Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

A key priority for my Department is to continue to prioritise and target funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. However, in order to ensure fairness in the distribution of resources available under the DEIS plan, it is no longer possible to allow some schools to retain legacy posts on a concessionary basis that pre-date the introduction of the DEIS scheme. Accordingly, a decision has been taken to withdraw 428 posts from earlier disadvantage programmes in 270 primary schools and 163 post-primary schools that exceed what equivalent schools are entitled to under DEIS or to which non-DEIS schools are not entitled.

The following are some important elements to this measure which should address some of the concerns raised about the schools in question. My Department will hold several teaching posts in reserve to reduce the impact of changes to schools most acutely affected. All schools will be notified in January 2012 of their staffing entitlements under the new arrangement including any alleviation measures that may apply.

The majority of DEIS band 1 schools will benefit from the new dedicated pupil teacher ratio of 22:1. The new staffing schedule for DEIS band 1 primary schools now gives greater autonomy to schools and simplifies the existing system whereby schools are given a top-up allocation to support lower class sizes of 20:1 in junior classes and 24:1 in senior classes.

DEIS post-primary schools will be targeted for additional support through an improved staffing schedule of 18.25:1, which is a 0.75 point improvement compared to the existing standard, 19:1, that applies in post-primary schools that do not charge fees or compared to the 21:1 ratio that will apply in fee-charging schools.

Phasing out of the legacy posts will commence in the 2012-13 school year. The phasing of this measure will allow schools time to prepare for this gradual change. In the meantime, the new pupil teacher ratio of 22:1 will take effect from September 2012 for all DEIS band 1 schools.

In addition, the changes announced to the general allocation model and the way in which resource teachers are allocated to all 3,200 primary schools will take effect from next September. My Department will, by necessity, carefully examine each DEIS school's staffing arrangements on a case-by-case basis to ensure the impact of changes will be minimised as much as possible.

The Government's protection of schools serving disadvantaged areas is further underlined by the maintenance of €13 million in enhanced funding for DEIS schools, €2 million in school book funding for DEIS schools, as well as a €26 million investment in the home school community liaison scheme. All these areas have been protected from reductions in expenditure for 2012. The school completion programme, which transferred to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs earlier this year, remains a major component of DEIS and has seen only a marginal deduction of €2 million in its overall budget equating to approximately 6.5%.

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