Primary school prepares for the worst

THE cutbacks affecting disadvantaged schools may be decided in the plush surrounds of Leinster House but the impact of the move will be felt in far more ordinary surroundings.

At Scoil Mhuire Banríon primary school in Mayfield, Cork, teachers, pupils and their parents are preparing for the worst.

The facility is widely described as a shining example of what the DEIS programme can do, with its pupil grades dramatically increasing in recent years.

Since 2007, it has seen one of the best increases in literacy and numeracy tests out of any DEIS primary school in Ireland.

Yet, if Education Minister Ruairi Quinn fails to row back on the proposed cuts, services at the facility will be placed on the chopping block.

The school’s principal of 11 years, Regina O’Sullivan, said that if the cuts were forced through, educational, psychological and emotional support services for some of its 214 pupils would become a thing of the past.

Before the first round of cutbacks on the DEIS system in 2009 the school had the equivalent of almost eight full-time resource teachers. It is now planned to have just one, with another worker coming in for half a week.

“During that time there’s been no significant change in the workload of the school, but this is a school which can show how the DEIS is paying off,” said Ms O’Sullivan.

“Last year was the first time we had no student in the bottom 20% [in terms of grades in Ireland], our normal level would previously have been 30% of students underneath that level.

“I could show anyone the figures that support what the DEIS is doing here.”

When asked whether she thought Mr Quinn’s “review” was genuine or a ploy to be seen to be giving the cuts a second thought in order to lessen anger, as some opposition TDs have suggested, Ms O’Sullivan said she was just happy “somebody is listening to what we are saying about these cuts”.

“We’re due to lose a support teacher because of this, that’s someone who helps with emotional difficulties.

“The parents of these pupils know there have been big changes in 30 years, that there are services now for their children that weren’t there when the system failed them. The last thing they want is for that to happen again.”

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