Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

The Minister is aware of how every primary school is an integral part of the local community. Thankfully, over the past decade there has been huge investment in improving the school infrastructure through modernisation, refurbishment and providing new accommodation. All international evidence shows that outcomes from small schools are as good as those from larger schools. In fairness, it is not comparing like with like to compare the pupil-teacher ratio. In a two-teacher school there are a number of separate classes to teach, so the pupil-teacher ratio is not an exact comparison.

I have spoken to the Minister previously about my particular concern about Protestant and minority faith schools, given that I represent Cavan-Monaghan and am familiar with Donegal and other neighbouring counties where there are a number of small schools, predominantly of the Church of Ireland faith but also of other Protestant faiths. I have discovered that the immediate scheduling changes next September will affect 25% of the Church of Ireland schools. I have brought one case to the attention of the Minister previously. A school in my neighbouring parish moved into a brand new school building a few months ago. It is a three-teacher school with an enrolment of 50 pupils. It needed 49 to retain three teachers. Next September the school will have 52. However, in the new schedule proposed by the Minister it would need to have had 51 pupils on 30 September 2011. If that school loses a teacher, it loses one third of its learning support as well.

People would consider that to be a retrospective decision. Will the Minister ensure that where a school met the requirements last September it will not be affected, once it meets the ongoing enrolment requirement?

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