Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 538: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will outline other instances and schools which in the past have been identified by his Department to fall into similar problems as a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25216/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Instances in which a school may have very serious difficulties come to the attention of my Department from time to time. Of the over four thousand schools in the state, only a small number come to the attention of my Department in this way.

While responsibility for general school improvement rests primarily with the staff and board of management of each school and with the school's trustees or patron, a small number of schools may have a limited ability within their own resources to instigate change. In the example referred to by the Deputy, my Department became aware of very serious difficulties across a wide range of areas of the school's work and management. This is most unusual.

Procedures are in place to ensure that the Inspectorate and other relevant divisions within my Department can share information about the needs of such schools and can work together to facilitate improvement in the schools concerned. In these cases, it is sometimes necessary for officials from various divisions of my Department to engage with the patron, trustees or management of the school to ensure that the need for improvement and change is fully understood by the school and those responsible for its management. These discussions also seek to identify how improvement may take place and the supports, such as those from the school support services that may be made available to the school. Self-review by the school and further inspection visits may be used to monitor the progress of improvement.