Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

529. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 736 of 16 June 2015, the reason the general allocation model and English as an additional language arrangements for the 2015-16 school year are not based on a school's mainstream classroom posts for the 2015-16 year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25961/15]

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

Since September 2012 the combined resources available for learning support (General Allocation Model at Primary) and language support have been merged into a single simplified allocation process. In order to manage the arrangements at national level and to do so in a manner that fits with the redeployment arrangements it is necessary for the the GAM/EAL allocation to each primary school to be based on a school's mainstream classroom posts for the 2014/15 school year.

This new system is more up to date than the original GAM model which was not updated to reflect changes in enrolments for most schools in nearly a decade.

Circular 0005/2015 lists the GAM/EAL allocation for all schools. Where schools do not have sufficient GAM/EAL hours to create a full-time post, a process is in place for such schools to enter into cluster arrangements with neighbouring schools. Schools have autonomy on how to deploy the resource between language support and learning support depending on their specific needs.