Written answers

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Department of Education and Skills

School Staffing

10:00 pm

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the impact on teaching staff numbers in each post primary school in County Mayo as a result of the change in the guidance provision allocation announced on Monday, 5 December on a school by school basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39745/11]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the impact on teaching staff numbers in each post primary school in County Sligo as a result of the change in the guidance provision allocation announced on Monday, 5 December on a school by school basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39748/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 137 and 140 together.

While difficult choices had to be made to identify savings across my Department's budget, the Government has tried to protect front line services in 2012. The Government has protected the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, prioritised targeted support for the most disadvantaged schools and maintained the overall number of resource teachers and SNAs to support children with special needs.

Until now, a specific resource was provided for guidance in addition to the standard teacher allocation to post primary schools. In future, schools must meet their guidance requirements from within the overall resource provided by that normal staffing schedule. Individually schools can continue to make provision for guidance and counselling. Decisions on how this will be done will be taken at school level in the best interests of students and to ensure the best use of resources available. I am confident school management and teachers will continue to work together to meet the needs of the students in their care.

In this way, the main teacher allocation can be maintained at 19:1 for schools generally, while schools will have discretion to balance what they allocate for guidance against the competing demands of providing subject choice. The change that has been announced gives schools greater autonomy in how they allocate staff resources to best meet the needs of their students. The change to guidance allocations must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these exceptional times. My Department will be notifying schools of the impact of the budget changes in January, 2012.

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the impact on schools in County Mayo on a school by school basis of the decision to withdraw supports from earlier disadvantage programmes and schemes that pre date DEIS in tabular form. [39746/11]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 141: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the impact on schools in County Sligo on a school by school basis of the decision to withdraw supports from earlier disadvantaged programmes and schemes that pre date DEIS in tabular form [39749/11]

Photo of Ruairi QuinnRuairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 141 together.

Given the scale of our economic crisis, adjustments have had to be made across all areas of the public sector. Despite this challenge, the Government has sought to do this in as fair a way as possible. While DEIS schools are not immune to budgetary measures, a key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage.

In order to ensure fairness in the distribution of resources available under the DEIS plan, it is no longer possible to allow some schools to retain legacy posts on a concessionary basis that pre-date the introduction of DEIS. A range of measures has been announced to withdraw supports (428 posts) from earlier disadvantage programmes/schemes in 270 primary schools (4 DEIS and 1 non DEIS in Mayo, 2 DEIS in Sligo) and 163 post primary schools (5 DEIS in Mayo and 3 DEIS in Sligo), both DEIS and Non-DEIS that exceed what equivalent schools are entitled to under DEIS or to which non-DEIS schools are not entitled. These measures will take effect from the 2012/13 school year.

While the exact staffing entitlements for schools for 2012/13 is not yet available, including the net effect of the withdrawal of legacy posts, the breakdown of these legacy posts are: - 38 concessionary teaching posts will be withdrawn from 15 non-DEIS primary schools previously in Giving Children an Even Break Programme and who retained a reduced PTR of 20:1 in junior classes and 27:1 in senior classes.- 102 concessionary posts will be withdrawn from 52 Urban Band 2 DEIS schools previously in the Giving Children an Even Break Programme and who had a reduced PTR of 20:1 in junior classes and 27:1 in senior classes.- 43 Support Teacher Posts will be withdrawn from 48 primary schools (45 DEIS and 3 Non DEIS)- 45 concessionary posts will be withdrawn from 32 DEIS Schools previously in the Breaking the Cycle Programme and who had a reduced PTR of 15:1 at the junior classes- 64 concessionary posts in 59 primary schools and 136 posts in 163 post-primary schools will be withdrawn from DEIS schools previously in the Disadvantaged Area Scheme.

Some alleviation measures will be available for those schools considered to be most acutely affected by these changes. Schools will be notified in January 2012 of their staffing entitlements under the new arrangement for 2012/13, including any alleviation measures that may apply. The new staffing schedule for DEIS Band 1 primary schools, which now gives greater autonomy to schools, will operate on a general average of 1 teacher for every 22 pupils. This simplifies the existing system whereby schools are given a "top-up" allocation to support lower class sizes of 20:1 in junior classes and 24:1 in senior classes. DEIS post-primary schools will be targeted for additional support through an improved staffing schedule of 18.25:1, which is a 0.75 point improvement compared to the existing standard 19:1 that applies in post-primary schools that do not charge fees (or compared to the 21:1 ratio that will apply in fee-charging schools).

The Government's protection of schools serving disadvantaged areas is further underlined by the maintenance of €13 million in enhanced funding for DEIS schools, €2 million in school book funding for DEIS schools, as well as a €26 million investment in the Home School Community Liaison scheme. All of these areas have been protected from reductions in expenditure for 2012.

We have protected the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, prioritised targeted support for the most disadvantaged schools and maintained the overall number of resource teachers and SNAs to support children with special needs.

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