Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 483: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the criteria for the increased principal's administration time initiative; the reason special needs assistants are not included in the numbers needed to qualify for administrative principal in primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42705/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My recent announcement referred to by the Deputy introduced a range of new measures to improve the capacity of schools to cater for the educational needs of all their pupils and will assist their principals in their work.

Some principals have particularly heavy workloads arising from the size of their school. Others carry additional duties arising from the fact that in addition to their mainstream classes they have a significant number of special classes containing children with complex special needs. I am responding to these needs by the introduction of these new measures.

The new measures include:

The allocation of additional teachers to allow all deputy principals in schools with 24 or more mainstream class teachers operate as administrative deputy principals;

The allocation of additional teachers to allow deputy principals in mainstream schools that, in addition to their ordinary mainstream class teachers, also have five or more special classes for children with the more complex, low incidence, special needs, to operate as administrative deputy principals;

Where a school has a principal and four or five mainstream class teachers also has a specialist autism unit established under approval of the National Council for Special Education, the principal will be appointed on an administrative basis.

The role of the special needs assistant (SNA) is essentially a care one in supporting pupils with assessed special educational needs. The number and types of non-teaching staff in a primary school does not impact on the allocation of post of responsibility holders in a school, i.e., principal, deputy principal and special duties teachers.

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 484: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the reason a school (details supplied) in County Kerry does not qualify at present for administrative principal status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42707/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the terms of Primary Circular 0023/2006, which sets out the details of the staffing schedule for the 2006/2007 school year, in ordinary primary schools and schools in the Gaeltacht with an enrolment of less than 179 pupils or in Gaelscoileanna with an enrolment of less than 158 pupils, that have a staffing of a Principal plus nine or more teachers when all ex-quota posts are counted, the Principal may be appointed as an Administrative Principal. In such instances, a permanent mainstream class teacher may be appointed to replace the Principal.

The Deputy will be aware that I introduced a new measure on 12 November, 2006 whereby a school that has a Principal and four or five mainstream class teachers also has a specialist autism unit (2 or more autism classes) established under approval of the National Council for Special Education, the Principal will be appointed on an administrative basis.

The school referred to by the Deputy is classified as an ordinary primary school. There is one special autism class in the school. The staffing in the school for the 2006/2007 school year is Principal, 4 Mainstream Class Teacher Posts, 1 Permanent Developing School Post, 2 Permanent Learning Support/Resource Posts and 1 Temporary Special Class post.

As the school does not satisfy either of the two requirements as set out above, it does not qualify for the allocation of an Administrative Principal post at this time.