John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the method through which the number of teachers to be allocated to all primary schools is calculated by her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10769/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year.

The Staffing Schedule (Primary Circular 0020/2007) for the 2007/2008 school year is available on my Department's website www.education.ie since the 12th March 2007. The circular is currently being printed and hard copies of the circular will be issued to all primary schools when they become available.

My Department has in the past operated a number of schemes to tackle educational disadvantage and reduce class sizes in schools in disadvantaged areas. These existing schemes are being integrated into the new action plan for educational inclusion, DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) which I launched in 2005, one aspect of which will be more staffing for the most disadvantaged schools. Under the plan, there has been a reduction in class sizes to 24:1 at senior level and 20:1 at junior level in the 190 primary schools serving communities with the highest concentrations of disadvantage.

School authorities have been reminded that my Department allocates adequate staffing to schools to ensure that the maximum class size guidelines under DEIS are implemented in both junior and senior classes. If schools are unable to operate within these guidelines, due for example to increased enrolments, they may make a submission on the matter to my Department for consideration.

Children who have been assessed as having special educational needs have access to a range of special support services. The services range from special schools dedicated to particular disability groups, through special classes or units attached to ordinary schools, to placement on an integrated basis in ordinary schools, with special back-up supports.

The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special needs supports such as resource teaching hours.

Primary schools are also supported by means of the general allocation model whereby additional teaching support is provided to cater for pupils with high incidence special educational needs, such as dyslexia, and those with low attainments. Second level schools continue to be supported by the allocation of additional teaching hours, where appropriate, for each pupil enrolled who is assessed as having a special educational need. In order to meet the language needs of students in our schools whose first language is not English or Irish, additional support is given to their schools which can take the form of financial assistance, additional teaching posts or portions of posts.

The level of extra financial or teaching support provided to any school is determined by the numbers of eligible non-English speaking students enrolled. Schools with between 3 and 13 eligible pupils receive grant assistance towards the cost of employing part-time teachers. Over €4 million is being provided for such grants in 2007.

Schools with 14 or more such pupils are entitled to one or more language support teachers, the number of which has increased dramatically in recent years. There are now approximately 1,450 language support teachers in our schools, including the 200 additional posts allocated this year as part of the Government's commitments under the 'Towards 2016' partnership agreement. In line with this commitment, a further 350 language support teachers will be provided between 2008 and 2009.