Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I am replying to this Adjournment matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills. I thank the Deputy for raising this issue as it affords me the opportunity to outline the position on language support teachers. I want to provide an overall context on the language support provision and I will return to the issue of the aforementioned school.

There has been a large influx of newcomers to Ireland in recent years and into schools and the Department recognised this through the provision of significant additional supports by way of English as an Additional Language, or EAL, support teachers. The ongoing requirement for current levels of language support teachers in schools should start to reduce in line with lower levels of immigration and in line with improvements in the levels of proficiency of those pupils for whom this resource has been available.

In the 2009-10 school year, there were over 1,500 language support teachers in our schools, of which 1,185 were employed at primary level, providing support to approximately 30,000 eligible pupils. I realise that standards are not simply achieved by supplying teaching resources and that the quality of the supports the child receives and the inclusive atmosphere cultivated in schools are important factors influencing the quality of learning achieved by migrant children. The Department of Education and Skills recognises that it must monitor and review the educational experiences provided to newcomer students so that it can improve the quality and effectiveness of its provision and, therefore, it is undertaking a range of research to consider the question of integration in schools.

The inspectorate of the Department of Education and Skills conducted an evaluation of the provision of English as an additional language in a number of schools in 2008-09. This evaluated the quality of teaching and learning of English as an additional language that students experience in mainstream education and in support contexts in schools. The findings of the research are currently being collated so that they can be analysed and a report prepared. They will help to inform policy in the area of supports for students learning English as an additional language. The inspectorate will draw up best practice guidelines and define what is needed with regard to teaching English as a second language.

Since 2008, the Department has been providing specialist continuing professional development for EAL teachers, for school leaders and whole school teams, at both primary and post-primary level, through the primary professional development service and the second level support service. There is a range of resource material available to schools which has been produced with the Department's support, including assessment toolkits for language proficiency and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment's intercultural guidelines.

The Department recognises that there are language and integration challenges for schools with significant numbers of students for whom English is not their first language. The current pressures on the public finances mean that it is not possible to provide additional resources to schools over and above what has been agreed by the Government as necessary to cater for demographics and to deliver on the commitments in the renewed programme for Government. Significant resources are already given to these schools and the challenge is to ensure that they are used to maximum effect. The research projects being carried out will help to guide and develop Department policy into the future.

The level of extra teaching support provided in respect of language support to any school is determined by the numbers of eligible non-English speaking students enrolled and the associated assessed levels of these pupils' language proficiency. It is an annual allocation process that begins in the spring of each year when schools apply to the Department. Language support posts are approved on a provisional basis initially and will be confirmed following clarification of actual enrolments on 30 September.

Under current arrangements set out in Department Circular 0015/2009, a school be allocated up to four language support teachers. Additional support is also available for those schools which have at least 25% of their total enrolment made up of pupils who require language support. Such applications for additional language support are dealt with through the staffing appeals process.

The school to which the Deputy refers is entitled to a provisional allocation of one full-time temporary teaching post in respect of EAL support, based on its application to the Department. This allocation is provisionally sanctioned until 31 August 2011 and is subject to the EAL pupils for whom support is sought remaining in attendance in the school on 30 September 2010. The school submitted an appeal to the primary staffing appeal board which was considered by the board at its meeting on 21 June 2010. The board decided that a departure from the staffing schedule was not warranted in this case and the school has been notified in this regard. The appeal board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

I wish to thank the Deputy once again for raising this matter. The Dáil adjourned at 10.40 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Friday, 2 July 2010.

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