Madam, - As a teacher with many years' experience in a designated disadvantaged school, and as someone who has long campaigned for greater support for such schools and our pupils, I am taken aback by the views of four representatives of the Educational Research Centre (August 19th).
Their report on literacy standards has apparently shown a particularly serious problem in disadvantaged schools. In my experience, this can best be tackled in the early years by ensuring that schools have qualified teachers and smaller classes, with particular attention being paid to the area of learning support. Parents and families living in poverty also need support outside the direct school context.
It is disturbing that the Educational Research Centre representatives characterise such matters as smaller classes and additional teaching input dismissively as "more of the same". In truth, disadvantaged schools have had little enough support, given their clear needs.
Class sizes remain too large, the Breaking the Cycle benefits apply only to a minority of schools and the Early Start scheme covers only 40 schools and has not been extended for many years.
There has been too little of what the research centre calls "the same". If designated disadvantaged schools were adequately resourced and supported in the way advocated by your Editorial of August 16th, I believe the serious literacy problems highlighted would be very much less. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN TAFFE,
Virgin Mary BNS,
Shangan Road,
Ballymun,
Dublin 11.