Staff cutbacks are having a negative impact on students, it has been claimed.

Ferdia Kelly, general secretary of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB), noted a lack of protection for frontline services in schools is resulting in pupils missing out from both a personal and educational perspective, the Irish Examiner reports.

Mr Kelly said it is misleading for Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to claim recent budgets have served to protect frontline services.

The head of the JMB - which represents the boards of 380 voluntary secondary schools - explained mainstream pupil-teacher ratios have effectively risen due to the fact that guidance counselling was included in every school teacher's allocation last year.

It was also noted that since Mr Quinn took office two years ago, there have been 15 per cent fewer resources allocated to teaching for children with special needs, while Traveller children and those who do not have English as a first language have also had their resources taken from them. 

Written by Donal Walsh

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