John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 505: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will provide a progress report on the roll out of new career guidance teachers for junior certificate classes in the Clondalkin and Lucan areas. [27989/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department makes a specific ex-quota allocation of teaching posts in respect of guidance to schools in the second level system. This allocation is based on the pupil enrolment in September of the preceding school year. As a result of my decision to allocate an additional 100 posts to guidance from September 2005 an enhanced guidance allocation provision was put in place for 2005-06 school year. This enhanced provision means that in the case of schools in the free education-block grant schemes, the level of allocation ranges from eight hours per week for schools with enrolments below 200 pupils to 47 hours per week for schools with an enrolment of 1,000 pupils or more. In addition certain schools had previously been allocated hours in response to particular needs and-or as part of the guidance enhancement initiative, such schools have been permitted to retain this higher allocation for the 2005-06 school year.

In the case of schools outside the free education or block grant schemes, 11 hours per week are allocated in respect of schools in the 350-499 enrolment category and a full post is allocated in the case of schools with 500 or more pupils.

In recognition of the particular need for guidance at junior cycle, my Department has asked that schools should, as far as possible, utilise the additional guidance allocation granted under these new arrangements to focus on guidance provision at junior cycle.

My Department has allocated a total of 10.84 wholetime teacher equivalents for the 2005-06 school year for the provision of guidance to the following post-primary schools in the Clondalkin and Lucan areas: Moyle Park College, Coláiste Bríde, St. Josephs College, Coláiste Phádraig CBS, Collinstown Park Community College, Deansrath Community College and St. Kevin's Community College.