Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this debate. I compliment my colleague, Deputy O'Sullivan, on tabling the motion.

I have many examples in my constituency of the kind of problems to which Deputy Penrose referred. However, I want to use Harold's Cross school as a particular example. I attended a meeting there last evening when most of the teachers, resource teachers and a large number of parents were present. The school, which urgently requires an additional teacher for the coming academic year, is in the extraordinary situation of having almost 80% of pupils from areas that are designated as disadvantaged. This is the catchment area, but the school is located in an area that is not classified as disadvantaged. The school, pupils, teachers, parents and special needs assistants bear the brunt of not being designated disadvantaged and they miss out on the bonuses this would afford them.

In the coming academic year, the teachers will have to cope with an average teacher-pupil ratio of 1:29.4, which is being very specific in their accounting. There will be 37 pupils in a mixed fourth and fifth class and 36 in a mixed fifth and sixth class. They also have a number of students with special needs, pupils with serious behavioural problems as well as overcrowding. Unfortunately, this is not unique to Harold's Cross. The integration of pupils with special needs into mainstream education was encouraged. Teachers took this on board on the understanding that the facilities, resources and back-up would be available to them to offer good quality education to all pupils.

When the Minister points out, as she does frequently, that the number of resource teachers has never been greater, she should also acknowledge that the need has never been greater. This arises partly from the fact that we all bought into the idea of mainstreaming and that initiative was approved and supported. The Minister acknowledged to me in a recent letter that priority would be given to pupils with special needs, those from disadvantaged areas and those in junior classes. I am asking the Minister, on behalf of Harold's Cross primary school, Bluebell primary school, Mater Dei, the primary schools in Ballyfermot, Crumlin, Drimnagh and throughout my constituency, and many more, to deliver on that commitment before a new generation of children miss out again on the opportunity for a decent education. If the mantra we hear all the time that education is the way out of poverty and social exclusion is correct, it is time for the Minister to ensure the facilities are in place to deliver on these promises and the value of education.

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