Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

126. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will restore support services for DEIS schools; the measures in place to ensure a maximum class size of 15:1 in DEIS band 1 junior classes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30387/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As noted in DEIS Plan 2017 – Supports to schools participating in the School Support Programme come in many forms – additional financial assistance, enhanced grant payments, additional teaching resources, psychological and behavioural supports, access to Home School Community Liaison and School programmes and priority access to School Meals Schemes.  The objective of these supports is to improve teaching and learning outcomes in DEIS schools so that children and young people at greatest risk of educational disadvantage can access, participate and benefit from education.

All of these supports have been available to eligible schools to date and continue to be provided under DEIS Plan 2017. There have been no reduction in support services offered to DEIS school.

In particular, the staffing schedule for DEIS schools continues to provide for class sizes in DEIS Band 1 urban primary schools of 20 to 1 in junior classes and 24 to 1 in senior classes.  There is no proposal to change this position at this point in time.

In cases where schools have additional teaching resources at their disposal, these additional resources should be deployed to meet the objectives of the DEIS Programme as set out in the School Plan. 

As part of an overall goal of ensuring that additional resources are correctly matched to need, there is provision in DEIS Plan 2017 for an evaluation of teaching resources for schools participating in DEIS to be undertaken to inform future policy in the Irish context.  This evaluation is scheduled to take place in 2018 as part of the overall DEIS Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and will involve relevant education partners and other stakeholders.