Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 589: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will request officials from his Department to meet the principal of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24 to assist the school in a RAPID disadvantaged areas with their challenges; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this school has two fewer teachers in the 2009-10 academic year and two fewer posts of responsibility and receive nothing from the dormant accounts fund for digital schools; if his further attention has been drawn to the fact that a playground has become a health hazard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43231/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will be aware that teacher allocations to schools typically increase or decrease depending on pupil enrolment. In the case of special classes for pupils with a Mild General Learning Disability (MGLD) the normal pupil teacher ratio that applies is 11:1. My Department however permits schools to retain a teaching post where it has a minimum of 9 pupils in the class. This minimum was not fulfilled in two classes in the school referred to by the Deputy and therefore the school no longer qualifies to retain the classes. The school has retained one MGLD class however. The special classes which have closed pre-date the 2005 General Allocation Model of allocating additional teacher support to schools to enable them to meet the needs of pupils with mild general learning disabilities as well as a number of other high incidence disabilities. All primary schools now have additional teaching support in place for this purpose.

All children with MGLD who were in the classes that have been suppressed will be able to receive teaching support through the teaching resources allocated to primary schools under the General Allocation Model. Schools decide themselves how best to use this allocation based on the needs of the pupils and how to adjust their support in line with the changing needs of pupils as they mature. My Department provided a circular SP ED 02/05 to schools to assist them in deploying the General Allocation Model resources.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department's policy is to support the inclusive education of students with special educational needs across the schools system. In this context, a range of supports are provided to schools to enable them cater for pupils with special educational needs. The supports available include additional teaching support, special needs assistant support, school transport and grants for the purchase of teaching materials and specialised equipment.

The purpose of the Government decision to implement a recruitment and promotion moratorium in the public sector is to facilitate a permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff serving and is intended to contribute significant and ongoing savings to the Exchequer. When the Government was introducing the moratorium in the public sector earlier this year I secured a special arrangement for education which ensured we could fill teacher and SNA posts. The concession also provides for the filling of Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all schools and the first allocation of posts of responsibility in new schools.

Under the Dormant Account Scheme 100 DEIS schools serving the most disadvantaged communities were invited to apply for grant assistance to progress towards achievement of digital school status. This school had already been awarded Digital School Status and was excluded from the scope of the scheme since the rationale of the scheme was to assist schools to progress towards achieving digital school status. In view of the limited funds available for the scheme, it was necessary to target eligibility under the scheme.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department has approved an emergency works grant to enable the school to address the health and safety issues relating to the playground area. My officials will be in contact with the school in this regard.