Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 256: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will review the teacher allocation in respect of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; his views on the anxiety of the school community in this matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6482/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be totally spared. The various impacts at school level were included in the Budget day announcements. Even with the budget measures in place there will still be a significantly increased borrowing requirement in 2009.

The staffing schedule for the 2009/2010 school year, Primary Circular 0002/2009, has been published on my Department's website at www.education.ie and my officials have written to all schools to notify them in this regard. The number of mainstream class teachers appropriate to a school for 2009/10 school year is determined by reference to the school's valid enrolment on 30 September, 2008. The schedule is a transparent and clear way of ensuring that schools are treated consistently and fairly and know where they stand.

The staffing schedule also makes provision for schools that are projecting significantly increased enrolments for September 2009 through the allocation of what are known as "developing posts". These classroom teaching posts are allocated to schools based on projected enrolments for September 2009 rather than on past enrolments for September 2008 which is the case for most schools. This allocation process for developing posts takes places during the Spring and Summer period when schools apply to the Department based on their projected enrolments for September 2009. The developing posts are allocated on a provisional basis initially and are confirmed following receipt from the school of actual enrolments in September 2009.

The staffing allocation to schools will also be impacted by any changes in the levels of support teachers such as for language support, special needs and social inclusion. The allocation process for some of these posts is currently underway. Language support posts are allocated during the Spring/Summer period on a provisional basis initially and are confirmed following receipt from the schools in September 2009 of actual enrolments of pupils requiring language support.

The allocation process includes appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. The final allocation to a school is also a function of the operation of the redeployment panels which provide for the retention of a teacher in an existing school if a new post is not available within the agreed terms of the scheme.

At this time the priority for my Department within the resources available to it is to carry out those processes in a timely manner. Diverting resources in order to create a staffing profile for the individual school as requested by the Deputy could not be justified and would in fact impede the process. I have already put it on record that I have no difficulty in setting out for this House or for the public generally what the final impact is on the overall changes in aggregate teacher numbers in schools for the 2009/10 school year. I will set out the final position when the allocation processes have been completed.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 257: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will confirm that there will be no loss of language teacher posts in respect of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; his views on the challenges faced by the schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6483/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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I have consistently said that the 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be totally spared. The various impacts at school level were included in the Budget day announcements. Even with the budget measures in place there will still be a significantly increased borrowing requirement in 2009.

In light of the Budget 2009 decision a new circular will be issued to schools in the Spring setting out how the new arrangements will operate for the allocation of language support teachers. The budget measures will mean that the level of language support will be reduced from a maximum of six extra teachers per school to a maximum of two teachers per school, as was the case before 2007. However, there will be some alleviation for the position of those schools where there is a significant concentration of newcomer pupils as a proportion of the overall enrolment. Language support posts are allocated during the Spring/Summer period on a provisional basis initially and are confirmed following receipt from the schools in September 2009 of actual enrolments of pupils requiring language support.

We still envisage having over 1,400 language support teaching posts in our schools in September 2009 and up to about 500 other teachers in part-time posts. By any standards this is a very significant resource and the challenge will be to ensure that it is used to maximum effect.