Mr. Hubert Loftus:

B'fhearr liom caint as Béarla ná Gaeilge, más é do thoil é.

The 20-year strategy for the Irish language highlights the important role that Gaeltacht schools can play in fostering Irish language competence and usage to ensure the survival and sustainability of Gaeltacht communities. The strategy prioritises actions to support the provision of Irish-medium education in Gaeltacht areas and schools. This was further reinforced by the Gaeltacht Act 2012. In line with the strategy, the Department is committed to providing Gaeltacht students with the opportunity to receive their education through the medium of Irish by implementing a range of measures that aim to improve and enhance Irish generally as well as measures that relate specifically to schools in the Gaeltacht. To date, the Department has prioritised the implementation of educational actions in the 20-year strategy relating to curriculum, assessment and teacher education. These measures have been introduced in tandem with the implementation of the national literacy and numeracy strategy, developments in initial teacher education and the reform of the junior cycle. The Department meets regularly with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to discuss progress on the implementation of the educational measures in the 20-year strategy.

The Department of Education and Skills also plans to carry out a detailed analysis during the coming school year of the particular challenges facing Gaeltacht schools of varying linguistic profiles, with a view to identifying policy options for Irish-medium instruction in these schools that will be consistent with the needs of Gaeltacht communities. The findings of this analysis will enable good forward planning of educational provision in Gaeltacht areas. This analysis by the Department is occurring in a context in which each Gaeltacht community will be expected to prepare a language plan and clarify its status as a Gaeltacht area in accordance with the Gaeltacht Act 2012.

One of the criteria for recognition as a Gaeltacht language planning area relates to the extent to which there is provision for Irish-medium instruction in schools in a community in accordance with the policy of the Department of Education and Skills.

On the staffing of schools, it is important to note that the Department, like all other Departments, is operating in the context of a budgetary programme that is designed to put the public finances on a sustainable footing. It is particularly challenging to achieve savings in the education sector given the ongoing and significant increases in demographics across all levels. Notwithstanding this, and unlike in most other areas of the public service, vacancies in schools continue to be filled in the normal manner.

The criteria used to allocate teachers to primary schools, including those in the Gaeltacht, are published annually on the Department's website. The published criteria are commonly referred to as the staffing schedule. The staffing schedule for the 2013-14 school year has been provided in the briefing material for the committee members. The staffing schedule operates on the basis of enrolment bands and does so in a clear and transparent manner. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of one classroom teacher for every 28 pupils, with lower thresholds for DEIS band one schools. The staffing schedule significantly benefits small primary schools. For example, a two-classroom or two-teacher school with 30 pupils has an average class size of 15 pupils, while a typical ten-classroom school with 272 pupils has an average class size of 27.2 pupils. One of the savings measures in budget 2012 was a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools, including those in the Gaeltacht. The impact of the budget measure means that the staffing levels in small primary schools will no longer be as favourable as they were previously, but it is important to note that they will still be better than the general average of 28:1 that operates in all other schools under the staffing schedule.

A new appeals process for small schools was introduced as part of the budget 2012 measure. This enables small schools that are due to lose a classroom post as a result of the budget measure to retain the classroom post on the basis of their projected enrolments. In 2012, six small schools in the Gaeltacht lost a classroom post as a result of the budget 2012 measure and those six are out of a total of more than 600 teachers in those schools. The staffing arrangements at post-primary level, including for schools in the Gaeltacht, are outlined in the briefing material provided to committee members.

In an overall context, it is important to note that all public servants are being asked to do more with less. The teachers in our schools, including those in Gaeltacht schools, cannot be exempt from this requirement. The challenge for all schools is to ensure that they utilise their allocated resources to best effect to maximise teaching and learning outcomes. We have given more detail in the briefing material provided to the committee. We are happy to take questions from members.