Written answers

Wednesday, 22 October 2014

Department of Education and Skills

School Staffing

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

169. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will visit a school (details supplied) in County Kerry to see the chronic understaffing and under resourcing of the school first hand; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40587/14]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Teacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing arrangements for the current school year are set out in Circular 0007/2014 which is available on the Department website. The school referred to by the Deputy has a staffing of Principal and 15 classroom teachers in the current school year based on an enrolment of 397 pupils on 30 September, 2013.

Reforms introduced in the 2012/13 school year created a single simplified allocation process to cover both learning and language support. At primary level, GAM/EAL (learning/language support) hours are allocated on the basis of mainstream classroom teaching posts in the school. Schools have autonomy to deploy this resource between learning support and language support depending on the specific needs of the school. This school has a GAM/EAL allocation of 2 full teaching posts and 20 part-time hours.

The new arrangements also provided for additional permanent teaching posts to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support. The school has 1 permanent EAL post.

Further additional temporary EAL support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils (at least 20% of total enrolment) that require language support. These allocations are made on the basis of appeals by any of these schools to the Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal criteria are set out in the published staffing arrangements. The school referred to was allocated a fixed term EAL post by the Primary Staffing Appeals Board at its February 2014 meeting, subject to verification of enrolments at 30 September, 2014.

The school has two resource base posts to cater for NCSE approved hours in the school or in neighbouring schools and one shared post on a fixed term basis.

Work and diary commitments would not facilitate a visit to Co. Kerry in 2014.

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

170. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will visit a school (details supplied) in County Kerry to see the geographic isolation of the school first hand and the reasons it should have a more favourable threshold for mainstream teacher allocation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40588/14]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Work and diary commitments would not facilitate a visit to Co. Kerry such as outlined by the Deputy.The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2014/2015 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0007/2014) which is available on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the 30 September 2013. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The appeal criteria are published in Circular 0007/2014.

The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an appeal to the June, 2014 meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal was refused by the board on the basis that the grounds of the appeal did not meet the published criteria. The school was notified accordingly.

The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.