Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

— recognises the right of every child to equal opportunity through education as enshrined in Article 28.1 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and that the Education Act 1998 makes specific reference to provision for the education of persons with disabilities or special educational needs, and that a stated objective of the Act is "to give practical effect to the constitutional rights of children, including children who have a disability or other special educational needs";

— notes that the Education for Persons with Special Needs Act 2004 promotes inclusive education for children with special educational needs and confers on parents a series of rights in relation to their child with special educational needs;

— notes that Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) band one and DEIS band two schools provide essential support for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with special educational needs, so that they are able to leave school with the skills necessary to fully participate in the social and economic activities of society and to live independent and fulfilled lives;

— notes that in total there are 199 DEIS band one schools, 32 of which were in the former Breaking the Cycle, BTC, programme that predated DEIS; DEIS band one BTC junior schools will operate a staffing schedule of 18:1; DEIS band one BTC senior schools will operate a staffing schedule of 24:1; vertical (junior and senior pupils) band one BTC schools will operate separate staffing schedules of 18:1 at junior and 24:1 at senior level;

— notes that other DEIS band one schools (167 schools that are not in BTC) will function as follows: DEIS band one junior schools will operate a staffing schedule of 20:1; DEIS band one senior schools will operate a staffing schedule of 24:1; DEIS band one vertical (junior and senior pupils) schools will operate a staffing schedule of 22:1;

— notes that junior DEIS schools are to be treated on a pupil-teacher ratio of an "alleviated" level: 18:1 from 15:1 and that DEIS band two schools will increase from a 24:1 ratio to 28:1;

— notes that a number of administrative principals are to be lost; the support teacher scheme is ending; the learning support system allocation changed and an estimated 250 teachers in DEIS disadvantaged primary schools are to be transferred to mainstream schools;

— notes that more than 428 DEIS teaching posts from 270 primary schools and 163 post-primary schools will be lost and that schools with classrooms designed to cater for a 15:1 pupil-teacher ratio will be unable to accommodate larger classroom sizes;

— commends the dedication and work of teaching staff in DEIS schools and recognises the incremental improvements that have resulted from dedicated programmes designed to help children who struggle to reach their educational potential;

— notes that the decision to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio from 22:1, as originally set out in Budget 2012, to 18:1, will still result in the significant loss of teachers to disadvantaged schools covered by DEIS band one and DEIS band two;

— acknowledges that cuts to DEIS schools will result in the dismantling of essential educational supports for pupils with a high level of need in school and that this is a continuation of past Government budgetary polices that have resulted in cuts in education services designed to assist children from marginalised and disadvantaged backgrounds;

— notes that many DEIS band one and DEIS band two schools have already lost a range of services including special needs assistants, Traveller allocation teachers and language support teachers and the withdrawal of visiting support teachers for Travellers, the phasing out by 2012 of senior Traveller training centres, all of which have contributed to improving numeracy and literacy standards;

— acknowledges that the loss of an estimated 700 plus career guidance counsellors in second level schools, as a result of the decision in Budget 2012 not to provide these posts on an ex-quota basis, will seriously reduce the level of support for children experiencing a range of emotional and learning difficulties;

— notes that it contradicts OECD recommendations to prioritise educational resources for socio-economically marginalised urban and rural areas and will undermine the Government's EU commitment to reaching the EU 2020 target of 10% early school leavers nationally;

— notes that the national literacy and numeracy strategy that has been prioritised by the Government and seen as essential to improving standards in schools will be undermined and will result in the loss of much of the progress that has been made in assisting children who have benefited greatly from the establishment of DEIS schools in 2005 and the Breaking the Cycle scheme which was initiated in 1996;

— acknowledges that the targeting of DEIS schools will have serious implications for society in the medium to long term, and will contribute to greater social exclusion of many young people who are unable to avail of a fair and equitable education;

— notes that this is yet another attack on some of the most vulnerable children and undermines the Government's commitment to protect the educational rights of children and those marginalised by poverty;

— notes that cuts in DEIS schools contrasts with the Government's prolonged review into State funding for private schools and its decision to implement a two-point increase in the staffing schedule in second level fee-paying schools, with one teacher for almost every 22 pupils;

— notes that phased staffing adjustments in small schools with fewer than five teachers will leave an estimated 1,500 small schools struggling with higher pupil-teacher ratios and will lead to the closure of many rural schools;

— calls upon the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, to rescind these cuts as a matter of urgency and protect the rights of children to obtain their education entitlement by ensuring DEIS schools are adequately funded and retain their current pupil-teacher ratio;

— calls upon the Government to retain the current scheme of giving DEIS band schools a "top up" allocation on the existing standard staffing schedule to enable them to implement reduced class sizes of 20:1 in junior classes and 24:1 in senior classes;

— calls upon the Government to reverse its decision to withdraw, from 2012, supports in some schools from disadvantage schemes predating DEIS;

— calls upon the Government to rescind its decision to cut teaching posts from DEIS band one and DEIS band two schools;

— calls upon the Government to reverse these indefensible cuts to essential education services which will impact on the life chances of young people and have broader ramifications for Irish society and its economy; and

— calls upon the Government to ring-fence funding and supports for DEIS band one and DEIS band two schools in order to break the cycle of deprivation, marginalisation and disadvantage and to promote fairness and equality.

Announcing his budget proposals in December, the Minister for Education and Skills said his focus was on protecting the most vulnerable. The Minister also spoke of maintaining the number of special needs assistants. This was a nonsense because the cull of special needs assistants had already started. Special educational needs officers, SENOs, and Department officials efficiently carried out the Minister's directive and children with special needs and behavioural problems were forced to cope without support and to manage with a reduced service. A total of 227 SNAs lost their jobs and were removed from the system and vulnerable children, their parents and teachers are still reeling from the fall-out from this decision.

The Minister's post-budget statement never mentioned Travellers and their particular educational needs. Their essential supports were decimated earlier in the year and the additional allocation given to schools removed. Services lost included resource teachers for Travellers, the withdrawal of visiting support teachers for Travellers, the reduction in resource hours for children with low incidence special needs, the proposed reduction in learning support teachers under the general allocation model and the phasing out by 2012 of senior Traveller training centres.

All of these services and specialised teaching posts contributed greatly to improving numeracy and literacy standards among children from the Traveller community and increased the number of Travellers successfully completing the junior certificate. It seems clear that when it comes to targeting vulnerable children, this Government, like its predecessors, has no conscience.

It would be helpful to the debate if Government Deputies would enlighten us on their thoughts on schools in their own constituencies. Do they believe there are too many teachers and, if so, could they outline what schools and what students deserve to lose their teachers? What DEIS band 1 or band 2 school deserves to lose one, two, three, four, five, six, or even nine teachers? One school in my area has estimated it could lose up to 12 teachers. Another school may lose a quarter of its teachers. These are not the exception but the new reality facing many schools following December's budget.

The question must be asked what child deserves to lose the potential for a better future through a decent education. I ask the Minister to please tell me. Is gadaithe iad Airí an Rialtais. Like thieves in the night, the Minister and his Cabinet colleagues have stolen the life chances of thousands of children throughout the State. What angers me and parents throughout the country is that regardless of the spin attempted to justify this budget, this is a savage attack on the most vulnerable.

I want to outline the backgrounds of some children who attend a DEIS school. This gives a stark reminder of why we need extra support in these schools. Only the nicknames have been changed. Tom's dad is in prison and his mum suffers from depression and has difficulty managing her three other children. Jack suffers from low self-esteem. John's mum and dad are recovering heroin addicts who are on methadone. They have a volatile relationship, often breaking up and getting back together. Bob has a stable family but his family has huge difficulties with their neighbours. Their windows have been smashed and their car damaged. Jim's dad is in prison and his mum has mental issues, and Jim is very withdrawn. Matt has poor social skills and is constantly pulling and hitting other children. He has great difficulty making friends. Ben is a Traveller whose dad is in prison for assault and his mum is at home with many, many children. Ben is volatile and his behaviour is unpredictable. Adam is volatile, his behaviour is unpredictable and the teacher is not sure of his home background. Gerald's older brother took his own life. Luke's mum is an alcoholic, his dad was murdered ten years ago, his older brother is in residential care and another brother died tragically. He is currently in the care of his older sister. Lucy's dad is in prison, convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm. Mary's mum and dad are drug addicts. Mary lived on the streets in her early years and is currently cared for by her grandmother. She is very withdrawn. Jessica's family are involved in crime. Maeve's mother was an alcoholic who was killed by a close relative who is in prison. She is currently cared for by her guardian, who is a functioning alcoholic. Linda's mum is a recovering addict and the father has left the home.

This report was given to me by the principal of a DEIS school, someone of the highest integrity who is not given to exaggeration. Any number of principals and teachers from other schools are listening to this debate who from their own experience can vouch for the truth of the shocking reality I have outlined in this one school. I talked to one principal who thought I was talking about his school and who was concerned I would identify the school.

This is the Ireland we live in and if the Minister does not know that, he ought to. As a teacher who contacted me said, the children in this school have done nothing to deserve this sort of treatment. Another said that without small classes and specialised programmes, the children will be condemned to educational poverty. The cycle of educational disadvantage was being broken so the removal of resources at this time will have a disastrous effect on our children.

When looking at this issue, we must also consider the loss of an estimated 700 school guidance counsellors in a move that Barnardos believes will severely affect children because of the essential role such counsellors play in supporting young people's educational, emotional and mental well-being. School guidance counsellors are often the first point of contact for young people when they experience difficulties. They are one of the few free supports available and they play a vital role in helping young people in times of crisis. Out of all the initiatives in DEIS, the withdrawal of support teachers could have the most detrimental effect on the teaching and learning in our schools. There are simply too many children with educational, emotional and behavioural difficulties for schools to manage without support teachers. Their loss will have a massively negative effect on the children who need additional help in school. It will undermine their basic right to receive an education in a calm and safe environment. This will result in more suspensions and expulsions and there will be significant disruption in classrooms and, in the long run, huge costs to the taxpayer.

It is recognised internationally that providing additional targeted support for children with special needs or from a disadvantaged background can make a significant difference in their lives. Child poverty in Ireland can only be eradicated if we tackle educational disadvantage that is passed from one generation to the next. When the DEIS initiative was launched, the accompanying action plan recognised that underachievement in school has profound and far-reaching consequences for children and adults in later life. Not only does it lead to economic uncertainty, it also has implications for the individual's well-being, health, self-esteem and participation in family and community life.

I will conclude by quoting from the views of many parents and teachers who have contacted my office on this issue. One parent said his children's literacy and numeracy levels have all improved in recent years. They are confident and happy, and enjoy going to school. She said she was very worried about their future. A teacher said to me that with class sizes increasing, children who need extra help will not get it.

These cuts contradict everything suggested in the new literacy and numeracy framework. The Government is taking a massive step backwards. So much for cherishing all the children of the nation equally as we approach 2016.

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