IPPN

Published: 04 December 2008

Source : Evening Herald

As teachers and parents prepare to march about conditions on Saturday, we ask 40 schools across Dublin to spell out how the cuts will affect services.

1. St Sylvester's School, Malahide. Teachers at the school are most concerned about the lack of substitute cover. "If the principal is out sick, the deputy principal will have to take over," said Sharon Dunne, principal. "The deputy already has 29 junior infants to teach and will also have to deal with parents' concerns and administration and teaching."

2. St Kevin's Boys School, Finglas. This school has a disadvantaged status but could lose teachers and a home-school liaison officer. "We have 14 teachers and we could be losing two," said the principal.

3. St Kevin's Girls School, Dublin 8. This school expects to lose one teacher. "We registered an additional pupil on 13 October, which would have brought our numbers up to maintain teachers," said the principal. "Now we think we will lose one teacher."

4. Belgrove Junior School, Clontarf. "The cut of grants will affect this school the most," said principal Vincent Crowley. "Our classrooms are very crowded -- they are approximately half the recommended size for a classroom." The school was hoping for a grant for an extension. "The roofing leaks constantly and we have had to replace the rotting windows."

5. Corduff National School, Lusk. As this is a small school, the principal doesn't believe that they will lose any staff members. "But we are in a developing area with a lot of housing around. In two or three years we may have to refuse children," he said. They will also be affected by the lack of funding available for building works. "The school is 102 years old," he added. "We applied for grant and luckily received it, but it wasn't enough. We built just four walls, because otherwise we would lose the grant, we have to come up with the rest of the money to fit it out."

6. Finglas Parochial National School. The school said that they have been seeking a grant for an extension. "We are unsure about whether we will receive this now," the principal said.

7. Guardian Angels National School, Blackrock. They said that the range of cuts will affect them as will the loss of substitute cover for uncertified sick leave. "There is a possibility of losing one member of staff," the principal stated.

8. Kilcloone National School, Dunboyne. The staffing levels at this school won't be affected this time but the principal said that there are big issues with substitute teachers. "The meanest cut was the free book grant," said the principal. "It was only a little bit of money towards the cost of books."

9. North Dublin National School Project, Ballymun Road. The school said that they are close to losing a teacher. "These cuts will cost the State more at the end of it all," principal Sally Sheils said. "I've rarely seen parents this upset -- it's very hard if children are suffering."

10. Rutland Street National School, Dublin 1. This school estimates that 40pc of the school are newcomer children, but while they don't believe the cuts will affect them, they are vehemently opposing the cuts. "Language support teachers have been capped at two," said principal Darina Burke.

11. St Joseph's National School, East Wall, Dublin 3. This school said that it could see the loss of three staff jobs and they were due to apply for heating system grant. "These are savage cuts, in the long term we will have to deal with suicide, depression and dysfunctional families," the principal said.

12. St Maelruin's School, Tallaght. The principal of this school said that the cuts which will affect them are the loss of the library grants and funding for resource teachers. "The grant for resources for special needs teachers will affect us," said the principal Iris McMenamin.

13. St Audoen's National School, Cook Street, Dublin 8. This school which is on a DEIS band said that they don't think they will be affected at all and that there is more funding available than ever before. "Comparing 2008 to 30 years ago, I think there is more funding available than ever before," said principal Donal Monaghan.

14. St Lorcan's School, Palmerstown. The school will not lose any teachers, but are frustrated with the grants cut. "It's just a small amount of grants that we are provided," said the principal.

15. Ballyroan Boys School, Ballyroan. They stand to lose one teacher. "We registered 286 pupils but there are 288 students now and we need 291 in school to maintain the number of teachers," the principal, Gerry O'Brien said.

16. Convents National School, Co Dublin. "Our numbers are midway so I don't believe we will be hugely affected," said the principal.

17. Kill O'Grange National School, Co Dublin. "We spend our lives planning, we were given no warning," said principal Hillary McBain. She said they would be affected by the lack of substitute cover in January. "We are lucky we are an advantaged school, we are not in the heart of the impact," she said.

18. St Marnock's National School, Portmarnock. "We don't expect there to be an immediate affect," said Pat Keavney, principal. "But it could happen the following year."

19. St Joseph's National School, Dublin 17. The principal said that they are a DEIS school and so will receive more funding from the government.

20. St Margaret's School, Co Dublin. "These cuts will hugely affect a small school," the principal said.

21. Archbishop Ryan School, Clondalkin. "We will be losing a book grant and a home-school liaison officer, which is not necessarily a teacher," said the deputy principal.

22. Scoil Mhuire, Dublin 4. Principal Noreen Smith said they would be directly affected by substitute cover. "It is the organisation of school we are most troubled by."

23. Glenasmole National School, Bohernabreena. The principal said: "We will be affected by substitute cover for teachers who are ill."

24. Harold's Cross National School, Harold's Cross. Principal Bernadette Keogh said that the school did not have adequate space and they would be affected by substitute cover. "Teachers are a dedicated bunch, they come in when dying," she said. "Our classes are overcrowded, it is a health and safety issue."

25. St Thomas National School, Lucan. The principal said: "Despite increased capitation we will be working with less money. A lot of our students are international, approximately 30pc of 480 children and the pupil teacher ratio is expanding."

26. Talbot National School, Clondalkin. The principal said: "We are DEIS band one so we don't believe we will lose staff. But we will be affected by substitute cover."

27. Naul National School, Naul. Principal said: "I don't think we will lose teachers but will be affected by lack of subs."

28. North Bay National School, Dublin 5. Principal Sally McGinley said that the school is categorised by a small degree as disadvantaged. "We will lose our home-school liaison officer our book grant and learning support. We have always had to fundraise."

29. St Ronan's National School, Clondalkin. "We are DEIS band one," said the principal. "But we have five language support teachers if the Government stick to the plan, we will lose three. We need the support now."

30. Holy Rosary School, Tallaght. Principal Max Cannon said that about 40pc of the children in the school are not of Irish origin. "We have three language teachers, we are going to lose one. It is of great concern to parents. The nuances of language are not learned within a year."

31. Ard Mhuire National School, Tallaght. "We are a developing school, but believe we will be affected by the number of grants available to Travellers and special needs," said the principal.

32. Scoil Cnoc Mhuire, Tallaght. "Our Traveller grant will be affected," the principal said. "It is a disadvantaged area -- there is very little fundraising available among parents."

33. St Peter Apostle, Clondalkin. "The cutbacks in book and library grants will affect our students the most," the principal said.

34. Balscadden National School, Balbriggan. "There will be increased class numbers," the principal said. "The lack of substitute cover and book grants will affect us the most."

35. Our Lady's National School, Milltown. "We are a DEIS school, but you never know what will happen if the Government get their way on this," said principal Gerald Henehan.

36. Queen of Angels, Sandyford. "We will lose one language teacher and almost one third of our students are international," said principal Susan Gibney. "We are a disadvantaged school. We don't have parents to finance us. We don't have enough to deal with daily costs."

37. Scoil Naisiunta St Colmcilles, Swords. Principal Jim Bennett said that the school could lose one mainstream teacher and two language support teachers.

"There are 90 to 100 international students out of a total of 475," said the principal. "Also 40pc of infant enrolment is international. The Government haven't told us the level allowance for international students.

Does 20pc qualify?" The school also applied for summer work scheme in 2009 but it was cancelled. They engaged a consultant to examine the windows and roof and assumed that they would get some grant in September. Mr Bennett said that he suspects the school will not get the grant now.

38. St Mochtas National School, Clonsilla. Principal Terry Alan said that the school has six language support teachers. "We stand to lose four," he said. "The pupil teacher ratio is up, so this is an increase in class size and staffing ratio, combined with withdrawal of language support, it's unacceptable."

39. Divine Word, Rathfarnham. Deputy principal Barbara Kenny said: "It was always our policy to keep three small Junior Infant classes of 18-20 per class," she said. "Now we will have to go back to two big classes. We could lose one teacher. We have one of the biggest classroom sizes in Europe."

40. Donabate Girls National School, Donabate. Principal Margaret O'Neill said: "We are one of the lucky schools in that we are not losing a teacher, we were two students above the requirement," she said. "But that is not to say that we won't be affected next year.