I thank the Chair for allowing me to raise this matter and the Minister of State for coming in to reply.
St. Francis senior national school was built in 1980 when the Priorswood and Clonshaugh area was developing. Prior to 1980 there were approximately 500 owner-occupied homes in the area. In the early 1980s Dublin Corporation built two estates in the area, Moatview and Fairfield, comprising about 600 houses in total. It also developed a small group housing scheme for the travelling community at Cara Park and a halting site at Belcamp Lane.
The number of children on the roll at St. Francis senior national school at present is fewer than half the number on the roll in the early 1980s. There are a number of apparent reasons for this. First, a large number of children in the area now attend post-primary level. Second, 11 per cent of children attending the school are from the travelling community at Cara Park and Belcamp Lane. Third, there has been an increasing trend for children leaving the junior school to go to a senior national school outside the area. This compounds the problem for the senior national school as it is usually the brighter children who leave.
There is also a high level of unemployment in the local authority estates with the consequent disadvantage and deprivation. As in many other similar areas of Dublin city and throughout the country there is a serious and growing drug addiction problem.
Recently the principal at St. Francis senior national school carried out a special Sigma T mathematics test for the third and fifth classes. The results of this test showed that over 50 per cent of the children were below the cut off point for children in need of remedial help. They also demonstrated that over 17 per cent were seen to be in acute need of remedial help.
At present the remedial teachers allocated to the St. Francis senior national school can only cater for remedial English pupils. One of these teachers provides instruction in remedial reading and literacy in fourth, fifth and sixth classes while the second remedial teacher who is shared with the junior school provides instruction in remedial reading and literacy in third class.
Because of the special factors pertaining to this school it may not qualify under the standard criteria used by the Department of Education in determining whether a school is entitled to a second remedial teacher and, therefore, I ask the Minister to treat it as a special case.