Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his question. The staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. This is a long-standing arrangement, as the Deputy will be aware, for allocating teaching posts to our primary schools in a fair and equitable way based on their respective enrolment. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally, irrespective of their location. For the 2020-2021 school year at primary level it operates on the basis of one classroom teacher for an average of every 26 pupils, which is historically the lowest level. I am very pleased to say, as the Deputy himself has mentioned, that under budget 2021 as announced yesterday, that this will be further reduced to a ratio of 25:1 from September 2021.

The staffing arrangements for primary schools also include a provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds, using projected enrolments for the following September. The school referred to by the Deputy was allocated a temporary teaching post on this basis as the school had indicated that it was expecting an enrolment of 334 students in September 2020, which was a projected increase of 39 pupils. My Department has recently received an enrolment return of 277 pupils from this school as at 30 September and it is clear that the school has not experienced a growth in enrolments. Instead, its overall school enrolment has gone down from last year. This school is 57 pupils below what it had indicated as its projected enrolment for September. The school has submitted an appeal to the primary staffing appeals board which will be considered at its meeting later this month which is the usual process, as the Deputy will be aware. This process is ongoing and the school will be informed of the board's decision in due course.

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