Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 June 2012
262 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the Government is not investing in appropriate guidance for children; if he will make a statement as to exactly what access children will have to guidance counsellors from September 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28118/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra263 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding guidance councillors (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28121/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 263 together.
Teacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. My Department has published the staffing arrangements at post primary level for the coming school year, 2012/13. The relevant Post Primary circular is 0009/2012 which is available on my Department's website. At post primary level schools will have autonomy on how best to prioritise its available resources to meet its requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to its students. Decisions on how this is done will be taken at school level and I am confident that schools will act in the best interest of students when determining precisely how to use the teaching resources available to them.
A key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target available funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. All 195 second-level schools in DEIS, including those schools referred to by the Deputy, have been given targeted support by a more favourable staffing schedule of 18.25:1. This is a 0.75 point reduction compared to the existing PTR of 19:1 that applies in non fee-paying second-level schools.
The teacher allocation process at post-primary level is largely completed at this stage and all schools would have been notified accordingly.
The final staffing position for all schools at post primary level will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and all appeals to the Staffing Appeal Board will have been considered.
