Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)

A total of 140 band 1 and band 2 schools will retain the number of legacy posts required by them to implement more favourable pupil-teacher ratios under previous disadvantage schemes for the 2012-13 school year.

A range of factors contribute to determining the staffing requirement for schools, including changes to enrolment and the reforms to the teacher allocation process for 2012-13 school year. As the teacher allocation to schools is enrolment-based, this determines whether schools gain or lose teaching posts from year to year. Changes in enrolment also contribute to the number of legacy posts allocated to DEIS schools from year to year. Some DEIS schools seem to be under the impression that my decision of 21 February implied that they would retain their current number of legacy posts which is based on the 30 September 2010 enrolment. What was decided was that certain schools would retain the favourable pupil-teacher ratios under legacy disadvantage schemes. Therefore, the staffing allocation for the 2012-13 school year, including the allocation of legacy posts, is based on the enrolment on 30 September 2011.

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