Teachers don’t stay in less well off schools

THOUSANDS of primary school children will be failed by the education system unless the Government acts to stem problems relating to class sizes and teacher turn-over, it was claimed yesterday.

The call came from the Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO) after it revealed the results of a survey conducted in 289 of the country's most disadvantaged schools.

It found that teacher turnover in disadvantaged schools is a major problem, with just 25% of teachers surveyed being in their schools for more than 20 years. Almost half 1,602 teachers had less than five years' teaching experience.

One-fifth of pupils at the schools surveyed miss more than 20 school days a year double the national average. In the most disadvantaged schools, that figure rises to one-third of pupils.

The survey also found that there were serious problems with pupil behaviour, and that there were 37 people with no teaching qualifications working in the schools, although that is an improvement on the comparable figure for 2003. Another 111 second-level teachers are working in disadvantaged primary schools.

Labour's Education spokesperson Jan O'Sullivan also voiced concerns, and claimed that the Government was making "very slow progress" in reducing class sizes.

According to figures obtained by the Labour, 106,337 children are in classes of more than 30 pupils.

212 pupils are in classes of more than 40 children, spread over schools in Cork county, Dublin, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, Meath and Wexford.

"There was a commitment in the Programme for Government that all children under nine would be in classes of 20-to-one or less. Clearly that commitment is not being reached," Deputy O'Sullivan said.

INTO General Secretary John Carr said the Department of Education should introduce a salary allowance for teachers in disadvantaged schools.

INTO's spokesman Peter Mullan claimed the effects of non-qualified personnel teaching children would have to be monitored.

"This survey covered 46,500 pupils and we will have to see what the effect of all these problems will be," he said.

The survey found that teachers at disadvantaged schools wanted speech services for pupils, more support for special needs students and increased funding.

Minister Mary Hannifin claimed that 75% of children are now in classes of less than 30 pupils.

"But locally, principals are deciding that they might put 18-to-one in one class, 25-to-one in another and then maybe 35 in another class," she told RTÉ radio.