Addressing educational disadvantage and ensuring that every child and young person can reach their full potential is a key priority for both me, as Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth, and for the entire Government. The DEIS plus programme represents a significant expansion of targeted educational supports. It is designed to provide enhanced, evidence-based supports to 121 schools with the highest concentrations of children and young people experiencing persistent and inter-generational disadvantage. Approximately 30,000 children and young people nationally will benefit from the scheme. Schools in the DEIS plus programme will receive strengthened, research-informed supports across well-being, attendance, engagement, guidance, leadership capacity, community partnerships and access to services, including the introduction of a new positive mental health and well-being initiative to support a whole-school approach to student well-being. Teacher numbers at primary level have reached the highest ever level in the current school year. There are over 43,000 teaching posts across the primary school system. This represents an increase of just over 5,000 teachers when compared with the 2019-2020 school year. This has led to a steady improvement in the pupil-teacher ratio and average class sizes during the period. In recent budgets, priority was given to reducing the pupil-teacher ratios in primary schools, which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of one classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the most favourable ratio ever seen at primary level. More favourable ratios are implemented in DEIS urban band 1, including DEIS plus schools, at an average of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively. A three-point reduction in the retention schedule, which was introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teachers. The latest figures for pupil-teacher ratio show an improved ratio of pupils to teachers from 15:1 to 12:1 at primary level when comparing the 2019-2020 school year to the 2024-2025 school year. In the same period, primary staffing schedules improved from 26:1 to 23:1, and average class sizes at primary school level have improved from 24:1 to 22.2:1. In the same period, St. Francis Junior School had a primary teacher ratio of one teacher for every 9.5 students and a class size of one teacher for every 19 students. The key factor in determining the level of staffing resources provided to individual schools is the staffing schedule for relevant school years and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The primary staffing schedule is a long-standing feature of our primary school allocation system which ensures fairness and transparency in allocating mainstream class teachers across our primary schools, regardless of location. The staffing arrangements include an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain published criteria. The school referred the Deputy referred to currently has ten mainstream teachers. As the school's enrolment fell below the required enrolment threshold, the mainstream staffing is due to be reduced by one in September. The school submitted an appeal to the primary staffing appeals board. This was unsuccessful. The primary staffing appeals board operates completely independently of the Department and its decision is final. We have to have a system where we have some metrics to ensure that we have staffing across the education system. I take the points the Deputy has made but unfortunately the numbers dictate. It was the Department's decision and then the independent appeals body supported that decision.

Sentiment score: 0.14

In the first instance, the school has the DEIS plus status. That status provides extra resources to communities and schools like the ones the Deputy has mentioned. It is important we acknowledge the work that is being done and the amount of money the Government is putting behind the DEIS plus programme and understand the disadvantage in communities across the country and in the ones the Deputy outlined. The challenge is ensuring we have proper governance. We have to have a cut-off date and 30 September has long been that date. I take the points because having been a public representative for a number of years I see where the numbers go beyond it. Unfortunately, the Department made a decision based on the numbers that were provided on 30 September. That date has been engrained in the primary system for a long number of years. An appeal was submitted by the school authorities and that is completely independent of the Department and of the Minister. The appeals submitted have been looked at. The DEIS plus programme has been put out there to ensure disadvantaged schools and communities are supported in a meaningful way and that we are targeting scarce resources right across the Department to ensure they are going to the most vulnerable. We understand fully the more we invest in education at a disadvantaged level and right across the education system, the better it is for society, but unfortunately the appeals system came back to say it stood by the decision made by the Department. We will continue, through DEIS plus and other programmes, to support the school the Deputy mentioned and also disadvantaged schools right across the country.

Sentiment score: 0.03

I thank the Deputy very much for raising the question and also for the change in time, which I appreciate. We in the Department, and the entire Government, have invested heavily in ensuring that all recognised mainstream schools have been allocated additional special education teaching resources to support children with special educational needs, including students with literacy difficulties. Guidelines for schools on the organisation, deployment and use of their special education teachers have been published on the Department's website. For the 2026-27 school year there will be, I think, 15,200 special education teachers allocated to primary and post-primary schools to enable them to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and co-ordinating school supports for children with special educational needs. The Department does not have a role in individual determinations. Funding is also made available to schools for the purchase of specialised equipment such as computers or software to assist children with special educational needs. This includes children with a specific learning disability, where relevant professionals recommend the equipment as being essential for the provision of education. Schools then apply to the NCSE. A continuum of education provision is in place, covering a full range of needs spanning placement in mainstream classes, with support through more specialised placements either in the special class or special school setting. The Deputy raised the issue of dyslexia in particular. If she looks at the funding that we are giving to special education in particular, she will see that it has grown hugely in recent years and, as I said, we now have over 15,000 teachers. The policy, including international policy, is for children with educational needs to be in mainstream, insofar as is possible, and to support them in mainstream. We are providing a huge amount of funding through the various resources in the Department and the NCSE to ensure that children with dyslexia, in particular, can be accommodated in mainstream education. Much of the discussion that we have had in the House, with the NCSE, with the Department on a continuous basis and with the Oireachtas committee is to ensure that we are targeting children with dyslexia or other literacy difficulties in a meaningful way. We have put in the resources. A huge volume of work is being done by the special education teachers across the country. They are also doing a huge amount of work outside school time to make sure they are equipped to meet the needs of the children and give them the best possible education. We are constantly monitoring this. While the Government and the Department are putting in the resources, the question is whether we are having the desired outcomes. We have evidence to show the support that is being given in mainstream classes, and the outcomes are very positive. We are continuing to monitor that. As we have seen over the decades since Independence, education is constantly evolving, and it is continuing to evolve at the moment. There is a greater understanding of the needs, but also a greater understanding of the need to ensure that the resources we are putting in are targeted in a meaningful way. We need to ensure that the outcomes for children and young people are meaningful, and that they are equipped to lead the best life. To answer the specific question, we are constantly monitoring the resources that we are putting in to ensure we are targeting them in the proper way. I will come back to the Deputy on the other points in my concluding remarks.

Sentiment score: 0.43

Therein lies the point. We are continuing to invest hugely, but we have to ensure that we get the outcomes of that investment for children and young people in primary and post-primary schools. There are a lot of teachers and SNAs across the education system. They are working extremely hard, and they are desperately committed to what they are doing. They are constantly looking at new initiatives and trying to find the best way of doing this. We are bringing in teacher training for special education to make sure that it is part of this. There is a constant discussion in relation to the reading schools. We know of the children and other individuals who have gone to the reading schools, and after a number of years, they are able to come back into mainstream school. We can see how that has benefited them. There is a huge volume. There are 15,000 extra special education teachers in the education system. We want to make sure that we can mainstream as much as possible. I take the Deputy’s point on ensuring that we have those available in every school across the country. All of the assistive technology is being rolled out, which is important. For students who have a particular challenge with dyslexia or other reading or literacy issues, it will affect them into later life. Like the Deputy, we all meet people in adulthood, and we would be filling out a form for them, or whatever, and we can see that it has impeded their lives. We understand that. The most important piece is that there is constant investment in all aspects of specialised education. The NCSE and the Department are continuing to monitor this. We will never arrive at a position in the education system where we say that everything is perfect now, because it is constantly evolving, and new information and research are constantly coming through. We are working on it. We will endeavour to make sure we are doing the right thing.

Sentiment score: 0.20