Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter.

The staffing schedule is the mechanism used for allocating mainstream teaching posts to all schools. It operates in a clear and transparent manner, treating all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location, and on the basis of a general average of one classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS band one schools. As part of the 2012 budget decisions, there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools with four teachers or fewer. The first phase of the budget measure took effect from September 2012 while the final phase will take effect from September 2014.

Labasheeda national school has two classroom teachers in the current school year based on an enrolment of 21 pupils at 30 September 2012. The enrolment at 30 September 2013 was 17 pupils which entitles the school to one classroom teacher for the coming school year. The school is projecting an enrolment of 16 pupils for 30 September 2014. The school submitted an appeal to the February 2014 meeting of the primary staffing appeals board, under the small school criterion, seeking the retention of its second classroom post for the 2014-2015 school year based on the projected enrolment of 16 pupils at 30 September 2014. A projected enrolment of at least 20 pupils on 30 September 2014 would be required for the school to remain as a two-teacher school.

Given that it projected just 16 pupils, the appeal was deemed ineligible for consideration by the board on the basis that the grounds of the appeal did not meet with the appeal criteria. The board of management of the school has been notified of this decision. The appeals board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final. If other pupils decide to enrol in the school and its projected enrolment in September 2014 increases to the required 20 pupils, then it can submit a new appeal to the appeals board.

The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to feature on our education landscape.

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