Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 178: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department keeps a record of the number of children who require language support for each primary school; if she will provide a list of the same giving the total number of pupils enrolled for each school, the number of whom require language support and the overall percentage thereof; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12605/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The specific information sought by the Deputy is not readily available within my Department and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. My Department has recently published a Data Strategy covering the period 2008 to 2010. The Strategy outlines a number of goals and actions to improve the quality and supply of data over the coming three-year period within the resources available to the Department and associated agencies. Included among these will be the development of a Learner Database to encompass all pupils at primary level.

My Department estimates that there are in the region of 21,000 pupils in our primary schools whose first language is not English or Irish. The language support needs of these children are being met by over 1,500 language support teachers.

In order to meet their language needs, my Department in May 2007 issued a circular, reference 0053/2007, to the managerial authorities of all schools — both primary and post primary — to assist them in providing an inclusive school environment to meet the needs of pupils for whom English is a second language. The circular outlines the resources that are available to assist schools in this task. The circular is accessible on the website of my Department.

The level of extra financial or teaching support provided to any school is determined by the numbers of eligible non-English speaking students enrolled. An individual school may be allocated up to six language support posts under the arrangements now in place.