Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sure the Minister is aware, as she is consulting education partners and is talking to teachers and principals, as I am, that there is very genuine concern among teaching staff and school management about how this will work. In regard to the school profiling principals have been asked to undertake over the past couple of months, they have been asked to provide information which many find sensitive, such as whether families and students have medical cards and financial details and backgrounds on families. Many principals have found they are not in a position to ask for that type of personal information and have been informed that if they are not able to get it directly, they should make a guess as to the situation in their schools. As a result, there is genuine concern about how the information will be used. Many principals have told me they have given very honest answers to the best of their ability on the profiles of their schools, but they have concerns about whether other schools will do the same or be as accurate in their responses. They are also concerned about how the information will be used in the future.

There are serious deficiencies and a real difficulty in ensuring that teaching hours, in particular special needs teaching hours, are allocated to students promptly. It is important that any model which is proposed to replace that is one which is fair and in which schools, teachers and parents can have confidence. What assurances can the Minister give on school profiling and the surveys teachers have returned to her in regard to how that will be used and that it will be fair system?

See this speech in context