Resources for non-English-speaking pupils
Information
The Department of Education and Skills (DES) provides additional educational resources for pupils who are learning English as an additional language in primary and post-primary schools. The resources for schools with pupils who need English as an additional language (EAL) support can be additional teachers or financial assistance.
Additional teachers
From 2007 to September 2009, schools with more than 14 EAL students were entitled to additional temporary teachers on a sliding scale, ranging from 1 teacher for 14 or more EAL pupils to 6 teachers for schools with 121 or more students needing EAL support. In Budget 2009 the previous general limit of a maximum of 2 additional language support teachers per school was reinstated, along with alleviation measures for schools with large numbers of EAL pupils - see 'Levels of EAL support' below.
Levels of EAL support
Full details of the resources available for EAL support are set out in DES circular 0015/2009.
For the first 2 years
The following full-time resources are available to provide EAL support to pupils:
| No of pupils requiring EAL support | Number of teachers |
| 14-30 | 1 |
| 31-90 | 2 |
Alleviation measures for schools with large numbers of EAL pupils
Up to 2 additional EAL teachers may be allocated as follows:
| No of pupils requiring EAL support | Number of teachers |
| 91-120* | 3 |
| 121 or more* | 4 |
*Pupils for the 3rd and subsequent EAL teachers are counted on the following basis:
- One-for-one basis where the pupil has had less than 1 year of EAL support
- Two-for-one basis for pupils who have had 1-2 years of EAL support
Potential additional teachers by appeal
The following schools may make an appeal for a review of their allocation of EAL teachers:
- Primary schools where at least 25% of their pupils need EAL support
- Post-primary or VEC schools where a significant number of pupils need EAL support
EAL support beyond the 2-year period
Schools may apply for an additional year of EAL support but each pupil requiring EAL support must be assessed first – see ‘Assessment of language proficiency' below.
Schools with fewer than 14 pupils needing EAL support
Primary schools with 3-13 non-English-speaking pupils are entitled to a grant to assist with funding a part-time teacher to teach English to these students. Post-primary schools with 3-13 non-English-speaking pupils are entitled to additional teaching hours. Schools with fewer than 3 non-English-speaking pupils are expected to provide for the needs of these children from the school’s own resources.
Assessment of language proficiency
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has Primary and Post-Primary Assessment Kits on its website, which can be used to assess non-English-speaking pupils according to the following 4 levels:
- Level 0: Absence of any English-language proficiency
- Level A1: Can understand and use basic words and phrases in a social and school context
- Level A2: Can understand, read and write simple English and can speak English sufficiently well to exchange information
- Level B1: Can function well enough in English to be integrated into the mainstream classroom
Further information
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has published the following guidelines for schools: Intercultural Education in the Primary School (pdf) and Intercultural Education in the Post-Primary School (pdf).
The website of the English Language Support Programme has activities related to the Junior Certificate curriculum.
Language
Related Documents
- Teacher qualifications at primary and post-primary level
Describes the education, professional qualifications and registration of teachers in Ireland. - Starting post-primary school
Describes post-primary education, including how to choose a post-primary school and enrol your child. - Curriculum in primary schools
An outline of the primary school curriculum, including its aims, structure and content.
Contact Us
If you have a question relating to this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm) or you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre.