Update on Dee’s Position
16th November 2012
Dear Parents,
We have been somewhat successful in avoiding the loss of Dee – our Junior Infants teacher. The Department of Education and Skills (DES) has agreed to allow the school to share a post with another school with regard to teaching children with Special Educational Needs. This means that another permanent post has been created at our school and that Dee is entitled to remain. It also means that Dee stays in charge of her Junior Infants class and that there will be no change for the children in that class.
Otherwise, it means that we lose our part-time teacher Anna McNeill. Anna has been teaching small groups of children who need extra support with schoolwork and with learning English. The compromise has been allowed by the DES by combining our part-time hours with another school’s part-time hours. We are sad to lose Anna as she has always been a great support to the school and we appreciate the valuable contribution she has made to the school to date.
Otherwise it also obliges the school to provide some extra hours (3.2 hours per week to be exact) to the other school involved from within the remaining staff on our Special Education/Learning Support Team.
This has been a very difficult week for the school and I would like to thank all parents, staff and members of the Board of Management for their support and input during the week. The reality remains that we have received a cut in provision for children who need support with learning English as an Additional Language. These children deserve our support. Accordingly, if anybody wishes to proceed with making representations to public representatives then this can do no harm.
Thank you again to all for your understanding and cooperation during this difficulty at our school.
Yours truly,
Tomás