Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 176: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if there has been a change in policy on the eligibility of teachers with restricted recognition, defined in circular 08/99 of her Department, to apply for resource teaching posts in mainstream schools; if so, the basis for such a change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34142/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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There has been no change in the policy with regard to the qualification requirements for appointment to Learning Support (formerly Remedial) posts in primary schools. Boards of Management are obliged to recruit and employ fully recognised and probated teachers for any vacancies arising for Learning Support/Resource Teaching (LS/RT) posts. Any posts that comprise an element of general allocation hours andlow incidence hours are regarded as LR/STposts.

Teachers who hold provisional or restricted recognition may be appointed to fill Resource Teacher (low incidence) posts in ordinary primary schools and posts in special schools and classes.

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 177: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if a decision has been made with regard to the employment of behaviour support teams; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34229/06]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force on Student Behaviour, particularly in relation to the provision of additional second level teachers. [34250/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 180 together.

Earlier this year I announced an implementation strategy following publication of "School Matters", the Report of the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools, and that strategy is now well advanced.

At the core of the recommendations of the Task Force was the putting in place of a National Behaviour Support Service. This has now happened with the appointment of a National Co-ordinator and four Assistant National Co-ordinators. In addition, nine Regional Development Officers and twenty part-time Associates have been recruited to ensure the success of this significant initiative. A key feature of the composition of the National Behaviour Support Service is the assignment to it of a senior psychologist and three psychologists. These have been seconded from the National Educational Psychological Service and their presence will ensure that the team operates in a multi-disciplinary way.

In the short time since the recruitment process concluded and its personnel took up duty, the new National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) has been in a set-up and preparation phase. Its work has concentrated on the establishment of a National Intervention Framework for dealing with inappropriate student behaviour. It is intended that direct engagement with schools will begin after the October mid-term break. Initially this will take the form of inviting schools in an area to meet with the NBSS and to hear about their work and proposed approach. Subsequently intensive work will begin with a smaller number of schools most in need of this intervention.

It is my intention that this new service will work intensively with those schools initially selected for inclusion in this development. I have already announced that part of this work will see us trialling the concept of a behaviour support classroom in up to 30 schools next year. I want to emphasise however that these classrooms cannot be, in themselves, a solution to the issue of poor student behaviour. They must be one part of a holistic response which should see a school, actively supported by the Behaviour Support Team, defining for itself a pathway to improvement.

In relation to the Task Force recommendations in respect of class size, I wish to draw the attention of the Deputies to the significant improvements that have been made in the pupil teacher ratio at post primary level in recent years. The ratio has fallen from 16:1 in the 1996/97 school year to 13.21:1 in the 2005/06 school year. The reduction in the ratio was achieved through the creation of 2,017 additional posts and the retention of over 2,100 posts which would otherwise have been lost due to the fall in enrolments. I should add that I have consistently ruled out the creation of additional teaching posts across the second level system as a response to the issue of poor student behaviour. On the contrary I see this issue as requiring focused intervention along the lines now being pursued.