Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 184: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will give the full allocation of 0.2 per class teacher learning support provision afforded to boys-only and mixed schools to girls-only schools under DEIS band 2 in view of the fact that the girls in these disadvantaged schools have a higher prevalence of learning difficulties than children in mainstream schools; if he will consider the unique situation of a school (details supplied) in County Donegal, a DEIS band 2 school, which is due to lose two learning support posts, as a result of the revised general allocation model, with the loss of one of these posts solely due to the reduced allocation, 0.16 hours, and the rounding down to the nearest 0.2, for girls-only schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13683/12]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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Question 202: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional financial provision which has been made by him to cover transport costs on foot of changes to the allocation of resource and learning support teachers in rural schools; and if he has assessed the loss of pupil contact time on foot of these changes. [14010/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 202 together.

The staffing arrangements for the 2012/13 school year are set out in Primary Circular 0007/2012 which is available on my Department's website. This includes the detail of the reform of the allocation process which is designed to bring a more equitable distribution of existing posts between schools. The new arrangements incorporate a long overdue updating of the GAM (learning support) allocation for all schools. This inevitably involves changes to existing clustering arrangements whereby a teacher is shared between schools. A further change is that schools in any locality are being empowered to cluster and arrange their GAM resources in a manner that best suits their local needs. This should be completed by schools by 16 March.

There are also new and separate arrangements for how resource hours for individual pupils are converted into teaching posts in schools. The requirement for resource hours in a school varies from year to year depending on the number, if any, of its pupils with autism etc. Small schools generally have a lower requirement for resource hours. The new arrangements take account of the later timescale for the allocation of these hours necessitated by individual assessment by the NCSE. All of the changes are designed to enable a more efficient operation of the teacher redeployment and recruitment and to reduce the impact of travel time between schools where teachers are shared.

My Department will be working with schools and the relevant education partners to ensure that the new arrangements operate as efficiently as possible. As the process proceeds this work can take account of any appropriate local arrangements that might be made to further optimise travel arrangements. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in Primary Circular 0007/2012. The closing date for submission of appeals for the April meeting of the Staffing Appeal Board is 23 March, 2012. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed for mainstream classroom teachers and any appeals to the Staffing Appeal Board will have been considered.