David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy English, and thank him for taking this Commencement matter.

The issue relates to a school which was told in September that it had a temporary English as an additional language, EAL, post, but then in October the school received an e-mail to say that was not the case. EAL posts are for children who need extra support for learning English. The best thing might be for me to read an e-mail I received from the principal of the Mercy primary school in Waterford city as it spells out exactly the problem the school faces. It will take me less than the allocated four minutes to do so:

It was with shock and dismay yesterday that I opened an e-mail from the Department's primary allocations informing me that the temporary EAL post sanctioned on 1 September is being suppressed on 23 October. I don't understand this as we have the children enrolled. The number returned before 5 October was well over the 20% indicated in Circular 005/2015, part 2, section 4. We are a DEIS band 2 junior school catering for girls aged four to eight years. We have always applied for and retained temporary language support staff, as we have always exceeded [the requirement] - I quote again from the circular, '20% of total enrolment of the school is made up of pupils that require EAL support'. This year we have 30% of children requiring EAL support so I'm struggling to understand why this year is different, considering the numbers for previous years - 31% for 2014, 25% for 2013, 22.5% for 2012, 23% for 2011, 25.5% in 2010 and 29.5% in 2008.

Each and every year, including this year, the school has well exceeded the 20%. The question the principal is asking is why this year is different when the school is well above the 20% threshold.The principal goes on to say:

One teacher cannot be expected to adequately cater for the needs of all 93 children who need EAL support. I would also like to make you aware the children for whom we have concerns about and who are not reaching milestones as expected have been referred for speech and language assessment. The constant response we receive back is that children must receive two years English language support before a complete assessment can be made. Therefore, from now on it will be first class before we can cater or refer an EAL child who has started in junior infants and it could be second class before they are assessed. Our most recent S&L report states 'it takes the average child between three and five years when exposed to full-time schooling and supports to speak a second language as well.'

If the Minister of State has the figures, will he outline to us how many EAL temporary posts there are at the moment in this State? There were 400 in 2008 and I believe there is now fewer than that. There were cutbacks in a number of budgets. Is that what this is about? Are we moving the goalposts of the 20% figure? Are we now simply looking at how many posts we have and dividing that by the number of schools to come up with a new percentage that schools have to reach? This was a post for this school. Schools and principals have these battles every year but when they are planning ahead for the year and are told in September that they have a post and it is pulled from them, it creates a challenge for the school and a worry and concern. I do not know if the Minister of State has a positive response for me today but if he does not and if it is a response that he got from the Department, which is par for the course with these Commencement matters, I ask him to take this back to the Minister directly and alert her to this issue. Hopefully it is an issue that can be resolved for the betterment of the children in the school.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Cullinane for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position on the support provided to schools with a high concentration of pupils that require language support, such as the one he has raised today. Teacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. Schools are very well informed about the rules. Reforms introduced in the 2012-13 school year created a single simplified allocation process for both learning and language support. At primary level, learning and language support hours are allocated on the basis of mainstream classroom teaching posts in the school. Schools have autonomy to deploy this resource between learning support and language support depending on the specific needs of the school. The new arrangements also provided for additional permanent teaching posts to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support. Further additional temporary support is also provided, as necessary, on the basis of appeals by any of these schools to the primary staffing appeals board.

The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2015-16 school year is set out in primary Circular 0005/2015, which the Senator quoted, and which is available on the Department's website. In addition, the staffing appeal process at primary level includes the provision whereby schools with a high concentration of pupils requiring English as an additional language can apply for additional temporary language support posts. These language support, EAL, allocations are made on the basis of appeals by schools to the primary staffing appeals board, using projected enrolment for the following September.

The school referred to by the Senator today currently has one permanent language support post. The school submitted an appeal under the English as an additional language criterion to the primary staffing appeals board. The board upheld the appeal at its meeting in March 2015 and allocated one additional temporary language support post to the school, subject to the school achieving its projected enrolments on 30 September 2015. The school was informed in March. The Senator said September, but the school knew in March that it had this post. The school would have been very clearly told that it was subject to enrolments on 30 September 2015. That is usually very clear but that does not seem to be the case in the situation mentioned by the Senator.

While schools must have at least 20% EAL pupils to apply for a temporary EAL post, not all schools with that percentage of EAL pupils will receive a temporary EAL post. As stated in Circular 0005/2015, additional post or posts may be approved, "having considered the circumstances outlined by the school and having regard to the high number of pupils requiring EAL support". As the projected enrolment of pupils requiring language support was not achieved on 30 September 2015, the temporary language support post has been withdrawn. The school will retain its permanent language support post. The primary staffing appeals board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

I thank the Senator for raising the issue and giving me the opportunity to outline the process and to bring some clarity to it. If the Senator has additional information that we are missing, I will bring it to the Minister's attention.

David Cullinane (Sinn Fein)
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The answer does not bring clarity. In fact, it raises more issues. In the Minister of State's response, he says that the criterion used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2015-16 year set out in primary Circular 0005/2015, which I quoted, is that 20% of the total enrolment of the school is made up of pupils that require EAL support. It then goes on to say that while schools must have at least 20% EAL pupils to apply for a temporary post, not all schools with the percentage of EAL pupils will receive a temporary post. It goes on to say, in terms of the school I have mentioned, that having considered the circumstances outlined by the school and having regard to the high number of pupils requiring EAL support that the numbers were not achieved. What is the percentage then? It seems to be very subjective. It was very clear in the past - it was 20%. It now says that it has to be at least 20% but it depends on the high number. What is a high number? That is the challenge that these principals face.

To be fair, it is not clear from the circular that schools have been given, what criteria they must meet and it seems to be ad hocand made up to suit the number of posts that are there rather than the targets, which are about making sure that children get the best education they deserve. Will the Minister of State alert the Minister to this particular case and to the general issue of the circular and what that means for schools?

Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)
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I am sure the Minister of State will convey Senator Cullinane's disillusionment with the reply.

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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The Senator asked me if I had all the figures of all the posts in the country. I do not have them but I will get them. To be clear, on the school raised by the Senator, the projected figures on which it won its appeal in March did not happen in September 2015. The projected enrolment of pupils requiring language support was not achieved by 30 September. That is why there was a change. I will get the other information that the Senator requires.