John Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)

I previously put down a question with regard to St. Joseph's school, Killenummery, Dromahair, as there were 50 pupils on the roll for September 2006, which is one above the appointment figure. The Minister's reply was as follows:

The board, having considered the appeal with regard to the criteria outlined in Circular 0024/2006, was satisfied that a departure from the staffing schedule is not warranted in this case. The board of management of the school was notified in writing of the decision of the appeal board on 26 May 2006. I am sure the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate for me to intervene in the operations of the independent appeal board.

It would be appropriate to intervene. Both classrooms in the school are currently overcrowded. The junior room in particular falls well short of the accommodation criteria as per the rules for national schools. Currently, there are 22 pupils in a room which is 23.4 sq. m., an area large enough to accommodate only 16 pupils, according to section 31 of the rules for the national schools. The projected enrolment for the coming school year, 2006-07, will mean that there will be 27 pupils in this room. The senior classroom is an outdated prefab structure which can barely accommodate its current 22 pupils.

A letter from the principal states:

We intended to apply for a permanent structure pending the appointment of a second mainstream teacher. We do have a resource room in the main building which could be used to accommodate a concessionary teacher. If this happened there would be adequate space for all pupils. We would also like to highlight the fact that in terms of multi-grade classes, with four grades in each room class sizes of 27 and 22 are very high in light of the current guidelines and cramped conditions. We feel that it is very difficult to meet the needs of our pupils to adequately deliver the new curriculum under these conditions.

This is an appalling case. The indications for projected enrolments are positive. Having carried out a survey of the catchment area, the school authorities are confident of maintaining their attendance figures.

Part 2 of the schedule sets out three grounds for appealing a decision. They include circumstances in which a departure from the staffing schedule is warranted to meet exceptional accommodation difficulties such as schools operating on a split site for a period following amalgamation or prior to the provision of a permanent building or in the event that the board is satisfied, on the basis of verifiable evidence, that the required pupil numbers were enrolled in September or October 2005 but, due to circumstances outside the control of the school, were not enrolled on 30 September 2005. However, for staffing purposes, a pupil can be included in the enrolment of only one school in any school year.

I appreciate that the Minister of State was not directly involved in the case. I visited the school in question last week to find that one teacher is teaching 27 children in four classes in a room which is adequate to accommodate only 16 children. This places considerable pressure on the teacher. I am disappointed with the statement by the Minister, Deputy Hanafin, that the board of management was notified of the decision and that it would not be appropriate for her to intervene. As Minister, she has overall responsibility for these matters. As to whether the school was visited, it was not. In the case of exceptional accommodation difficulties, the question is whether the existing accommodation is adequate for an additional teacher. It is. Another question is whether the building unit of the Department has been contacted by the board of management regarding accommodation difficulties.

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