Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of children from disadvantaged backgrounds with serious literacy difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10770/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The achievement of high literacy standards is one of the primary goals of education. I am very conscious of the fact that high levels of literacy are fundamental prerequisites for full educational, social and economic participation, and the Government is redoubling its efforts to promote these. Schools generally have relatively low proportions of children with significant literacy difficulties as evidenced by comparatively high overall achievement levels in successive international surveys of reading of 15-year-olds under PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment). The most significant levels of literacy difficulties tend to be concentrated in school serving disadvantaged communities.

The Educational Research Centre in their report on Reading Literacy in Disadvantaged Primary Schools (2004) found that the proportion of pupils with serious literacy difficulties in schools serving disadvantaged communities averages in the region of 27-30% or about three times the national average. The report recommended, inter alia, a new ten year target to reduce to between 14%-15% the proportion of pupils with serious literacy difficulties in schools serving disadvantaged communities.

One of the high-level goals under the new National Development Plan 2007-13, and the recently published National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, 2007-16, is to reduce the proportion of pupils with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools serving disadvantaged communities from the current level of 27-30% to less than 15% by 2016.

To achieve this goal significant resources to address literacy and numeracy difficulties in schools serving disadvantaged communities are being provided through DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the action plan for educational inclusion. These measures include a maximum class size of 20:1 in junior classes and 24:1 in senior classes in the 190 urban/town primary schools serving the most disadvantaged communities and increased access to literacy and numeracy support services and programmes for all urban/town primary schools. Additional literacy and numeracy tutors are being recruited to provide in-school support and guidance to all teachers in these schools. In addition, training in "Reading Recovery", "First Steps" and "Maths Recovery" are being made available to all urban/town primary schools.

The Junior Certificate School Programme's Demonstration Library Project is also being extended on a phased basis to second-level schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. Extra resources will also be made available for intensive professional development programmes for principals and teachers in DEIS schools. A new Family Literacy Project is also being implemented. Finally, the School Development Planning service will support schools in developing their plans and policies for teaching literacy and numeracy and in setting measurable targets for the reduction of serious literacy and numeracy difficulties.

I believe that these measures will equip our teachers and schools to tackle the outstanding literacy and numeracy problems in schools serving disadvantaged communities. I am confident that under the measures being provided under the DEIS action plan the goal that we have set ourselves for substantially reducing literacy problems will be achieved.