Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have met with some Reading Recovery teachers and certainly their dedication and commitment to the programme is evident when one speaks to them. I am pleased to have been given the opportunity by the Deputy to clarify the position on literacy supports for primary schools. My Department's policy in this area is outlined in Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life - The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy for Children and Young People

2011-2020. The strategy required that a greater emphasis be placed on literacy and numeracy within a balanced curriculum across all schools. This strategy has also been prioritised for investment. This year, an additional €6 million has been provided for the implementation of the strategy, bringing the annual budget to €13.8 million.

I am pleased to inform the House that standards in the areas of literacy and numeracy have shown substantial improvement over the period of the strategy. A recent study by the independent Educational Research Centre, ERC, found that overall performance in reading and mathematics by students in second and sixth classes was significantly higher than in the 2009 assessments. These are the first significant improvements recorded by the national assessments in over 30 years.

Targets for improvement in the national literacy and numeracy strategy 2011-20 were thought to be ambitious in 2011 when they were set. These results show that the targets have already been met for the overall student population well in advance of the 2020 target. The strategy places a special emphasis on the needs of schools serving areas of disadvantage.

Reading Recovery is a literacy programme offered to DEIS band 1 and band 2 schools only as part of Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, DEIS, the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, which was launched in May 2005. Reading Recovery is an early intervention designed to provide children who have particular difficulties in reading and writing after their first year in primary school with a period of intensive individualised teaching support. Schools in these areas were invited to have teachers trained in the programme. In some areas where training took place in local cluster groups, additional schools were facilitated in participating in the programme. My Department has prioritised support for the programme and has spent over €4 million on it over the past five years. Current plans provide that support will continue for over 500 schools involved in the programme. Since 2010, over 20,000 students have benefited from the provision of the programme.

The recent ERC evaluation of the DEIS programme made positive findings concerning the impact of the programme on student learning. While the intensive phase of training is completed, my Department support services continue to offer training where required, for example, new teachers.

In conclusion, support for literacy will continue to be a priority for my Department. The evidence shows that the current approach is yielding good results for student learning. Significant investment is being made across all schools. However, my Department is anxious that we continue to target schools with the greatest need with most supports, particularly in a climate of constrained budgets.

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