Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will ask some questions as there are no other speakers are left. I will go for a second round and will give people a reduced time to ask a direct question to the Minister. I have three or four issues I wish to ask about. The Minister might not have the answers but she might be able to come back to me.

There are few large primary schools in the country. When I say large primary schools, I mean those with 700 pupils or more. A primary school of such numbers is entitled to a principal and a deputy principal for administration. Let us compare that to a post-primary school with between 300 and 600 pupils. Such a school is entitled to a principal and several deputy principals, albeit with reduced teaching hours in some situations and not in others.

There are many challenges in primary schools. Will the Minister examine this specifically as it applies to larger primary schools? There are some primary schools with almost 1,000 pupils. It is unfair for a primary school to have only a principal and deputy principal for administration compared to the resources available to a smaller secondary school. Is this something the Minister can look at?

Several primary schools throughout the country, especially in urban areas have seen an increased number of overseas families. I will offer an example. In my area there are four meat factories. As the Minister knows, most employees of meat factories are foreign people who have come in from overseas. Their families get visas and they can bring in their children. I understand that when they start primary education - some may start secondary education - the school must have 25% of the pupil population under the level of B3 proficiency. I believe that goes against the larger primary schools. A smaller primary school might get to 25% more easily but larger primary schools definitely will not get to that level. I call on the Minister to look upon this area.

My children are going to school in my local area. The school has a large number of overseas students but nowhere near enough to reach the 25% mark. The school does a fabulous and brilliant job. However, I believe some of the children coming in need additional resources in teaching English and so on.

This is something that occurs in urban areas because most of the families who come in want to live in the towns rather than out in the middle of the countryside. They want to be where there is more to do. Perhaps they can settle in more easily in accommodation provided in urban areas. I know from speaking to some of my other colleagues throughout the country that this is an issue for them as well because I have asked them about it.

I know several other Deputies have raised the issue of the change in the budget this year. I welcome the classroom size reduction for DEIS band 1 schools but it does not apply to junior DEIS band 1 schools or vertical DEIS band 1 schools. I appeal to the Minister to look closely at this. As I did not hear the reply the Minister gave to Deputy Ó Cathasaigh on this point, the Minister may wish to repeat the reply.

I raised another matter last week, namely, calculated grades in the leaving certificate. Will the Department be looking at going towards continuous assessment in the leaving certificate? Is this part of a review that the Minister might undertake, if not shortly, then perhaps in the coming years? It would take a good deal of consultation with teacher unions and so on and all the stakeholders involved in education. Is this something of which the Minster is personally in favour? Might the Minister consider holding a review in this regard?

Yesterday, the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, announced that all new school buildings will include classroom facilities for children with special needs. Will the Minister of State flesh out what is involved in this? I very much welcome it. Normally, when we see a new school building we see a structure and that is it. Often, we forget about the future and what might be the needs of people in future.