Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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There is a slight error in my submission for which I apologise. Rathangan boys' national school has nine teachers plus a principal. It is looking to go to ten mainstream teachers in the school year, 2016-17. The expected enrolment for 2016 is 270 pupils. This is well in excess of the 255 pupils required to have a principal plus ten mainstream teachers. The criteria used for the allocation of posts for the 2016-17 year looks at the enrolment on 30 September 2015. On 30 September 2015, the school had 254 pupils, just one short. Last September, the school applied for developing school status but was refused. It subsequently appealed this decision but was again refused.

The loss of a teacher will have a significant impact on the school, affecting the pupils most of all. In September, there will be 40 new entrants in junior infants, 37 in senior infants and 27 in first class. The Department prioritises infant classes to be as small as possible, so the principal will have a junior class of 25, a mixed junior-senior class of 25 and a first class of 27. If the extra teacher is not secured, the difference between class sizes in second and third class will be stark. Without the additional second teacher, second class will have 33 pupils and third class will have 37 pupils. With the additional second teacher, the principal estimates he would have 24 in second class, a combined second and third class of 23 and a third class of 23. Thirty-seven pupils to one teacher in third class is not teaching but crowd control.

Will common sense prevail and will the officials re-examine the case? I understand any national system which deals with thousands of pupils and staff has to have rules. However, there also has to be some mechanism for dealing with extreme changes in circumstances, as is the case with St. Patrick's national school in Rathangan, particularly when it is missing out by one pupil. Will the Minister review the case and allow a practical solution which could prevent excessive class sizes for a school of 270 pupils but which will only have nine mainstream teachers?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Heydon for raising this issue.

The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts are set out in an objective way and are applied uniformly across the country. In budget 2016, the then Minister announced a one-point improvement to the primary staffing schedule which reduced the average pupil-teacher ratio to 27:1. In September 2015, enrolment at Rathangan boys' national school was 254 pupils with nine classroom teachers. It submitted two appeals seeking to gain an additional teaching post for the 2016-17 school year under criterion G of the agreed appeals criteria. This covers alleviating some of the pressure on class sizes at infants level for schools which make a significant contribution by absorbing demographic growth. This appeals criterion is targeted at schools which are not gaining an additional teaching post under the developing schools criteria but, nevertheless, make a significant contribution to the provision of school places which assists the response to demographic growth within their area and, as a result, means they are under significant pressure on their class sizes at infants level.

A key indicator in the case of these schools is a significant increase in junior infant enrolments.

Several criteria are set out and it is these that the appeals board considers. One is fairly standard in that, if a school is providing an additional class, it must receive prior approval, although that is not the criterion that applies in this instance. The other point is that four tests are applied. First, it must be the case that the school is projecting, on a realistic basis, an increase in overall enrolments for the coming September and the level of the projected increase should, first, be sufficient for the school to gain an additional teaching post for the 2017-18 school year, assuming no change in the staffing schedule and, second, insufficient for the school to gain an additional teaching post for the 2016-17 school year under the developing school criteria. Second, it must be the case that the school had an increase in its overall enrolments in each of the past two years, 2014-15 and 2015-16. Third, it must be the case that the number of junior infants enrolled in the school is increasing each year and that it enrolled a minimum of 30 junior infants on 30 September 2014. Fourth, it must be the case that, as a result of the increasing enrolment of junior infants, the school is under significant pressure in its class sizes at infant level, that is, at junior infants and-or senior infants.

Each application to the appeals board will be considered on its merits. The appeals board will assess whether, in its opinion, the school is deploying all of its mainstream classroom teachers in an appropriate manner. It will prioritise those schools that, in its opinion, are under the greatest pressure in their class sizes at infant level as a result of the increasing enrolments of junior infants. Any post granted by the appeals board will be allocated on a provisional basis pending confirmation of the actual enrolments on 30 September 2016.

The appeals board determined that both appeals did not satisfy all of the published criteria as set out in the circular and the board of management has been so notified. The appeals board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final. I am sorry that the news is not better, but these are the criteria which are set out clearly. There is no discretion in their operation.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for his response, although it is disappointing. If criterion G was not satisfied, is there another mechanism the school could consider to revisit the decision? Rathangan is a growing town. The staff in the boys national school are fantastic in the work they carry out. The Government recently funded a redevelopment of the school, which is very welcome and great to have. However, there is no point in it simply funding infrastructure. Education is all about the students and, without some flexibility, we are facing a third class with 37 pupils, where a single teacher will not be able to cope and reach every child. There are days when a child will need a little extra attention and help, but with 37 pupils in the class the teacher will not possibly be able to do this. I do not imagine there are many classrooms throughout the country in which there are 37 or more pupils.

Perhaps criterion G was not the right one under which to apply and perhaps there is another angle. However, the fact is there are 270 pupils in a school with nine mainstream teachers. Using very simple maths, which the children in the school will be able to figure out, one cannot divide 270 by nine in an appropriate way. Perhaps the officials might give some steer to the school if there is another angle or perhaps there is some way by which the decision could be revisited at the end of September when it has been proved that the 270 pupils have arrived. I have grave concerns about the level of education the brilliant staff at the school will be able to provide in September, given these figures. It all comes down to having missed out by just one. I know that the Minister has to stick to the criteria and stay within broad parameters. However, I ask that the officials engage with the school to see whether there is some other mechanism that could be used, even in September.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Unfortunately, the two tests of the developing schools criteria and the alternative criterion G are the ways by which the Department has sought to provide some flexibility in the scheme. It is a scheme that has to be applied uniformly throughout the country and a school has to meet the criteria. Obviously, the appeals board exercises some judgment as to how schools are operating. It is independent and has looked at this oissue on two occasions using the criteria available to it. I am sure that if it thought the school was overlooking something, this would have given it an avenue to grant approval and it would have informed the school that the application had not been submitted using the correct criteria. Unfortunately, I do not foresee an opportunity for the school to have the decision overturned, based on the numbers submitted.