IPPN

E-scéal 287 - Budget 2012 - Implications for Primary Schools

Published: 08 December 2011

Members of the IPPN Executive yesterday attended a briefing session in the Department of Education & Science on the detail of Budget 2012 as it relates to primary schools. The main implications are:
• We are particularly pleased to learn that the prohibition on Teaching Principals taking up the role of Learning Support/ Resource Teacher will be lifted from September 2012. This move is welcome and has been one of the issues raised by IPPN with the DES on a regular basis over the past six years
• Overall numbers of Resource Teachers and SNAs are being maintained
• Ancillary and support services funding and book grants will not change
• We are also pleased that the DES listened to our arguments regarding class size resulting in no change in the general average of 28:1 for the allocation of classroom teachers for 2012/2013
• For the first time a separate staffing schedule is being introduced for DEIS Urban Band I schools and will be published later this week. It will be based on a general average of 1 teacher for every 22 pupils. Legacy posts are to be phased out.
• The Department will issue a circular in early January on the staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2012/13 school year
• We are extremely concerned for small schools. The DES has outlined a gradual increase in the appointment/retention numbers over the next three years. The following phased increases in the pupil thresholds for small primary schools (with enrolments of less than 86 pupils) will be introduced:

School Details		Enrolment Thresholds
School Size	School Status	Current	Sept 2012	Sept 2013	Sept 2014
2-teacher	All Schools	12	14	17	20
3-teacher	DEIS Urban Band 1 schools	N/A	45	45	45
3-teacher	All other schools	49	51	54	56
4-teacher	DEIS Urban Band 1 schools	N/A	67	67	67
4-teacher	All other schools	81	83	85	86

• The Modern Languages in Primary Schools initiative is being abolished
• There will be an overall reduction of 2% in capitation and related grants in 2012 and 2013. The basic primary capitation rate will be €183. Enhanced DEIS grant payments are not being reduced.
• The number of surplus permanent teachers for redeployment in September 2012 will become clearer in the first quarter of 2012. The Department will also have a clearer picture of:

     1. The impact for each individual school of the staffing arrangements based on their September 2011 enrolments
     2. The extent to which retirements will reduce the number of surplus teachers to go on redeployment panels.

• The General Allocation Model is being reviewed and simplified as follows:

    1. One single GAM for Learning Support/ High Incidence SEN and Language Support. Schools will have autonomy on how to deploy teachers between Language Support and Learning Support, with additional support for schools with high concentrations of pupils requiring language support.
     2. The allocation will be based on the number of mainstream teaching posts on 30th September so as to enable the system to be updated annually. A full time post will be 25 hours.
     3. (a) All mixed schools and all boys’ schools will get 5 hours per week, or 0.2 of a post, for each mainstream teaching post
        (b) All girls’ schools will get 4 hours per week, or 0.16 of a post, for every mainstream teaching post
         (c) This model is designed to facilitate clustering to form full-time posts.
4. A network of 2,450 full-time SEN Resource Posts in over 1,600 schools will be allocated on a permanent basis. The SENO will have an oversight role in relation to sharing arrangements between schools.
5. Schools will have greater autonomy with clustering, but will not be allowed to combine GAM and NCSE approved hours together into full-time posts.

• The appointment of Administrative Principals will be based solely on enrolment numbers. Administrative Deputy Principals will be determined on a similar basis.

The Budget is a missed opportunity for reform in primary education
While there were a number positives for primary education in this budget, schools will feel the impact of the Capitation grant cuts, which will deepen schools’ debts further, as well as the increase in class size for small schools. It is also a missed opportunity; there will still be no VAT exemption for schools as voluntary contributions drop and no change in the inefficient way new schools are built.