Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is a difference between isolated small schools and small schools in general. This is the reason we have made a particular provision for small schools that are more than 8 km from another school. I note the importance of this provision for the communities in question.

With regard to other small schools, the approach taken in the report is dictatorial, with a requirement that they amalgamate and do other things. I am approaching the matter in a different way, the objective being to have an agreed protocol worked out between the INTO, the management bodies and the Department. It is about having a mechanism by which schools can come together where they consider, because of the size of a school and so on, that doing so would be better for their communities and offer a better service for children. The aim is to have a facility whereby local communities can begin considering, when pupil numbers fall below 25, what their options are and what is best for them. That is a better approach than forcing certain actions on communities.

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