Jonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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862. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to ensure that Gaeltacht island schools' specific needs are recognised by her Department’s policy, including with regard to teacher allocation; if she is aware of the negative impact that her Department's redeployment policy is having on island schools; and her plans to address this matter. [20246/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.

At post primary level and in addition to teacher allocations based largely on pupil teacher ratios, an ex-quota allocation of one teaching post is also allocated to Island schools. In accordance with the published staffing arrangements each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects offered and ultimately the quality of teaching and learning are in the first instance a matter for the school management authorities.

At post primary level and in accordance with existing arrangements, where a school management authority is unable to meet its curricular commitments within its approved allocation, my Department considers applications for additional short term support i.e., curricular concessions. Short term support is needed (normally for one year but not exceeding 2/3 school years) to enable the school authority to respond to the identified difficulty in meeting essential curricular commitments to pupils within the normal staffing allocation.

The detail of the curricular concession process is set out with the criteria for the allocation of posts and is also available on the website.

At primary level the staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie. Section 1 of the Circular sets out the retention arrangements for Island Schools in the event that a reduction in the pupil numbers of an island school will result in the loss of the second or third classroom teaching post and where the school is the only primary school remaining on the island.

The circular also sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and also the improved appointment and retention thresholds for isolated one-teacher schools.

The allocation processes also includes an appeals mechanism under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them under the staffing schedules. The appeal procedures are also set out in the published staffing arrangements. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

The Government's approach to restoring the economy has helped Ireland to return to a position where we are seeing economic growth. It is a continuing improvement in our economic growth over a sustained period that will enable us to move to a point where we can look again at providing for additional teacher resources in schools which could bring about further improvement in PTR, class size and support for classroom teachers.

The challenge for all schools is to ensure that they utilise their allocated resources to best effect to maximise teaching and learning outcomes.

My Department launched its "Policy Proposals for Educational Provision in Gaeltacht areas" on 5 May, 2015. The proposals aim to strengthen Irish-medium provision in Gaeltacht schools. They include a range of policy options and measures that could potentially address the challenges facing Gaeltacht schools. Interested parties have been invited to provide their views in relation to the policy options set out in the document. This will be done through a survey and responses are requested by 15 June 2015. It is hoped that organisations and individuals in the Gaeltacht and with an interest in Gaeltacht education will respond to the survey. It is also intended to meet with stakeholder groups during the consultation process. It is expected that there will be a forum in the autumn where the findings of the consultation will be considered.

Such responses will inform the development of a Gaeltacht Education Policy. The level of resourcing required to deliver the agreed policy will be a key consideration when the consultation is concluded. The new Gaeltacht Education policy should be available in 2016.