Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 211: To ask the Minister for Education and Science his views following a recent meeting with nine DEIS principals on the unique nature of the problems which these schools face in relation to disadvantage with a large number of students whose parents are immigrants; his further views on whether special assistance and support is required by the second level schools network if it is to improve its educational and social outcomes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19769/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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It is understood that the question refers to a meeting held by my predecessor, Minister Mary Hanafin T.D., with representatives from the Second Level Schools Network on the 22nd of April 2008. The Second Level Schools Network represents nine schools all of which participate in DEIS, (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the action plan for Educational Inclusion. DEIS focuses on addressing the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities, from pre-school through second-level education (3 to 18 years). Principle among the concerns raised by the network was the range of issues faced by schools because of the large number of newcomers enrolled.

Nationally, in the 2007/08 school year, there are 305,000 pupils in post-primary schools. Of these, 21,000 were newcomer pupils. There are over 160 nationalities represented in the primary and post primary schools. The top ten nationalities represented in post primary schools are UK, Poland, Nigeria, Lithuania, Spain, USA, Germany, the Philippines, Latvia and Romania. In order to address the information needs of newcomers to Ireland, my Department has placed information on its website in six international languages including Polish, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, Spanish and German.

In May 2007, Circular 53/2007 was issued to the Managerial Authorities in primary and post primary schools. This circular outlines the resources available to meet the needs of pupils for whom English is a second language. The limit of two Language Support Teachers per school was removed and the provision of language support was extended beyond two years, where a specific request is made. In fact, it is now possible for some schools with over 121 such pupils to have 6 language support teachers. There are now over 1,900 language support teacher posts allocated to primary and post primary schools, compared with just 262 in 2001/2002.

The list of language subjects for the Leaving Certificate examination includes: Irish, English, Ancient Greek Arabic, French, German, Hebrew Studies, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Russian. The State Examinations Commission (SEC) also provides examinations in a range of languages referred to as the non-curricular EU languages. These are languages that do not appear as part of the normal school curriculum but which students may opt to be examined in if they meet certain criteria. For example, candidates: are from a member state of the EU; speak the language in which they opt to be examined in as their mother tongue; have followed a programme of study leading to the Leaving Certificate; and are presenting also for Leaving Certificate English.

In 2007 these examinations were offered in Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, modern Greek, Finnish, Polish, Estonian, Slovakian, Swedish, Czech, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Portuguese, Danish and Dutch. The model for the non-curricular language examination papers is based on the First Foreign Language final written paper of the European Baccalaureate. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA has developed Intercultural Guidelines to support primary and post-primary teachers and schools in developing a more inclusive learning environment and in providing students with the knowledge and skills they need to participate in an intercultural world.

My Department and the Language Policy Division of the Council of Europe have jointly published a Language Education Policy Profile for Ireland. This profile presents an analysis of the current state of language education in the primary and second level sectors in Ireland. It also pays particular attention to the language needs of immigrants for whom English is not their first language. It outlines a range of policy principles and action priorities for the future. It promotes the development of plurilingualism in the education system.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has been commissioned by my Department to undertake a large scale study into how an increasing diversity of students impacts upon resource requirements and day to day teaching and learning. The research is organised in two phases, the first involving a national survey of primary and post-primary school principals and the second involving detailed case-studies of primary and post- primary schools. It is expected that this review will be completed in autumn 2008. An evaluation of the provision of English as an Additional Language (EAL) will be conducted by the Inspectorate in a number of schools in 2008-09. This evaluation will focus on the quality of teaching and learning of English as an additional language that students experience in mainstream education and in support contexts in schools. It will help to inform policy in the area of supports for students learning English as an additional language.

Following the review the Inspectorate will draw up Best Practice guidelines and define what is needed with regard to teaching English as a second language. A report will be prepared for mid 2009. My Department will engage with the OECD thematic review of migrant education policy and practice which will be carried out by a team of OECD experts. The overarching policy question to be answered in this review is "What policies can promote successful education outcomes for first and second generation migrants?" This review will include pre-school, primary and post-primary education. It is expected that the OECD report will be completed by autumn 2009.

In conjunction with the HSE, my Department is working with education authorities in Northern Ireland to develop an information pack for immigrant parents on an all Ireland basis. The pack will have two versions for both sides of the border and will include information on education services, adult and community education programmes along with information on the health services, welfare entitlements, housing allocations etc. in each community. The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has been appointed to develop the pack with a timeframe of Autumn 2008 for completion.

With regard to the nine schools which belong to the Second Level Schools Network, as DEIS participants, these schools receive the following benefits under DEIS: access to the Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) and Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA); additional non-pay/capitation allocation based on their level of disadvantage; additional funding under the School Books Grant Scheme; access to the Schools Meals Programme; access to the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL); access to a range of supports based on best practice of the School Completion Programme (SCP); access to transfer programmes; and access to planning supports. Planning templates will be introduced in DEIS post primary schools in the coming school year: access to a range of professional development supports; enhanced guidance counselling provision (3 of the 9 schools are availing of this provision); and provision for school library and librarian supports (3 of the 9 schools are availing of this provision).

The nine schools in the network have the services of nine Home School Community Liaison Coordinators. Home School Community Liaison helps to get parents involved in their children's education, which, as we all know, is a crucial component of convincing young people of the value of education. The nine schools are spread across five School Completion Projects which target approximately 2000 children and young people. The projects include some 35 schools in the area and share €1.4 million in financial supports. These financial supports allocated to each of the schools selected under DEIS provides for the inclusion of after school and holiday time support — for literacy and numeracy development as well as homework support, social and personal development and arts activities. Additional financial resources amounting to €143,000 have been allocated to the 9 schools under DEIS to support their efforts in tackling disadvantage. My Department intends to continue to work with, and provide appropriate support to, the Second Level Schools Network, and others, in order to achieve improved educational and social outcomes.