pupil.
It is included in the home-school-community liaison scheme and shares the services of a local home-school liaison teacher with another school.
The school also has the services of a remedial teacher.
The Programme for a Partnership Government attaches particular importance to the need to address educational disadvantage in its variety of forms and the Deputy will be aware of my intention to target extra resources in this area.
I have already announced in the House that I will be allocating an additional 80 ex-quota teaching posts to primary schools in areas of disadvantage.
It is intended that 50 of these posts will be allocated to schools not previously included in the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme. The remaining 30 posts will be devoted to supplementing the supports currently provided to schools already covered by the scheme.
The needs of the school referred to by the Deputy will be considered in this latter context.
