Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I am aware of this case and the situation the school is in. The Deputy has outlined exactly the structure and system that has been in place for many years now setting out how schools can retain a teacher in a developing post. It is the case that this number needs to be reached and there is always a cut-off and a threshold. I appreciate that some schools will be just under it and some will be just over it but we do need to ensure that the system is upheld. If the school does not reach that specific number, the post is taken away from it. That is not to say that in the future, if the number of students increases again, it will not be looked at again when teacher allocations are being made. The system and structures that are in place have been there for some time. I appreciate that some schools will fall below the number but it is there for a reason, to make sure we can provide those allocations throughout the year and ensure it is done in the most fair way possible and applied in the same way for every single school.

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