Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

We accept children have different levels of language. That is why a language assessment kit will be sent to every school. It is being devised for us by Integrate Ireland Language and Training Limited to ensure teachers will be able to assess the language capability of the child. I indicated at the conference of the Irish Primary Principals Network that the two-year rule and the two teacher rule will no longer apply. We are fortunate to be in a position to be able to do this due to the number of extra teachers who will go into the system.

Like the schools the Deputy mentioned, there are schools with a substantial number of children with needs and they must be the priority. Schools with large numbers of such pupils have already broken the two teacher rule, as it were, and have three teachers. That shows our bona fides in that regard.

Along with a revised allocation system, language assessment kits will be sent to schools as well as information packs for schools and parents. The important element is training for teachers. In the primary school, each teacher is fully qualified to teach and, obviously, has the skills and methodologies which go with that. Most of these children are in primary schools and it is important teachers have the methodology to teach not only English but basic literacy. It is also our intention to ensure further training for teachers, particularly in the use of the language kits.

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