Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 27: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has satisfied herself that sufficient support is available to teachers in schools with large numbers of non-English speaking pupils; if teachers are adequately advised and equipped to help overcome any such difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3021/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Schools catering for non-national pupils who have significant English language deficits are entitled to assistance to enable these pupils gain full access to the curriculum.

Schools that have 14 to 27 non-English speaking non-national pupils enrolled are entitled to a full-time temporary language support teaching post at primary level and a whole-time equivalent teaching post at post-primary level. Schools with 28 or more such pupils are entitled to two full-time temporary-whole-time equivalent language support posts.

Where there are between three and 13 non-national pupils enrolled in a primary school, the board of management may apply to the primary administration section of my Department for a grant to enable the school to take measures to improve the standard of English of the pupils concerned. Schools with between three and eight such pupils receive grant assistance in the amount of €6,348.69 while schools with between nine and 13 pupils receive grant assistance in the amount of €9,523.04. The total amount expended on such grants in the 2003-04 school year exceeded €2.3 million.

At post-primary level, where there are fewer than 14 pupils, additional teaching hours ranging from three hours per week for one pupil to 19.5 hours per week for 13 pupils are allocated. The support for an individual pupil is provided for a period of up to two years.

In the current school year 393 language support teacher posts have been sanctioned at primary level and 202.78 wholetime equivalent teaching posts have been allocated to post-primary schools.

My Department provides a start-up grant of €635 when a language support teacher is allocated to a school. A follow-up grant of €318 issues annually to each school for which the language support teacher continues to be sanctioned. The purpose of the grant is to facilitate the purchase of appropriate educational material and resources for use by the teacher.

In addition, Integrate Ireland Language and Training, IILT, formerly known as the Refugee Language Support Unit, a company of Trinity College, is funded by my Department to provide training for English language support teachers and their principals. An English language programme and English language training materials are available to all teachers who attend their inservice courses. A portfolio, European language portfolio, has been developed by IILT to provide a focus for pupils' learning, which concentrates on English language in the context of the school curriculum and also on socialisation within the school. One of the fundamental aims of the training is to equip teachers to enable non-English speaking pupils to participate fully in school life.