Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy very much for raising what is a very important issue for the school and for education policy in general. I know she agrees that all the girls and boys who go to that school and their teachers deserve support and recognition in the learning received and the teaching provided. It is therefore very important that this issue be raised here today.

I will comment on the general supports available to our schools that look after young girls and boys who have additional and further needs and then deal with the very specific issue the Deputy has raised as regards Scoil Mochua and other schools like it. The efforts of the Government and our country to respond back to the additional needs of young pupils within our schools are the reason €2.9 billion was allocated to the budget of the Department of Education to support these schools and special schools involved in meeting the additional educational needs of young people and teenagers who need additional support. I am very conscious that, in standing here in the Dáil using figures like hundreds of millions or billions of euro, we cannot lose sight of the plight of that young student in the classroom. As the Deputy recognised, we also cannot lose sight of the pressures faced by teachers, school principals and others involved in running schools. Figures like these may appear very big and, at times, distant from that daily reality. However, I still have to make that point to emphasise the support that is available. It is the reason we now have so many special needs education staff within our country. There are more than 1,600 additional staff available, which means we have 23,000 such staff at the moment. We are now hiring additional special education teachers to meet the very needs highlighted by the Deputy both generally and with regard to this school.

With regard to the issues raised in respect of the school itself, enhanced capitation rates are available to schools that provide special services, special educational supports and special classes. This is designed to recognise the reality of the additional funding needs and pressures such schools face, which have been indicated today. In addition to this measure, under this year's budget, an additional €45 million in cost-of-living supports will issue to schools to help with the issues we know they are facing as the cost of running a school goes up due to changes in access to goods and supports and the cost of electricity and energy. All of this is in place because we need to ensure that our schools are warm and well supported and that the teachers and pupils have the supports we want them to have.

On the specific issue of the need for engagement with the school, I understand such engagement between the school and the Department of Education is under way with the aim of finding a way to deal with the issues highlighted on "Prime Time" last night and by the Deputy in the Dáil this afternoon. I expect that meetings will happen in this regard. The Ceann Comhairle should be assured that, with the funding available to us, this Government wants to ensure that these pupils get the support and care they need and deserve and that the teachers get the support they need, given the nature of the work they do and the value we all place on those efforts.

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