Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this important legislation which deals with violent and disruptive pupils. We have to face up to this serious matter as it is a fact of life that a minority of pupils can be disruptive and damage our education system. Nobody likes excluding a pupil but there are times when schools have to make this tough decision in the interests of the pupil, his or her classmates and the school.

We need to build and develop schools with a warm, friendly and welcoming ethos. I am pleased to say we have achieved that in many cases but we must constantly develop good practice in our schools, both from a management and teaching point of view. One way to achieve this is to have a reasonable class size. This issue must be brought into today's debate. Failure to do so would be to keep our heads in the sand. Class size should be an election issue and I commend all those who will raise this issue in the coming months.

After ten years of unprecedented economic growth, which has seen the national debt almost wiped out and regular budget surpluses that could not have been imagined a decade ago, it is difficult to believe class size is still an issue. I accept some progress has been made. It is indisputable that class size at primary level is the second highest in the European Union. For years, groups like the INTO and delegates at its annual conference have listened to Minister after Minister promising to reduce class size whenever resources permitted.

Having just witnessed a giveaway budget and the €2 billion surplus of the Department of Finance, I agree with the comment of my colleague, Mr. John Carr, general secretary of the INTO, that if resources do not permit now, they will never permit. Class size in primary schools has become a political imperative. The Minister for Education and Science stated the basic resource in education is the interaction between the teacher and the child and, therefore, the degree to which we resource that interaction is the key to our success in education. These are not my words, they are the words of the Minister.

In 2002, as part of the programme for Government, Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats stated clearly that over the next five years they would progressively introduce maximum class guidelines which would ensure the average size of classes for children under nine would be below the international best practice guideline of 20:1. Five years after that promise was made, children under nine remain in the second highest class size in the European Union. Whenever there are fewer than 20 pupils in a classroom each pupil receives more attention from the teacher, fewer pupils distract each other, the level of noise is reduced and each pupil receives a greater proportion of educational resources and learns more. This can reduce violence and disruption.

A recent survey found that 35% of boys and 19% of girls were physically attacked in our schools over a three month period, a worrying development. We must address this from other angles. There is a minority of violent, dysfunctional pupils in schools but this cohort is higher in socially and economically disadvantaged areas. One cannot expect a five year old to be normal and happy if he or she comes from a family steeped in drug and alcohol abuse and domestic violence. One cannot expect the child to act in a normal way at school. We must ensure the protection of these children, many of whom are identified at the ages of four and five.

I welcome developments in pre-school education. Some disadvantaged schools have fantastic programmes involving home-school liaison teachers, creative principals, high quality teachers and parents developing strategies to assist these pupils. Such policies should be implemented.

The purpose of this Bill is to amend section 29 of the Education Act 1998, following the recommendations of the task force on student behaviour in second level schools. Section 29 provides that an appeal may be made to the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science. This refers to permanently excluding a pupil, suspending a pupil and refusing to enrol a child.

I am concerned by the refusal of some schools to enrol children with special needs, disabilities or those from poor backgrounds. I challenge the management authorities to be more open. We are losing the balance in some schools. We used to have the doctor's child educated with the plumber's child and the unemployed person's child. If wealthy children go to one school and the poor to another, society will be divided. We must be vigilant that this does not happen. A mix of children lifts all of them, in respect of economics and education. Those who have experience of mixed systems believe it is the way forward.

Parents should support the local school. Shipping pupils to what is considered an elite school can be damaging. If parents, as taxpayers, have difficulties in the local school they should work with staff and the parents' council. The Minister is aware that policies have been tested in disadvantaged areas and the more progressive ideas have come from the poorer schools. We must support teachers and parents.

The Minister states she is pleased "that the National Educational Welfare Board is currently finalising comprehensive guidelines for schools on developing and implementing effective codes of behaviour". Sensible ideas are being proposed. I welcome this debate.

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