Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I move:

That Dáil Éireann noting that:

the educational needs of children are more difficult to meet in large classes;

there is growing concern among parents and teachers at the lack of progress on class sizes;

the Government has reneged on the commitment contained in An Agreed Programme for Government that the average size of classes for children under nine would be brought below the international best-practice guideline of 20:1;

there are more than 100,000 primary pupils and 35,000 second level pupils being taught in classes of 30 or more;

Ireland has currently the second highest average class size in the EU; and

additional teachers are also urgently required to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and those from disadvantaged areas;

calls for:

the setting out of a timetable for meeting the commitment on class sizes given in An Agreed Programme for Government and to put in place the steps needed to ensure the recruitment of the additional teachers required and the provision of the extra classrooms required;

the reduction of class sizes to the European norm;

a reduction in maximum class sizes to 25:1 in mainstream classes and 15:1 in schools where there is chronic disadvantage;

sanction for the appointment of additional special needs teachers to meet current needs and to implement the terms of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004; and

greater engagement between the Department of Education and Science, the planning authorities and local communities so that school needs can be delivered on a timely and orderly basis.

I wish to share time with Deputies Burton, Costello and Lynch.

Tonight is the third time in the past three years that the Labour Party has used its Private Members' time in the Dáil to raise the issue of class size. In April 2005 and May 2006, we tabled similar motions to the one I have moved on behalf of the party tonight. We have considered this issue and the logistics of how we can reduce class sizes in Ireland to what children in other European countries enjoy, and we intend to do so in the next Government.

It is important to stress that we are serious about this issue. It has been raised in a large number of public meetings with very large attendances throughout the country, and pointing out that the Labour Party has raised this issue three times in our Private Members' time is an indication that we take it very seriously and intend to reduce the class sizes to European norms.

We will not repeat the empty rhetoric of the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats programme for Government, which promised that all children under nine will be in classes of fewer than 20:1 and then proceeded to ignore that promise. The number of children in classes of 30 or more has increased rather than decreased. Failure to keep promises like that is what makes people lose faith in politics. That is one of the reasons we were all greeted with a fair degree of scepticism when we attended the Irish National Teachers Organisation meetings throughout the country in the past few weeks and it is the reason I intend, on behalf of the Labour Party, to outline the measures we will take to reach our commitment.

Essentially, there are three elements required, extra teachers, extra schools and classrooms and the revenue and capital resources to pay for them. It is not rocket science. They are three basic elements and they can be delivered if there is the political will.

We must factor in also the expected growth in the school-going population, which is estimated at an extra 100,000 in the next ten years, and a system must be put in place to pinpoint where those children will be living. Essentially, this is about forward planning, which we have not seen in the system here. That is something other European countries do as a matter of course. On the other hand, the Government has stood by and wrung its hands as if the problem had jumped up to bite it, and it had no idea how those young children were suddenly there with eager faces ready to take up their constitutional right to education.

Laytown in County Meath is a prime example of that. This has been an ongoing issue for some time. I read in the newspapers in the past week that a site may or may not be bought for a temporary school to address urgent need while the permanent one is being built. The parents there do not know what to say to their children. Will they be going to school or will they not? Will they be going to school in the locality? Will they have to travel long distances by bus or are there any spaces within bus distance of Laytown? Neighbouring schools in east Meath, such as Le Chéile Educate Together in Mornington, have faced similar problems.

The parents of Laytown spent so much time on this issue they came before the Joint Committee on Education and Science to talk to us about the solutions they believe are necessary to address the needs of these growing communities in terms of the provision of schools. They made some worthwhile proposals in that regard, but it should not be up to the parents who have suffered so much in a particular area to come up with proposals to provide school places for children. That is the job of the Government, particularly the Minister for Education and Science.

This is a fiasco born of a failure of political leadership. It is time the Government took charge of providing schools. Otherwise, we will continue to play catch-up on crisis management of numbers, particularly in the growth areas around our cities. The Labour Party has come to the view that a radical change of approach is needed to allow us plan and deliver schools and classrooms to be ready when the population needs them. My colleagues have examples in their locations of schools that are bursting at the seams, with no place to put the extra children and where it is constantly a case of crisis management.

We propose that the National Treasury Management Agency be given the task of gathering the information on where and when extra classrooms and schools will be needed and of acquiring the sites on which to build them. This should be done in co-operation with local authorities. We plan to introduce legislation to implement the recommendation of the All-Party Committee on the Constitution to ensure that land can be acquired by compulsory purchase order for educational purposes. That proposal was made some years ago but there has been no attempt by Government, despite the fact that it is a recommendation of an all-party committee, to implement the recommendation. While this proposal will probably require a substantial capital investment initially, it will save money in the longer term because the State will no longer be held over a barrel by developers who know they can practically name their price because a school is urgently needed and suitable land is in such short supply.

For example, a gaelscoil in my constituency, of which I am sure the Minister is aware, has been waiting, in atrocious temporary conditions, for more than a decade for a site to be bought because the Office of Public Works is reluctant to pay the inflated price to the public purse that is being asked for the site deemed most appropriate for the school. I am aware there are similar cases in other constituencies, and the sites are probably much more expensive around the greater Dublin area. Failure to plan is costing us money and forcing children to spend years in dilapidated, unhealthy classrooms.

There is a rash of prefabs throughout the country which are costing a considerable amount of money, whether they are being bought or rented, to the public purse. If we plan in advance and buy the land at a cheaper rate before it becomes so urgently needed that the developers can almost name their price, we will need a short-term increase in capital money but in the long term we will save money to the public purse and ensure children do not have to spend, in many cases, all their school life in a prefab.

If the provision of schools and extensions in expanding areas is a specific task for the National Treasury Management Agency, which is a Government agency with expertise and experience in this area, that will leave the Department of Education and Science's building unit and the OPW with the much more manageable job of assisting existing schools in upgrading their buildings and replacing unsuitable classrooms and prefabs.

The reason we have concentrated on the building aspect of the solution to the issue of class size is that it has been the most intractable. It is the reason most children in County Kildare, for example, must be five before they get into school and the reason in the northern part of that county only 2.2% of children are in classes of fewer than 20 and 31% are in classes of 30 or more. That statistic is a national disgrace and it is not much better in several other counties. More than 100,000 primary school children and 35,000 post-primary students are in classes of 30 or more.

If we do not address this issue now, we do a great disservice to the children of Ireland and to our future. One can imagine being a five year old in a room with 32 other five year olds trying to follow what one adult is trying to help them understand. If they do not grasp it, are they able to get the teacher's attention and will he or she be able to give them the time to explain? I think not in a class of that size, and that is the experience throughout the country for very young children for whom this is their only opportunity. If they slip back in the early years, it is much more difficult to catch up at a later stage.

One of the striking aspects about the INTO meetings has been the huge numbers of parents attending and the passion of their contributions. Parents considerably outnumbered teachers at these meetings. I was struck by how strongly the parents in my constituency felt about this issue, and I know that has been the experience in other parts of the country. They know their children are not getting the attention they need in large classes.

Children with special needs are particularly vulnerable. Most mainstream classes now have a number of children with learning support needs and many have not been allocated that support despite recommendations from psychologists and other professionals. The implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act has proved a bitter disappointment in many cases. The weighted model for the allocation of resource teachers in primary schools has delivered support based on numbers rather than need and many disadvantaged schools with large numbers of children with learning difficulties have lost rather than gained teachers. Basic literacy competence has not improved in some schools in the past decade because while we have a child-centred curriculum, we do not have a child-centred allocation of resources to implement the curriculum.

There are many difficulties in schools throughout the country with regard to the allocation of those special resources, particularly in post-primary schools that do not have in situ resource teachers. Issues arise also regarding a shortage of speech and language therapists and a number of other specialists. The suggestion is that now that we have the legislation everything is sorted out for children with special needs, but that is very far from the reality in schools throughout the country.

I spoke to a number of young teachers after the INTO meeting I attended, which was packed to the doors, with some people having to overflow into the next room. Those young teachers were clearly idealistic and hugely positive about the vocation they had chosen. However, they were all very frustrated and disappointed that they could not do their job as it should be done. I was really struck by these young teachers who were trying to cope with very large numbers of children and wanted to be good teachers — and were good teachers. However, in the circumstances they were finding it extremely difficult to implement what is still described as the new curriculum in primary education, which is child-centred with the opportunity for children to work individually. It is not a talk-down curriculum. However, it is very difficult to implement it in large classes. These teachers simply could not give the kind of attention each child needed.

This brings me to the second element in reducing class sizes to EU norms, which average at 20:1 and in which we are second from bottom of the table. Only the United Kingdom has larger class sizes than we have. We need to continue to increase the number of teachers graduating from our colleges of education and universities every year. I congratulate the INTO on the work it has done on the teacher numbers required. I welcome the fact that we have a considerable number of additional teachers in the system, for which I give the Minister credit. However, it does not need to be an either-or situation. The capacity exists if there is the will to deliver. The will certainly exists in the colleges of education. The numbers who apply for undergraduate and postgraduate primary education courses and for the higher diploma in education and second level teaching-related courses continue to increase as indicated by the most recent CSO figures. The colleges are more than willing to expand their place numbers, provided they are given the necessary resources.

However, I do not accept that a choice needed to be made between class size reduction and special needs and newcomer children. The Minister knew that special needs children were to be mainstreamed as it was Government policy. In setting its priorities the Government should have known that these children would need such supports. As it has been Government policy to bring in workers from other countries to develop our economy, the number of newcomer children should not have been a surprise. The commitment in the programme for Government on class size should have been incrementally implemented over the five-year lifetime of the Government. It was a very specific commitment that both parties signed up to. Therefore it should have been politically driven and monitored.

However, we have a Government that is in charge of everything but in control of nothing. It is part of a pattern of apportioning responsibility for all the crises, from the health services to traffic gridlock to someone or something else. It claims to be helpless to do anything about all the children, sick people and cars clogging up our schools, hospitals and roads? The Government is responsible and was elected to take the actions that will make things work.

This is an issue that should be a priority for all elected representatives. Education has been at the heart of social and economic progress in Ireland. We have traditionally invested in it in so far as our wealth permitted, but that is no longer the case. While 5.4% of GDP was spent on education in 1994, it has fallen to 4.6%. We are near the bottom of the EU and OECD tables on the portion of our national wealth that we spend on education, particularly pre-school, primary and second level. The Labour Party will, in government, put education back in the centre of spending priorities again. We are committed to allocating the resources, capital and revenue, that will be needed to reduce class sizes to EU norms, which average 20:1. We know that a commitment to average size and pupil-teacher ratios are not enough in themselves. It is of no use to a child in Dublin West who is in a class of 38 children to know that elsewhere there are only ten children in her cousin's class. We also need to set maximum class size targets as specified in the motion. The measures we are proposing for the building programme will allow us to achieve such targets in a set timeframe.

The ad hoc reactive system that operates at present has seen PE halls used as classrooms, playground space eaten up by prefabs and children spending their entire school years in unventilated, squashed, damp, unhealthy conditions. I spoke to the mother of an autistic boy last Friday who told me that the local school attended by the rest of her children has a problem taking her son, who is ready for mainstream, because of concerns that there will not be room in the classroom for the adult who will be needed for a limited period of time to help him to cope with the transition from the one-to-one system he has had to full participation in the class. I know that my colleagues can outline other cases of classes with insufficient space.

We are aware of the problems that are being stored up for these children into the future if we do not comprehensively address their needs as they develop. This is solvable if the will exists. I urge all Members to support the motion. I am disappointed that the Government has tabled an amendment. We should have united in supporting the motion which concerns planning for the next generation. It can be done and the resources exist to do it.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

What is another year in terms of primary school education, particularly in Dublin West? It is another period of agony for parents and children as they wait to find out whether they will get a school place at primary or second level. Last August the Minister made her first visit to Dublin West in a formal capacity to see a primary school. I noticed that she came when the school was empty apart from one token child in a school uniform to allow the school appear spacious. The very successful Castleknock community college has 60 children on a waiting list for a place. Across the road in St. Patrick's school in Diswellstown, the one the Minister visited last year when it was empty of children, has 200 children seeking 89 places. These figures indicate the lottery for parents with four or five year olds seeking a school place.

I recently spoke to a parent with a daughter already in Mary Mother of Hope school in Clonee. Another daughter of his turned four in January and although this is a sibling place she is 23rd on a waiting list for a place in the school. I am told more than 60 children are now on that waiting list. I have sent the Minister personal correspondence about the much-loved village school in Mulhuddart, which is apparently to be closed at the instigation of the Minister and her colleague, the Minister of State. The children are to be transferred to a new super-sized primary school with capacity for more than 1,000 pupils, to be located two to three miles away from the existing school, about which no consultation took place with the parents. The class teachers have suggested to existing pupils that if they have a brother or sister due to start next year he or she will be in another school two or three miles away.

The Minister has ducked and weaved and avoided responsibility to an extraordinary degree regarding Dublin West. I also refer to Diswellstown in the Clonee area that is serving a population living in more than 8,000 houses built in the past ten years. The Minister promised a second level school for the area, but it now appears that it will not be built until 2008-09 or later. All the parents in these areas, as the Minister must recall from her visit last year, are working and buying houses with large mortgage repayments. They are paying their taxes and are not the people with Ansbacher accounts. They are doing it right and paying their way. They are contributing to society. Is it too much to expect that they might get a school place for their children?

Last year after months of tabling parliamentary questions, the Minister finally supplied an answer on class sizes. Nine schools in Dublin 15 had 89 classes of 30 children or more out of a total of 155 classes — 57% of the classes were super-sized classes. I have no reason to believe the situation this year is any different and although I have asked for the information repeatedly by way of parliamentary question, this term and last term, and although the Department collected the statistics towards the end of September, the Minister obviously believes the Dáil can go into recess and the general election without feeling obliged to acknowledge the figures for Dublin West. In other areas the Minister appears to have much concern for education but her performance and that of her predecessors in regard to Dublin West is truly appalling. The core reason for what has happened is that her party is in hock to the developers who are building the houses and making fortunes and neither she nor her predecessors have had the courage to get the sites. She is telling us she will do it now. She told us last week there will be a new VEC-patroned primary school for children who get into no school. When will we know about this? The school places are being allocated in Dublin West at present.

To my knowledge there are 400 children in Dublin West with no school to go to at either primary or second level. Can one imagine the uncertainty in those families? The parents of those at primary level are trying to make a hard decision. Should they hope for the best that the child will get a place and give up their preschool place or crèche place? What does the Minister advise these parents to do? Should they hold on in the hope that in May when the general election is on the rounds that she and the Taoiseach will cobble together another solution? She is building super-sized primary schools in Dublin West. No primary school in Dublin West is to be for fewer than 1,000 pupils. This is a bit of political magic because this is to happen on a site half the size of that for traditional primary schools. On some of these half size sites there is to be an Educate Together school on one side of the site and a traditional Catholic parish school on the other side of the site. What about activity and children being free to run around? These are three-storey schools in half size sites with twice the number of pupils. If this is what the Government is delivering to the parents of Dublin West all I can say is that when the general election comes, I hope they will give their answer.

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the crucial issue of class size and compliment Deputy O'Sullivan on tabling the motion.

Education is another of the coalition's monumental failures. This time the failure cannot be blamed on the Progressive Democrats as Fianna Fáil has held the education and science portfolio for all of the past ten years. Probably the most glaring failure of all is the failure to reduce class size. Everybody knows that the number of children in a class determines the amount of time and attention the individual child receives from the teacher. Everybody also knows that if a child has learning difficulties and there is no time to address these difficulties in the classroom there is a real danger that child's education may be adversely affected and impacted upon.

Small classes and early intervention contribute enormously to good quality learning and give a child the maximum opportunity to progress at the earliest stage in life and education. The present nationwide campaign by the INTO highlights the extraordinary failure of the Government to properly resource Irish education. While Ireland is top of the league of wealthy countries in the EU and the OECD it is second from the bottom in terms of class size. The average class size in Lithuania is 15, in Ireland it is 24. There are more than 100,000 pupils in primary schools taught in classes of more than 30 pupils. This is totally unacceptable.

In 2002 the Government agreed in An Agreed Programme for Government that the average size of classes for children under nine years of age would be brought below the international best practice guideline of 20:1. No action whatsoever was taken on this commitment by the Government until three years had expired. Consequently, little or no progress has been made in reducing class size to date. If the Government had delivered on its promise, two-thirds of all classes would have fewer than 20 pupils and all younger children up to the age of nine would be receiving the individual attention they are entitled to and so often need. In reality, more than 80% of primary school children are in much bigger classes than were promised five years ago when this Government took office. It is a sad and dismal fact that this Government has reneged on its promise to eight out of every ten pupils in schools in Ireland today.

What is needed — what we will deliver in Government in any agreed programme and what is lacking in An Agreed Programme for Government to date — is a five year plan with targets set and audited for each year in terms of additional recruitment of staff, teachers, extra classrooms, planning ahead for new schools and the extra resources required to deliver on those commitments.

Cherishing the children of the national equally must be our priority at all times. This was very difficult when Ireland was an impoverished country for more than 75 years since these words were written in the Proclamation in 1916. Now we are a wealthy country but have become an impoverished society in the critical areas of health, housing and education. That is the real failure of the Government. It has failed the people, young and old, who most need its assistance. The Minister's boast on education which is contained in the amendment is embarrassing. It reads that she "welcomes the fact that last year there were 80,000 less primary school children in classes of 30 or more than in 1997." It took ten years for the Minister to remove 80,000 children from classes of 30 or more not from classes of 20 or more, as was the target, or as in Lithuania, from classes of 15. What an empty embarrassing boast. The Minister should be ashamed to state that as part of her amendment.

In her amendment the Minister refers to investment in school buildings and modernisation under the National Development Plan 2007-2013. Hard pressed parents throughout the length and breadth of Ireland know only too well of the failure of the Government to engage in spatial planning, to plan ahead so that when new developments take place no provision has been made for educational and community facilities. Houses without schools are par for the course for this awful Government.

In my constituency, Gaelscoil Barra has been waiting for ten years for a new school in Cabra. Children have been taught in old dilapidated prefabs since 1997 when this Government came into office.

On the eve of the 2002 election the Taoiseach avoided a protest march from Parnell Square by promising a new school if and when he was elected to a second term of office. Now five years later the Minister has replied to a series of parliamentary questions from me in recent months and years in which she said she is working hard on delivering the school. What is she doing? She is still seeking a site after ten years and has begun to employ the services of her colleague, the Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Deputy Parlon, who has responsibility for the Office of Public Works. I wait in anticipation to see what the Taoiseach pulls out of the hat this time as the election looms over the coming weeks.

This is a Government of failure. It fails to provide for the elderly in terms of the health service and our children in terms of the education service.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I wish to put the record straight. It is a mistake to think the Government made a promise to reduce class sizes to 20:1 at the last election. It was not during that election but during the 1997 general election that the promise was first made. It was repeated at the last election. The hypocrisy is amazing when one considers the Government did not deliver it in its first five years and made the promise again, which it has still not delivered. People need to be reminded that a ten-year old promise has still not been delivered on.

When the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, was appointed, it was as if it were a badge of honour that she said after several months that it could not be done. She asks what are we all cribbing about. I have some examples of what we are cribbing about.

Class sizes in Cork are the worst with more than 30,000 children in Cork city and county in classes of 30 or more. Overcrowded classrooms are not just bad for the child who needs special attention but also for exceptionally bright children. Overcrowded classrooms mean the teacher simply does not have enough time to give each child the individual attention he or she needs. As Deputy O'Sullivan has said, planning for education is not rocket science. In an area with young couples, it should be known they will have children in five years and schools will be needed then. There is an intervening period to ensure educational facilities are planned and provided.

Last week, I received a telephone call from an angry parent with a child who falls into an unusual category. It is a category that will become less unusual with more women entering the workplace. There was no preschool available for the child in that part of Cork city. The principal of a progressive school in the area decided to set up a class, in which there were 16 children, which she called Just Four. The birthdays of these children fell in June, July and August. In the normal run of affairs, those children would have started school in September when they would be too young. The special class, Just Four, was devoted to preparing those children to enter primary school; the class motto was "Preparing to Learn".

Recently, the principal was informed by the Department of Education and Science that the class's resources were to be stopped. Those children, because they are already enrolled in the school, will have to go into senior infants. They are not old enough for it but it is the only way they can remain in the school. The caring Minister and her officials in the Department are aware of this situation as the principal has been in regular contact with them on this matter. The school is in band 1 of DEIS but does not have an Early Start programme or its Just Four class. The principal has been informed she will receive funding for a preschool on the existing school site. That, however, does not solve the problem of those children who must go into senior infants.

At the other end of the cycle is the leaving certificate. I may be in a minority but I believe the leaving certificate as an examination is very egalitarian as each student is only identified by a number. I was glad that Professor Áine Hyland, despite the former Minister's coaxing, found it was a most equal process. How a child gets to the leaving certificate point can often show where inequality exists. Like the children in the Just Four class, some children will go through school without the facilities found in other areas and will not be in an equal situation going into those types of examinations. That is the type of inequality that must be addressed.

In Cork city, from the gate of St. Vincent's girls' primary school, one could hit the North Mon boys' primary school with a stone. However, one school is in band 1 and the other in band 2 of DEIS. This is despite the fact that siblings attend both schools. The needs and social problems of the area are the same but the two schools are in different categories. It is outrageous but it seems the Department of Education and Science is a law unto itself, doing exactly as it pleases. It can deliberately disadvantage children who need all the support that should be available to them. It can do this by removing them from particular bands and not providing the facilities to give them an equal chance when they come to the end of the educational cycle. The Minister knows this as I have spoken to her on several occasions about it but she will continue to allow this to happen. She will give us reams of statistics concerning the average class size, 500 extra secondary school teachers and so forth. Yet, there are children in classes of 25 and 30 where, regardless of ability, none of them receives the attention he or she needs.

When the Minister tells us about her concerns for education and class sizes, it is by her deeds we shall know her. So far, the Minister's deeds are nothing to write home about. There are areas that require special attention. It is imperative that certain schools have Early Start programmes but they do not. The teachers in those schools are not getting the type of incentive or encouragement they need to encourage children not just to stay in school but to achieve their best potential. They cannot do so because they simply do not have the resources.

It is the teachers who must face the parents, not the Minister for Education and Science or politicians when they knock on doors, and explain their children are in overcrowded classrooms and cannot be taught on an individual basis. That is not right. The Minister can make all the excuses and claim it is up to the boards of management. That typical response from the Department of Education and Science is not true. The allocation of resources is a matter for the Department of Education and Science which, in turn, is a matter for the Minister. It is with the Minister that the buck stops. We pay our Ministers well because they have particular responsibilities. This is probably the one case where I will say that size does matter. The size of a class will determine the attention a child will receive which in turn will determine their prospects. It will have a major impact on all our futures.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I wish to share my time with Deputy Carey.

Deputies:

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

commends the Government on putting 10,000 more teachers in place;

supports the priority given in recent years to providing vastly improved services for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas;

notes that as a result approximately 50,000 children from disadvantaged areas are already in much smaller classes;

further notes the major increases in staffing supports for children with special needs, the improvements in the process for accessing such supports and the Government's commitment to the full implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004;

welcomes the fact that last year there were 80,000 fewer primary school children in classes of 30 or more than in 1997;

appreciates that another 800 primary teachers will be put in place next September, with the focus on reducing class sizes;

commends the fact that there is now one teacher for every 13 students at second level;

further commends the Government on the unprecedented level of investment in school buildings in recent years and the improvements that have been made in school planning; and

welcomes the provision of €4.5 billion for the school building and modernisation programme under the National Development Plan 2007-2013.

The priority the Government has given to education is unparalleled. In 1997, we took over from an Administration in which the current leaders of the two main Opposition parties had voted to freeze direct school funding and cut teacher numbers. Investment in school buildings was minimal and provision for children with special needs in mainstream schools was virtually non-existent. We set out to return education to the centre of Government policy, to increase investment and to improve outcomes, and we have succeeded in those aims. A total of 10,000 extra teachers have been put in place. Primary class sizes have been reduced to their lowest level ever. Supports for children from disadvantaged areas and those with special needs have been dramatically improved. Under the largest school building programme in Irish history, thousands of existing schools have been modernised, while many more new ones have been built.

We are rightly proud of the significant increase in resources for education that has been put in place in a relatively short time, but it is the improvement in outcomes that matters most to us. More young people than ever are finishing school. With the creation of 45,000 extra college places and the success of targeted access initiatives, real breakthroughs have been made in the participation of students from disadvantaged areas in third level education. At the same time, we have laid the foundations for a vibrant fourth level sector as the key to attracting even greater investment to Ireland. We are fully aware of the many needs which have still to be addressed, but we are proud we have provided for the most sustained increase in funding and participation in the history of Irish education.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I apologise for interrupting, but is a script being circulated?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Yes. The Private Members' motion before the House concentrates on the areas of class sizes, special education and school planning. Having visited more than 400 schools in two and a half years and met parents, teachers and students throughout the country in small one or two-teacher schools and in large schools with more than 1,000 pupils, I have seen at first hand the progress we have made. I am happy to have the opportunity to outline what is being achieved.

First, I will address class size, which is an issue we take seriously. There are now 10,000 more teachers on my Department's payroll than there were in 1997. A total of 8,000 of these are primary teachers. As a result of these increases in staffing, not only are children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas getting better support than ever before, but primary class sizes have been reduced to their lowest level ever. When the Government came into office there were 80,000 more children in classes of more than 30 than there are now. It is worth saying that.

Over the past ten years, a revolution has taken place in our schools, with the largest increase in teacher numbers in Irish history. The average primary class size has been reduced from 27 to 24. With all the extra support teachers now in place, there is now one teacher for every 17 primary pupils, down from one for 22 in 1997. While more remains to be done to reduce class sizes further, it should be acknowledged how much progress has been made in this area in recent years.

It should also be acknowledged that, in providing 5,000 extra primary teachers since 2002, the Government had to decide how best to use these posts. If all of them had gone into classroom teaching, our class sizes would be a lot smaller than they are today. However, we decided, rightly in my view, to target children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas in the first instance, and in so doing we have greatly improved the teaching support available to such pupils.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It was the Government that made the commitment.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

With these areas now largely addressed, in the current school year extra teachers were provided to reduce class sizes and, as Deputies will be aware, the Government has already committed to providing another 800 primary school teachers next September.

In the course of this debate, some Members will bring up examples of primary schools with which they are familiar that have large classes in particular grades and will try to claim these are typical of the situation in our school system as a whole, but that is not the case. Not only is the average class size at national level now 24, but all primary schools are staffed on the basis of a general rule of at least one classroom teacher for every 28 pupils. This is down from one teacher for 29 pupils in the last school year and it is being reduced to one for 27 from next September.

It is important to appreciate there are a number of different reasons a particular school may have a large class in a given year. Large classes can result from a significant fluctuation in enrolments from one year to the next. They may also be the result of a decision by the school principal not to have multi-grade classes. When I examine why a particular school has a class of 35 pupils in a particular grade, the reason is that there is another class in the same school with just 15 pupils.

I appreciate that splitting classes may not always be an option because, for example, there might be a large group in junior infants and a small group in sixth class and so on. However, where it is possible, I believe principals should consider the benefits of having smaller multi-grade classes as against having large differences in class sizes at different levels in the school.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

What if they have no classrooms?

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Multi-grade classes are the norm in the majority of primary schools which are small schools that have four teachers or fewer. There is no evidence that being taught in a multi-grade setting is to the detriment of the child. The opposite is the case. Perhaps more principals should consider multi-grade classes where they are in the best interests of pupils who might otherwise find themselves in large classes. During this debate, we will not hear of the small rural schools that have only two or three teachers, the island schools where there is only one teacher or the very disadvantaged schools, to which I will return.

The Government accepts that smaller class sizes at junior level can make a difference. That is why we have reduced and will continue to reduce class sizes in our primary schools. However, there is considerable evidence to show reductions in class size must be accompanied by a change in teaching styles to achieve all the benefits. Teacher quality and the work the teacher is doing in the classroom are even more significant than the size of the class. The two go hand in hand.

For my part, I have prioritised increased investment in teacher professional development to ensure teachers get the ongoing training they need to stay at the top of their game and maintain the high quality we have at present. My Department has also conducted and commissioned excellent research, such as the recent report on reading levels in our schools, which provides invaluable information and guidance for teachers on practical ways to improve outcomes for pupils. Examples of best practice in a range of curriculum areas have been sent to schools and new support services have been set up to assist them. I am committed to ensuring the highest quality of education in our schools. I know all partners will work with me to ensure that this is the case, as we continue to increase the numbers of teachers in our schools.

The Private Members' motion also refers to class sizes in disadvantaged schools. I am happy to inform the House there are now in the region of 50,000 primary school children from disadvantaged areas in classes of 15 or 20 at junior level and 20 or 24 at senior level. The number of children benefiting from smaller classes was expanded with the introduction of the DEIS action plan. This plan was an independent, objective process based on information provided by schools. Teacher numbers is only one factor that impacts on children's achievement. For this reason, smaller classes is just one of the many different types of extra support being provided under DEIS.

Anybody who thinks that simply reducing the sizes of classes in disadvantaged areas is all that is needed to improve outcomes does not understand the nature of educational disadvantage and the multifaceted approach needed to tackle it. It is because the Government understands all the different factors involved that we have ensured that, in addition to smaller classes, children in primary schools serving the most disadvantaged communities are also benefiting from special literacy and numeracy programmes with intensive extra tuition to help pupils with difficulties at an early stage. In addition, after-school and holiday time supports, including homework clubs and summer camps, are provided. Extra funding has also been provided for school book schemes and school meals.

We are also conscious of the positive impact working with parents in disadvantaged areas can have on children's progress. Accordingly, the home-school-community liaison scheme has been extended. New teachers have been recruited for that scheme and a new family literacy initiative is being developed in co-operation with the National Adult Literacy Agency and other partners. We believe this comprehensive package of extra support for children and their parents will improve attainment levels in disadvantaged areas.

We know the scale of the challenges facing children and young people in disadvantaged areas but we are confident they can be overcome. Even before the DEIS plan was put in place, there was evidence that the extra investment targeted at disadvantaged areas by this Government between 1997 and 2005 made a difference. By 2005, 85.8% of Irish 20 to 24 year olds had attained upper second level education or equivalent, up from 82.6% in 2000. This has put Ireland considerably ahead of the EU average of 77.5%.

This progress is reflected in the fact that the number of young people from areas such as Finglas, Ballymun and the inner city going to third level doubled between 1998 and 2004. I accept we need to do much more to improve educational outcomes in disadvantaged areas, which we are doing under DEIS, but the progress made in recent years should be acknowledged.

I am sure Deputies will be pleased to hear there is now one teacher for every 13 students at second level, down from one for 16 in 1997. As Deputies are aware, schools are accorded a considerable local discretion in the way in which they organise matters of subject choice, teacher allocation and class size. That naturally leads to variations in the size of classes, with some being very small where not many students opt for a subject or level. The most recent edition of the OECD report Education at a Glance gave an indication of how the size of second level classes in Ireland compared with those in other OECD countries in the 2003-04 school year. The report found that the average class size at junior cycle in Ireland was, at 19.8, considerably lower than the OECD average of 23.8. While it is for school principals to decide how they organise their classes, it is clear that in the last year for which comparative data are available our second level class sizes compared well with those in other OECD states.

The motion before the House this evening also refers to special education, another area in which major progress has been made by the Government. It is the improvement in supports for children with special needs in recent years of which I am most proud. There is no doubt that the record of the State over decades in providing for children with special needs was very poor and that we are still playing catch-up. However, significant advances have been made, improving the lives of many children with special needs and their families.

There are now 15,000 adults in our mainstream primary schools working solely with children with special needs, compared with a fraction of that number a few years ago. As well as providing for substantial increases in staff, we have also improved procedures for accessing extra support. A guaranteed allocation of resource teaching hours has been made to all primary schools, replacing the need for an individual assessment for each child. That was never promised and never part of any programme for Government.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

They are still needed.

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The increased allocation will ensure that, for the first time, each school will have resource teaching to meet children's individual needs. That was the priority that we set, and I stand by it. We have put a team of 80 local special educational needs organisers on the ground to work with parents and teachers and help them get the appropriate support for their children.

At second level, nearly 1,900 whole-time-equivalent additional teachers are in place to support pupils with special needs, compared with approximately 200 in 1998. In addition, there are more than 500 whole-time-equivalent learning support teachers and approximately 1,400 whole-time-equivalent special needs assistants in our second level schools. More than €820 million is being provided for special education in 2007 — €180 million, or nearly 30%, more than in the 2006 Estimates.

Further improvements in services are on the way, with the roll-out of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004. The Act provides for an educational assessment for children with special needs and the entitlement to an individual educational plan. It also provides for parents to be consulted and informed at different stages of the process. Parents will also have recourse to an independent appeals board, which will have the power to compel bodies, including the Health Service Executive, to take specific action to address matters before it.

While many sections of the Act have already commenced, the remaining sections relate mainly to the statutory assessment and education plan process for which it provides. The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, recently submitted its implementation report to me, which sets out its views and recommendations on a plan for the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004. That is being considered by my officials.

Guidelines regarding devising and implementing individual education plans have already been issued to schools by the NCSE. It is the council's intention that those guidelines provide a benchmark for best practice pending the implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 and that schools use them to draw up school policies and procedures regarding individual education plans in advance of the mandatory requirement for them to do so. Once the relevant provisions in the Act have been commenced, it is envisaged that the guidelines will have statutory effect.

I assure Deputies that the Government will continue to prioritise extra resources for children with special needs to allow the full implementation of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004.

The final issue before the House tonight relates to the school planning process. Reversing the effects of decades of underinvestment in existing schools and providing new ones in areas of growing population has been a major priority for the Government. Under the largest school building programme in the history of the State, we are spending over €540 million on school buildings in 2007, compared with only approximately €90 million in 1997. Thousands of schools have benefited from the €3 billion provided for school buildings since 1997. A great many more will benefit from record investment of €4.5 billion in the school building and modernisation programme under the National Development Plan 2007-2013. The level of work being done under the school building programme is at an all-time high.

While increased investment has been a central reason, changes in how projects are managed have also made a major difference. Not only are we spending more than five times what was provided for school buildings in 1997; the innovations made in the design and delivery processes for school building projects are also helping to achieve ever greater success.

Some 1,100 schools have been approved for projects under the summer works scheme this year. That innovative scheme, which allows schools to get small projects done over the summer holidays, did not exist when we entered office, and schools waited very many years for improvements such as rewiring, new roofs and windows. Now, when the school gates close for the summer, the builders move in, and the students come back to an improved environment just a few months later.

To reduce red tape and allow projects to move faster, responsibility for smaller projects has been devolved to school level. I recently announced details of more than 250 schools approved for works under the small schools initiative and the permanent accommodation scheme, neither of which existed until 2003. Standard designs have also been developed for eight- and 16-classroom schools to facilitate speedier delivery of projects and save on design fees.

In addition to those changes, particular focus has been put on improving forward planning through the publication of area development plans and greater co-operation with local authorities. In 2004 my Department adopted an area-based approach to school planning whereby, through a public consultation process involving all interested parties, a blueprint for schools' development in an area is set out over a ten-year timeframe.

The areas covered in the pilot phase of that new approach to school planning include the rapidly developing areas of north Dublin, south Louth and east Meath, and the N4-M4 corridor running from Leixlip to Kilbeggan, including all rapidly developing towns and villages in that belt. In addition to improving our own planning processes, we are also naturally anxious to ensure that education be central to the planning decisions being made by local authorities. As Deputies will be aware, my Department must be informed by local authorities of all development planning processes at county and sub-county level. That ensures that the Department is alerted about new and expanding residential areas and affords an opportunity to safeguard appropriate zoning provision for educational purposes.

However, as well as ensuring that sufficient education provision is included in local authority development plans, there is significant scope for greater co-operation between my Department and local authorities to fast-track the delivery of schools and community facilities. Agreement has been reached with Fingal County Council on a new partnership approach to do precisely that. Under that arrangement, and based on the school planning projections of the Department, Fingal County Council will identify and acquire appropriate sites where schools with enhanced sporting, community and arts facilities are to be built.

In practice, the local authority will identify the sites when adopting local area plans. The council will go on to acquire sufficient land as recommended by the Department on which an appropriately sized school or schools for that local area can be built. In return, the design of the schools on those sites will be varied to meet community needs identified by the council. The range of enhanced combination facilities will include full-size sports halls, stage and dressing rooms, community meeting rooms, all-weather pitches and playgrounds. Those additional facilities, which will be over and above the Department's standard specifications for schools, will be available not only to the school during normal school hours but also to the local community in the evenings, at weekends and during school holidays.

The Department will benefit from major savings on the cost of school sites, as the council will make land in its ownership available at a reduced cost and negotiate the purchase of lands from developers at a lower cost. In return, the Department will invest part of the savings achieved in enhanced sports or community facilities, which will also be funded by the county council. That model will be used in Fingal to deliver approximately 20 schools. I am anxious to see that partnership approach replicated throughout the country and urge Deputies to use any influence they have on their local councils to encourage them to follow Fingal's lead.

Another provision allowing local authorities to ensure that schools are in place when needed is, of course, the strategic development zone process. Using that model, the Department is working closely with South Dublin County Council and developers to produce an integrated solution to education and community facilities in Adamstown that matches the delivery of new housing. The strategic development zone for Adamstown requires that housing and supporting infrastructure, including schools, be provided in a phased manner. It is a condition of the strategic development zone that, on completion of phase 2, with a maximum of 1,800 housing units, a primary school of eight classrooms or a post-primary school of 12 classrooms be in place. Each additional housing phase requires the provision of further school accommodation.

Such an approach ensures that schools are in position ahead of, or in line with, demand, and it should be adopted by other planning authorities regarding major new housing schemes. Major progress is evident across the whole spectrum of education. It is particularly evident in the improvements in school staffing, prioritising children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas, reducing class sizes this year and last year, and providing unprecedented investment in school buildings. We know that challenges remain, but we are also confident that we have put the investment, policies and priorities in place to address these challenges.

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The House will agree that the Minister has outlined a comprehensive overview of measures put in place both by this Government and the previous one. At this stage in the life of the 29th Dáil, we should be hearing some kind of visionary statement from the Opposition parties. However, having read through the Private Members' motion last week when it was first published and having re-examined it today, I consider it to be a missed opportunity on the part of both main Opposition parties, but particularly on the part of the Labour Party which tabled the motion. I wonder what the Opposition would do if its Members were in power. Which of the measures outlined by the Minister would they not adopt?

Together with the Minister, I take great pride in the fact that our children are being taught in good quality buildings and that priority is being given to children in disadvantaged areas and to those with special needs.

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Deputy Carey has not seen the school buildings I have seen.

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Whenever either the Fine Gael or Labour parties have held the education portfolio, it is a pity that it has been a record of——

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

What about "Early Start" and "Breaking the Cycle"?

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Hold on a second. I remind the Members opposite that it was a Minister from the current Opposition ranks who closed down Carysfort training college at a time when it was obvious that the population was beginning to grow. They cannot have it both ways.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Government closed St. Catherine's.

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Opposition says it was responsible for starting the Celtic tiger but closing Carysfort college was unpardonable. A Minister from the Opposition parties tried to stop children under five being enrolled in primary school.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

They cannot enrol in Newbridge now because there is not enough room.

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I have been teaching since 1967. I moved into a so-called new school in 1974, which was hardly more than a hovel. Its roof has had to be replaced three times in the intervening period and it has had a major revamp. If Governments comprising the main Opposition parties had made the necessary investment in those years, such a revamp would not have been required. I have heard that parents cannot find school places for their children, but the vast majority of school students where I taught were bussed to schools in the inner city. There was no planning either, but I will not dwell on the past. I wish to talk about what this Government's record demonstrates. When we came into office in 1997, ground-breaking legislation was introduced, which now underpins education. Ministers, including Deputies Martin, Woods and Hanafin, have been responsible for the body of legislation covering primary and secondary education.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

What about poor Minister, Deputy Noel Dempsey?

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Anyone with any association with teaching will remember the famous rules and regulations in primary schools comprising circular letters each September as they came in from the Department. There was no consultation or advanced planning. Nothing was being done at the time.

I do not want to go back over everything the Minister said but it is important to remember the investment that has been made in schools. The vast majority of schools in the Dublin area that required upgrading have been upgraded. Some three weeks ago, I visited a school with an enrolment of approximately 110 infants. I counted 27 people working with that group of children, including ancillary staff, classroom teachers and resource staff. There are challenges of course and that is as it should be. We need to examine how teaching is currently delivered and the Minister adverted to this in her speech. This brings me back to what I said earlier. It is a great pity that some valuable resources were taken out of the teacher training sector at that time. I hope that this Government, along with others who might be associated with planning future education policy, will examine innovative ways of ensuring we have the best possible teaching practices available.

Some time ago, we saw a report by inspectors who found that a substantial number of trainee teachers were not effectively delivering the lessons they were being asked to teach in the classroom. There is no doubt that hard questions need to be addressed by the teaching unions and those who operate teacher training colleges as to how we can improve the pedagogy which is a fundamental requirement of any good educational system. From time to time, it is no harm to compare ourselves with other countries through OECD reports. We should not be afraid to look at the blind spots we may have in our system. A number of years ago, who would have envisaged that we would require so many specialist teachers of English in our schools? That probably could not have been anticipated but the matter now needs to be addressed. Language instruction has not always been the strongest point in Irish education, whether it concerns the teaching of Irish, English or foreign languages. That area needs to be addressed and we have an opportunity to do so now. While much has been achieved, some school classes are still too large but the numbers are decreasing all the time. I have no doubt that, given the investment in a further 800 teachers this year and another 800 or more in the coming academic year, class sizes will be reduced.

We need to examine teaching methodologies. In 1974, when I moved into the school to which I referred earlier, the building had shared areas. Unfortunately, however, such areas became unfashionable later and within five years we were broken down into standard classrooms again. In retrospect that was not a good move. With the current availability of resources, there are now opportunities we did not have heretofore, which will allow us to examine better teaching methods. It is not always about information technology, although sometimes that is essential. I do not wish to disparage the importance of IT, but a lot of teaching involves standing in front of a class and making a serious effort to impart knowledge to students. I am not suggesting that it should be done by rote, but teaching does involve some old-fashioned reinforcement of information that children cannot otherwise acquire easily.

Recently, I saw a report on the Cherry Orchard model whereby the progression of preschool, primary and secondary education is provided almost seamlessly on the same campus. I firmly believe the day is fast approaching when that model will be adopted everywhere, although I accept it is not always possible.

School principals can work together under the aegis of the home-school liaison scheme. In Ballymun, for example, 16 principals meet regularly to plan, develop and implement an agreed syllabus for that area, in co-operation with parents and the Department's inspectors and other specialist staff. That is the way forward. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate and I look forward to hearing the visionary statements from the Opposition.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the motion put forward in the name of Deputy O'Sullivan and her colleagues in the Labour Party. I wish to share time with Deputies Connaughton and Kehoe.

This motion is timely as the appalling record on education of the Government must be put on the record of the Dáil. I was interested to hear the remarks of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, and her colleague, Deputy Carey, who started with a dissertation on the Opposition and then pointed out, in his own words, the issues that need to be addressed. The Deputy seemed to forget that his party has been in office for almost ten years and has had ample opportunity to deal with the issues before us tonight, many of which have not been addressed.

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The record speaks for itself.

Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Every stage in the education system is equally important, from preschool to third and fourth level learning. Education is a vital tool with which people can change their lives and livelihoods. However, if a child or a young person falls outside the education system early in his or her schooling it is extremely difficult to get them to re-engage in learning at a later date. In short, this means that both preschool and primary education is of particular importance to all people and getting the best start, in educational terms, makes all the difference.

We know that the unacceptable rate of early school leaving at second level has been unchallenged by the Government and I was amazed by the Minister's statement in this regard tonight. She suggested that more young people than ever are finishing school. Replies to several parliamentary questions we tabled have indicated that 1,000 children still fail to make the transition from primary to post primary level and that there is a sharp urban-rural divide on retention rates to leaving certificate level, with Dublin city running at 69% compared to Roscommon at 86%. Only 72.1% of boys and 83.3% of girls complete the leaving certificate examination and answers to parliamentary questions in recent years indicate that this statistic has not improved. I do not see how more young people than ever are finishing school, as the Minister suggested, unless there has been a population bulge in recent years that has increased the overall number of young people.

We have documented evidence that the literacy standards of children from disadvantaged backgrounds have not improved over the lifetime of this Administration. The seeds of many of these educational problems are sown at a very young age, yet the Government has failed to recognise this fact by supporting preschool and primary education.

While this evening's motion deals with primary level education, I wish to briefly comment that the lack of preschool opportunities for many children in our society is a crying shame. I accept that Ireland, unlike many European countries, does not have a strong tradition of preschool education. However, the educational benefits that accrue to children in the short term and the long term from access to preschools are well documented. A deeply regrettable lack of vision on the part of the Government has meant that the provision of preschool has not been advanced. The Government has been in power for a full decade, yet it has not put forward a clear statement or plan of action to ensure that all children have access to preschool education within a defined timeframe.

At primary level the inadequacies of the Government are very clear. Though maximum class guidelines are set at 28 pupils per teacher, the reality is that more than 110,000 primary school children are in classes of 30 or more. At a time when the education system is going through a period of rapid change and expansion, the delivery of new buildings continues at a very slow pace. Teachers now face many new challenges, such as the diversity in our schools and classrooms, but the Government response has been slow, insufficient and out of touch.

Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats are quickly moving from out of touch to out of time. The Government has had a chance to govern and has failed children, young people, teachers and parents. Why, after ten years of government by Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats, is the process of getting clearance for a new classroom akin to climbing a Mount Everest of red tape? Why, after ten years of government by Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats, are many schools still unclear as to their position on the school building programme and how long they will have to wait for new school buildings? Under the Minister it is no longer possible to check the progress of applications on-line. At least that was possible when Deputy Dempsey, whom Deputy Carey forgot to mention, was Minister for Education and Science.

Why, after ten years of this Government, have schools, given the go-ahead for new buildings, yet to see a new block or brick laid? A Fine Gael survey recently found that, of the schools given the green light for new works in the past 18 months, more than 80% had not proceeded to construction stage. Why, eight years after the establishment of the national educational psychological service, are 50% of primary schools still outside the realm of the service? The Minister repeatedly refers to the weighted system but she is missing the point as it is a waiting system that faces our children. Almost every school in the country has children awaiting an assessment and the provision of a different, weighted, system does not address the needs of many such children.

Why, five years after all teachers were promised a laptop computer to help them to teach, are they still waiting? Why, three years after the announced introduction of standardised testing at primary level, are we still waiting for the tests to take place? At the education estimates committee meeting earlier today I asked the Minister for Education and Science a question on standardised testing and she admitted that her Department would only gather the results from this testing from schools in the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, programme. This means that the standardised testing results for thousands of schools will not be gathered; that there will be standardised testing but no information on the results of that testing. Not only will the results not be published, they will not even be available to the Department of Education and Science so these tests will achieve nothing. The results will be private information available only to the individual schools in question. That is ridiculous and it makes a joke of standardised testing.

The Government has failed to join the dots and we can no longer afford to look at every problem from the heart of central Government. A new approach is required, one which reforms how the Government works, how individual schools function and how local authorities and planning and development laws incorporate the needs of wider society. It seems this type of co-ordinated approach to planning for the future of our education system is not in place. Over the coming five years it is estimated by the Department of Education and Science that the number of children at primary school level will increase by close to 60,000. We will need about 2,300 classrooms to accommodate them. Who among us has confidence that if this less than dynamic duo of Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats is returned to power we will have these necessary classrooms by 2012?

In conjunction with better planning from central Government, a key aspect of the Fine Gael approach to primary education is to empower schools to plan for their own development and address the specific challenges they face. Day in and day out, schools are working with vulnerable children and young people. Many have initiatives in place, some without direct funding, some with funding from other Departments, that are helping to keep young children in school and improve their education. For one school keeping children engaged and learning might depend on giving them a decent breakfast. For another the way to a child's mind might be through a homework club or a computer class. In education, what works should be supported.

Fine Gael is committed to establishing a schools excellence fund, starting with €100 million, which schools can access directly to provide additional services for pupils. In addition to more mainstream supports this fund would be used by schools to support innovative initiatives to tackle literacy and numeracy problems and to support the recruitment of new teachers.

Overcrowded classes will be tackled as, despite grandiose promises to reduce class sizes, the Government has failed to improve the situation in many classrooms in all parts of the country. Given the projected increase in pupil numbers at primary level the matter must be prioritised for action.

The Minister for Education and Science washed her hands of the issue of class sizes as quickly as she could when she assumed office. In Government Fine Gael will concentrate additional resources on dealing with the 110,000 children in classes of 30 or more. We want to see class sizes reduced across the board, but we believe that the real drive must first be to address the unacceptably large classes in schools. In tandem with a reduction in unacceptably large class sizes, we believe that it is crucial that junior classes have fewer numbers as the formative years in a child's development are most important.

We are all aware of the significant problems that schools in urban areas face, with 35 and 36 children being taught in many classrooms. However, we cannot overlook rural schools where, in addition to the problem of overcrowding, there is the challenge of teaching children of different ages and stages in multi-classes. I disagree with the Minister who made this sound like a very simple thing to do — teachers mixing junior and senior infants with first and second class pupils in one classroom will attest that it is a near impossible task that requires support.

A review of retention figures is necessary as we need to build some flexibility into the current system which allows schools to lose a teacher if one family and one child leaves a community. We must examine the rules governing developing schools to ensure that schools which are growing in size substantially and quickly are awarded the resources they need.

In terms of local planning, the disconnection between the provision of housing and the provision of schools must end. I accept that the system in Fingal is working, but that is not replicated around the country. I was recently approached by a planner who wanted to know if a school was to be provided in a particular area so he could make a decision. He felt it would be irresponsible of him to make a planning decision without knowing if one would be provided, yet there is no legal compulsion for him to take such responsibility. I was not in a position to answer the question as answering questions on planning decisions is not the job of any TD. However, this incident indicates the lack of a proper planning structure. Fine Gael will ensure that local authorities have the power to require that the provision of sites for community buildings such as schools, or payments towards such facilities, will be part of new residential developments. While local authorities award planning permissions for new housing, they often take a back seat in planning for school development. Why should the authority that awards planning for housing developments not also consider the future educational needs of those living in its area? To ensure local authorities can plan properly for the educational needs of their communities, the Fine Gael Party, in Government, will ensure that all local authorities draw up specific development plans for the provision of educational facilities in their areas over ten-year periods. We will also prioritise the delivery of preschool education for all young children. Increasingly, educationalists point to the preschool period, usually the year before a child enrols in full-time education, as being of critical importance.

There is no single solution to the problems our schools face. An agenda for action on a number of fronts, which places a high priority on delivering for children with special educational needs, driving down class sizes, giving schools greater autonomy in planning for their future and meeting the needs of their pupils, and reform of our approach to education, will lead to the best solution to the challenges our schools face. The Government promised many things to parents, teachers and pupils but failed utterly to deliver on its commitments. Our agenda for reform is achievable and, when delivered, the education sector will be significantly enhanced to serve the best interests of all children and young people.

I have no doubt the best fiction on television this weekend will be on RTE 1 at 8.30 p.m. on Saturday when we will hear Fianna Fáil rededicate itself to unfulfilled promises on class size for the third election in a row. I ask people to think seriously about falling for such promises again.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I congratulate the Labour Party and Deputy O'Sullivan on tabling this important motion. I distinctly recall that the Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats parties announced with great fanfare a definitive programme to dramatically reduce class sizes before the previous general election. This programme did not materialise.

Parents, teachers and boards of management in every school will not allow the Celtic tiger to come and go without having the issue of class size addressed. I have not seen anything like the crowds who attended recent public meetings on this issue. Last week, 1,000 people turned up for one such meeting in Loughrea. They did not come for fun but because they believe the Government has not delivered on certain promises and want to know if Fine Gael and the Labour Party would be better. I sincerely hope we will do certain things better than the Government when we get the chance.

Addressing the problem of class sizes will mean recruiting extra teachers and rejuvenating the schools building programme in parallel. I am a long time dealing with this issue and I have never seen such trouble as that experienced in having a small extension made to a school, whether the smallest school in County Galway or the biggest school in the largest urban town. Why are ten specific steps necessary, usually over a ten-year period, to bring a school building project from conception to completion? Given that we can build 90,000 houses in one year without any trouble, why can we not build a few additional school classrooms without such a rigmarole? Where is the featherbedding? Is the number of people and agencies involved such that the Department cannot cut to the chase to ensure works are completed quickly? How can a Government stand over the current position? Most young parents are asking these questions. Following the forthcoming general election, the new Minister for Education and Science will be able to take immediate steps to overcome the current bottleneck.

In County Galway alone, 2,600 children are in classes of between 36 and 40 pupils. Can Deputies imagine a teacher trying to do his or her best in an overcrowded room? I have had no involvement in the education sector other than in my capacity as a parent. Some of my children have been through the system and become teachers.

In large classes teachers control rather than teach. They are barely able to control their classes and are unable to teach, facilitate interaction between pupil and teacher and bring out the best in their students, as they have been trained to do. How can one expect a teacher to be able to achieve these objectives in a classroom in which there is no room to swing a cat?

In fairness to Deputy Carey it is evident he has served as a dedicated teacher. Unfortunately, I must conclude.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I welcome the opportunity to speak to this important motion and thank the Labour Party and its spokesperson on education, Deputy O'Sullivan, for tabling it. During the most recent general election campaign, the then Minister for Education and Science gave a commitment to reduce class sizes. When the current Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, was appointed she did not row back on the promise. The Government should be ashamed of its failure to meet its commitment.

I and Deputies from both sides of the House have attended meetings organised by the Irish National Teachers Organisation. Last week, more than 400 parents, teachers and others attended one such meeting in County Wexford, which was bursting at the seams with people who have a genuine interest in class sizes. I was struck by how members of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats spoke out of both sides of their mouths. A Fianna Fáil councillor said she could not understand the reason the problem of class sizes had not been raised in Dáil Éireann. She forgot to check the facts beforehand as she would have discovered that Fine Gael and the Labour Party have tabled several Private Members' motions on this issue and Government Deputies voted against them, as they will do tomorrow night.

Deputy Connaughton referred to the schools building programme. The Department must undertake an internal review of the programme. I have made so many telephone calls, written so many letters and tabled so many parliamentary questions to an official named Alan McIntyre that I could be forgiven for mistaking him for my brother. The school building section of the Department in Tullamore is a scandal. I apologise to Deputy Enright in whose constituency the office is located. An internal review must be carried out quickly to sort out the problems in the schools building programme. This review must be given priority if class sizes are to be reduced. While I accept it is not as simple as recruiting additional teachers, the Government has not made any major proposals to simplify procedures for completing schools building projects.

Cecilia Keaveney (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

It introduced the devolved grant.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Deputy had an opportunity to speak and will have another one tomorrow night.

A teacher told the INTO meeting in County Wexford that, having taught a class of 30 or 35 pupils in Dublin, he moved to a new Educate Together school in Gorey where he teaches a class of between ten and 20 pupils. This, he said, had made a big difference in terms of teaching and controlling his class and allows him to spend extra time with each pupil.

The Government tells us it has done this and that in the area of special needs when it has not done anything in this area. If the Minister were to attend my clinic or that of Deputy Connaughton, she would quickly find out what issues concern parents. During a recent Adjournment debate, I raised the issue of a child who, although unable to hold a pencil in his hand, has failed to secure assistance from the Department.

Joe Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As it is 8.30 p.m. I ask the Deputy to move the adjournment of the debate.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I support the Labour Party motion. I hope the Government will support it when debate resumes tomorrow. We are giving the Government the chance to back up what it has said at the meetings organised by the INTO throughout the State.

Paul Connaughton Snr (Galway East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Government told INTO representatives across the country that action will be taken, but that will not happen.