Ulick Burke (Fine Gael)

I thank the Cathaoirleach for selecting this matter and the Minister of State for his attendance. I wish to share my time with Senator Kitt.

Scoil an Chroí Naoife is a mixed school of 278 students. It is situated in the town centre. The biggest disadvantage faced by this school is that it has failed since 1998 to get access to any of the schemes such as Breaking the Cycle and Giving Children an Even Break. Those schemes are particularly relevant in this case as 35% of the enrolment in all classes are children from Traveller families. Of the remaining 65%, half are from disadvantaged backgrounds, whether because of unemployment, single parent homes or other homes with social difficulties. It is obvious that there is a great need for support staff and resources. The school principal, management and staff are to be admired for their dedication and commitment towards the provision of the highest possible standard of education.

Their greatest need is an additional 2.5 RTTs. This is based on clear criteria and they would be entitled to those teachers if a scheme was in place to provide additional support as a disadvantaged school. The school needs additional support staff as there has been a large throughput of teachers over the years. It is difficult to teach with such intensity with such a pupil structure. It is time-consuming and demands teachers with the energy to cope. I ask the Minister of State to clearly indicate that there will be provision for additional teachers, particularly the 2.5 RTTs, as well as one home-school liaison teacher. The Minister of State will understand that unless these children are catered for now, the problems will multiply. It is to the credit of the staff and management of the school that there has been so few dropouts during the course of the school cycle. The school applied in March 2004 to the Department for these additional staff and the application has not been processed. As a matter of urgency the new Minister must clearly indicate that she recognises the need and is willing to support them and provide the necessary wherewithal.