Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

— condemns the Government for introducing changes to the staffing schedules in 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools in Budget 2012;

— objects to this policy decision which unfairly targets schools with less than 86 pupils and which will result in a loss of 250 posts and an increase in the pupil/teacher ratio between now and 2013;

— further objects to the Government's covert approach to amalgamation and closure of 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools;

— condemns the severe impact this will have on gaelscoileanna, scoileanna Gaeltachta and minority faith schools in particular;

— further condemns the Government decision to apply the new staffing schedule based on 2011 enrolment figures;

— recognises that small schools are at the heart of communities;

— rejects the Government's:

— argument in relation to small schools having a more favourable pupil/teacher ratio which fails to take into account the challenges of multi-grade teaching; and

— claim that frontline services have been protected in Budget 2012 and recognises that teachers in 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools provide a critical frontline service;

— notes that:

— research has shown that learning outcomes in the smaller schools are on a par with learning outcomes in larger schools; and

— 47% of the 3,200 primary schools in the State have 5 teachers or fewer; and

— calls on the Government to:

— protect existing 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools this year and in the coming years;

— recognise the disproportionate impact this cut will have on gaelscoileanna, scoileanna Gaeltachta and minority faith schools and to ensure these schools are protected;

— protect the significant investment in small schools by Fianna Fáil Governments over the past 15 years which resulted in the doubling of the numbers of teachers working in small schools, and significant capital investment to allow for replacement, refurbishment and improvement of school accommodation across the country;

— explain the rationale for this decision and publish any impact analysis carried out by the Department of Education and Skills in relation to this decision and the effect it will have on 1, 2, 3 and 4 teacher schools;

— recognise the important role of these schools in local communities and the damaging effect this will have on communities throughout Ireland;

— acknowledge the damaging consequences that will result from the budgetary changes to the staffing schedule which will lead to the forced amalgamation and closure of small schools in the coming years;

— accept the uncertainty that this is creating for local communities; and

— provide detailed clarification on the appeals mechanism for staffing changes.

The motion before the House on behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party clearly outlines our concerns over the adverse effects the changes proposed to the staffing schedule for small schools will cause to many communities throughout the country. The protection of small rural schools is a critical issue for Fianna Fáil and we believe the 2012 budget unfairly targeted rural communities. The Government's plan to introduce phased staffing cuts in small schools with fewer than five teachers is a cause of very serious concern in many communities, rural and urban.

During the course of the past decade there was a very substantial increase in the resources provided to small schools in the form of teacher numbers, teaching support staff and the physical infrastructure, with new or upgraded classrooms and ancillary accommodation. Those decisions were taken and that investment was made because we see local primary schools as an irreplaceable part of community life. In our motion we ask the Government to protect the existing network of one, two, three and four teacher schools.

In the two months or thereabouts since the budget was announced, the cuts being imposed in our schools have rightly become the cause of concern to many school communities. While many Members on the Government side issued press releases praising the fairness of the budget and how they had protected staffing and schools, the reality has quickly emerged that the exact opposite is the truth. Core staffing has not been left intact, and pupils, schools and communities most in need have been singled out for cuts. The programme for Government gave a clear commitment to protect front-line services. By anyone's definition the classroom teacher provides a very important front-line service. Cutting these jobs is as clear a broken promise as pledging to reduce fees and then increasing them.

The previous Minister for Education and Skills commenced a value for money review of the provision of small primary schools. As that Minister confirmed at the time and many times subsequently, the review was commissioned with absolutely no commitment to cutting the number of teachers. The main approach was to find the best way of supporting the schools, and I and many others in this House at that time consistently made the point that small schools should be valued and protected. The large number of responses to that particular consultation process demonstrated the importance of this network of schools. Why were decisions with such impact on small schools made in advance of the finalisation of that report? There has been no consultation with management bodies or unions. The Government must publish whatever impact analysis has been carried out by the Department on these far-reaching changes.

Surely all of us in public life should understand the role of small schools in our education system. It is true that we have an unusually high number of primary schools in proportion to our population. This is the result of many factors, the most important of which is that our national schools have always played the role of being a focal point in a local community. Where other countries took the approach of bussing children long distances to meet idealised efficiency standards, we have retained the community-school link as a core feature. We must continue to retain that link. Our population dispersal pattern is very different from that of most European countries. In terms of education standards the evidence is that pupil outcomes in smaller schools keep pace with those of schools with much larger enrolments and specialised support services. In the broader educational context, having schools which are rooted in their communities helps children to better understand the place where they are growing up. Vitally, these schools help maintain the viability of many rural areas. Taking away the school in a community takes away the community's heart and future.

In the decade up to 2005 the population in rural areas showed its first increase since the Famine. We bucked the trend which was both historical and international. No one from rural areas doubts that supporting and investing in smaller rural schools has been central to this. Keeping these schools and upgrading them was not done in the name of administrative efficiency but because the richness and diversity of Irish community life is worth protecting. In the overall context, the money involved has been a tiny fraction of the State spending but the impact has been very positive and progressive.

As 47% of the 3,200 primary schools in the State have five teachers or fewer, the huge impact the staffing schedules will have is evident. Last June the Minister said that in considering any policy change on small schools, the Department would consider a number of wider dimensions other than simply the cost of running small schools. Our position has always been that it is about increasing the education return to communities from these schools and not about finding ways of rationalising them. We believe these schools provide value for money.

The Minister has referred in this House to small schools mainly having a more favourable pupil-teacher ratio than larger schools. This is not comparing like with like. Teachers in small schools have pupils of different ages and different grades in their classroom. It is not true to claim there would be a gradual increase in the pupil-teacher ratio in small schools. These changes represent a dramatic increase. For example, a Gaeltacht school will now need 83 pupils instead of 76 pupils to qualify for four teachers this year. The new retention figures published by the Department are inequitable. A large school with 12 teachers needs another 28 pupils to become a 13-teacher school. However, a two-teacher school that wants to become a three-teacher school this September will need an additional 37 pupils, while a three-teacher school looking to become a four-teacher school will need an additional 30 pupils. Why are small schools punished in comparison with larger schools? These new retention figures will, in fact, make it more difficult for the smaller schools to expand.

The advice by the Department to small schools "to consider their future" and "to assess their options for amalgamation" is clearly a stark message. The changes are blunt in nature and the forced cuts are based on numbers alone, without any consideration for the school's ethos, the geography of a particular area or the impact on the community of removing such a key amenity. These cuts will have a disproportionate and severe impact on minority faith schools such as Church of Ireland schools and also on Gaeltacht schools and gaelscoileanna. This is also completely at odds with the Minister's efforts to widen patronage in our education system through the forum on patronage and pluralism. This is going in the exact opposite direction of what the Minister is trying to achieve in the patronage area. There are 200 Protestant primary schools in the State. Some 65% of Church of Ireland schools will be affected by the changes announced by the Minister. There are also serious issues for gaelscoileanna and schools in the Gaeltacht area.

This cannot just be about value for money and achieving savings. Research has shown that children do well in these schools and that the social and emotional development of children in small schools is stronger. While multi-grade and multi-class teaching has its challenges, there are considerable learning positives to grouping children of different ages and different grades together. The Department statistics indicate that approximately 40% of all primary school pupils are taught in multi-class situations. Even in a one-grade class there is always a considerable range of abilities, maturity and needs. No two children can be considered as being at the same level in all areas.

The small school provides a sense of belonging where each child is valued for his or her unique qualities. In the big schools, unfortunately, a pupil can easily be lost in the crowd. Multi-class teaching brings together children of different ages and development. While very few studies have been done in Ireland on the efficacy of small schools, the results of the limited number of studies done to date all come to the same conclusions as the international studies. International research has shown that students taught in multigrade and multiclass situations are on a par academically with those taught in single grade classrooms. Research has shown that there is no discernible difference in academic performance between multigrade and single grade pupils. The Ofstead report of recent years demonstrates this clearly. Research also shows that smaller schools have greater parental involvement.

I appeal to the Minister, as I did during Question Time in the House recently, to provide clarity with regard to the appeals mechanism. During Question Time I cited cases of schools that will lose teachers because of the retrospective element and the 30 September 2011 enrolment criteria. This retrospective element will be especially harsh for many schools come this September when they will lose a teacher for one year unless there are changes. I appeal to the Department and the Minister to change these criteria.

The Department should also allow schools to amalgamate learning support resource teaching hours rather than have the farcical situation of people needlessly travelling between schools. Surely there should be local autonomy in respect of the school roster and not centralisation. The system in place until the recent announcement worked well at local level from an efficiency point of view. The importance of our small schools must be recognised and the uncertainty created must be removed. I call on the Government to deal with this quickly and to rescind these retrograde changes to the staffing schedules. I am sharing my time with Deputies Éamon Ó Cuív and Charlie McConalogue.

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