Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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482. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary school teachers who were employed directly in Traveller education in the 2008-09 school year, as a reference year, and in the 2014-15 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43583/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Traveller specific posts that existed in 2008/2009 were made up of a Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers and a Resource Teacher service for Travellers. In 2009, 41 Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers (VTST) posts were in place with 21 of these posts in the primary education system. From 1st September 2009, responsibility for the Visiting Teacher Service for Travellers moved to the National Educational Welfare Board as did other support services including the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) service. The HSCL service works with Traveller parents but it has the broader remit of working with other families whose children are at risk of educational disadvantage.These services are now part of Tusla – the Child and Family Agency.

484 Resource Teacher for Traveller (RTT) posts were in place during 2008/2009 at primary level. Following the withdrawal of the RTT posts from 31st August 2011, a limited number of alleviation posts to assist schools that had high concentrations of traveller pupils who were previously supported by RTTs were created. 120 alleviation posts at primary level were in place in 2014/2015. The General Allocation Model, which provides additional learning support and resource teaching allocations for primary schools is designed to include traveller pupils who had previously been supported by RTT posts.

The current policy in relation to Traveller Education is informed by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy which was launched in 2006, following wide ranging consultation with Traveller representative groups and other relevant stakeholders.

The principle of inclusion is at the core of the Strategy. The focus of both current and future provision is on the development of an inclusive school environment through the whole school planning process, teaching practice, admissions policies, codes of behaviour and whole school evaluation. In keeping with this principle, additional resources provided in the education system for children are allocated on the basis of identified individual educational need. This includes Traveller children who require additional resources based on need and not on their identity as Travellers.