Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for taking this Topical Issue, because it is important for Scoil Mhuire in Donegal that this is dealt with and some form of redress is found. I know the school has gone through the processes available within the Department of Education and Skills, but I think that the Minister needs to look at it again because it comes under the criteria that the Department has outlined.

Over the past five years, enrolments at Scoil Mhuire in Creeslough have increased from 95 to a projected 124 for the 2018-19 academic year. It is situated in a rural area of north-west Donegal which has experienced demographic growth in recent years. Many families have relocated here as it is a short commute to the busy town of Letterkenny. I note that is a short commute by Donegal standards. That is something the Minister must take on board. In Donegal, people live quite a distance from Letterkenny and commute into the town due to the difficulties involved in getting school places there as well as people's connections to their home areas. They are quite happy to do that. Living in Donegal, one has to be quite happy to travel, because one will have to travel no matter what one wants to do.

The school is situated in an area of high economic and social deprivation. Many of the children in a school that is part of the delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS, plan have very particular needs and challenges. Scoil Mhuire recently sent a staffing appeal to the Department. The school has projected that it will have 124 children on the roll in September 2018. Currently, there are 113, which is well in excess of the number needed to gain an additional teacher. This will be the trend for the future, as the number of pupils has been consistently increasing for the past several years. The school expects this to continue because of its closeness to Letterkenny and the fact that people want to settle there.

This will have an impact on the school. There are 31 pupils in junior and senior infants, 35 pupils in first and second class, 33 pupils in third and fourth class; and 25 pupils in fifth and sixth class. This is having a severe impact. The Department's stated aim is to have smaller numbers of children per class. This situation is in breach of that.

It is extremely difficult for any teacher to work with such large numbers in this age group. All children deserve a learning environment that will help them learn and enhance their learning experience. Unfortunately, in a room of over 30 children and in very limited space, the children are the victims and are limited in what they can do. The delivery of certain subjects on the curriculum, such as the Aistear framework, drama and SPHE, is very difficult because of the limited space and the large numbers.

If this was not bad enough, there is a child with a significant developmental delay. I refer in particular to the overcrowded infant classroom, in particular. The child has problems with noise and co-ordination, and the limited space in the classroom impedes her and is potentially detrimental to her social and educational development. All these impacts have to be taken into account. Due to the high number of children in the infant classroom, they have to be located in the largest classroom in the school, which is actually the farthest from the toilets. This has an added impact in that they have to travel the farthest distance, past doors and everything else.

The school is very important. It is important that it be reconsidered under the scheme. The procedure is probably outside the departmental mechanism but there may be an opportunity for the school to reapply. I ask the Minister to consider whether this could happen.

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