Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The truth is that this system was set up based on an objective assessment. It has taken into consideration issues such as the ones the Deputies raised, including social class, dependency ratios, educational levels of parents, lone parenthood, overcrowding, occupation, unemployment. On this first round, I have been able to include just 2% of schools in addition in the DEIS scheme. That is a small number, amounting to 79 schools, but they are the schools of the highest concentration identified by the method. It is a fair and objective method and the Department defends it fully and has implemented it.

The programme has introduced improvements. Tipperary, as Deputies know, has five of the 79 additional schools. Two are in urban band 1, one is in urban band 2 moving to urban band 1, and three are in the rural band. Out of the fewer than 80 schools, which is about two per constituency, Tipperary has five. Therefore, this is not an anti-Tipperary model by any means.

I fully recognise that we need to do more work. We are going to refine the methodology and examine the way in which schools use resources and how we can best deploy resources. I hope that in the future it will be possible to give consideration to extending DEIS supports to a further group of schools because I recognise that beyond these schools which are shown to have the highest concentration of disadvantage, there are others that have significant concentration.

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The scheme's purpose is to move to a situation where we use our available resources to best support children who come to school with particular disadvantages and ensure they fulfil their potential.

Deputy Seamus Healy raised the important issues of special educational needs and learning support. Separate from DEIS, I recently announced a new model of resource teacher allocation. It will involve 900 additional resource teachers next year who will be allocated in a way that better meets the needs of children with learning support and special educational needs and foreign nationals. The resources will go to where there is the greatest need.

As regards foreign nationals and Travellers, the matter raised by Deputy Jackie Cahill, there are individual schemes that support children with special needs because of the nationalities of their parents. If a school believes it has a particular difficulty, it can apply in respect of the learning needs of children for whom English or Irish is not the spoken language in the home. This is the first step in seeking to put more resources into disadvantaged areas, just as we are putting more resources into special education, and tailoring that approach to the best advantage of children in order that they can progress successfully and fulfil their potential in the education system. It is one of the core goals of our education strategy to improve the way in which we support children with a disadvantage.

Although the schools the Deputies have mentioned are not included, five schools in County Tipperary are receiving this advantage and I hope to be able to extend that number. I guarantee that I will set this as a priority and ensure our resources are deployed to best effect in all of the schools we support.

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