Tony Gregory
Ceist:677 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education and Science if a three year ex-quota post for early intervention in junior classes has been sanctioned for St. Joseph's national school, East Wall, Dublin 3. [16789/02]
Written Answers. - School Staffing.
Tony Gregory
Ceist:678 Mr. Gregory asked the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the application by St. Joseph's national school, East Wall, Dublin 3 under the Giving Children an Even Break initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16790/02]
I propose to take Question Nos. 677 and 678 together.
An additional ex-quota post has been approved for the school referred to by the Deputy, for a period of three years.
The Deputy may be aware that my Department recently issued a circular to all primary schools, Circular 19/02, outlining information regarding the independent appeals board established to consider appeals on mainstream staffing in primary schools. One of the criteria under which appeals are to be considered is where the guidelines for maximum class sizes have been breached in the cases of schools in the Giving Children an Even Break and Breaking the Cycle programmes. Henceforth all appeals on mainstream staffing in primary schools will only be considered by the independent appeals board.
Giving Children An Even Break was initially launched in January 2001 to deal with educational disadvantage in primary schools. The schools targeted under the programme were identified through a comprehensive and objective survey of all primary schools carried out in March-April 2000 by the Educational Research Centre, Drumcondra, on my Department's behalf. There are separate urban and rural dimensions to the programme. Schools categorised as urban with the highest concentrations of at risk pupils are being supported, where necessary, over the three year period through staff allocations to implement a pupil teacher ratio of 20:1 in the junior classes, infants through second class, and a pupil teacher ratio of 27:1 in senior classes, third through sixth classes.
Schools participating in Giving Children An Even Break are eligible to receive a range of additional supports including teacher posts and financial supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils. The additional supports to be provided reflect the level of concentration of pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in each school invited to participate in the programme. Schools already in receipt of additional resources under the disadvantaged areas scheme, including the school in question, will retain their entitlements under that scheme. Under the disadvantaged areas scheme, the school is benefiting from the services of a disadvantaged concessionary teacher and a shared home-school-community liaison teacher. The school also qualifies for special supplementary capitation funding at the rate of €38.09 per pupil and a refund of the television licence fee.
The school referred to by the Deputy is included in the urban dimension of Giving Children An Even Break. The school is benefiting from supplementary funding to provide additional educational supports for the children concerned. This funding is in addition to allocations that the school receives under the disadvantaged areas scheme. The school was not considered eligible for additional teaching staff, based on the level of concentration of at risk pupils in the schools as reflected in the Educational Research Centre survey outcome.