Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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157. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a cap in place for language support teachers; the way in which the current number differs from 2008 to 2009 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18533/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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There is no cap in place for language support teachers. The level of extra teaching support provided in respect of language support to schools is determined by the numbers of eligible pupils enrolled and the associated levels of those pupils' language proficiency.

Reforms introduced in the 2012/13 school year created s single simplified allocation process for both learning and language support.  At primary level, 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.  These arrangements also provided for additional permanent teaching posts to be given to schools with high concentration of pupils that require language support. 

On the post primary side, with effect from the 2012/13 school year, learning support and language support has been combined into a single allocation process. 

Further additional temporary EAL support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils that require language (EAL) support. At primary level, these allocations are made on the basis of appeals by schools to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board and at post-primary level to the Post Primary Staffing Appeals Board.

Earlier this year, I announced that a new model for allocating Special Education Teaching Resources to mainstream primary and post primary schools will be introduced from September 2017. The new model will allocate teachers to schools on the basis of the profiled educational needs of each school. This new model will encompass the Learning/Language support allocation that schools were allocated in previous years.