Eileen Lynch (Fine Gael)

First, I would like to be associated with the vote of sympathy on Sr. Stan and the congratulations to our new incoming President, Catherine Connolly.

Today, I raise the issue of staffing rates in primary schools, and in particular the retention of posts. I seek that the Minister for education would make a statement on Circular 11/2025 on staffing arrangements in primary schools for the year 2025-26. The reason I raise this today is to do with a local school in my area, Cloughduv National School. Last Monday week it was advised on appeal that it was to lose a developing post, bringing the number of teachers from nine to eight. The teacher, Ms Keohane, was to finish up last Friday week. The appeal was rejected on the Monday and the post was gone as of the Friday. As per the circular, 169 students are needed to retain the post. At this time, the school has 167 students. The Cloughduv area is an up-and-coming one. Up to 400 houses have been developed within the last four to five years. While the current number is 167 – two off the quota to hold the teacher - the school is already predicting that it will have 182 students come next September, due to the number of new people moving into the area.

I appreciate that circulars are there for a reason and that there are rules but this seems very arbitrary to me. What the school and I seek is a level of flexibility and compassion, in particular when the school knows for definite that it will have one more student prior to the Christmas break and one more student in January, which would bring it up to the requisite number. It does not make sense to me that it will lose this teacher for the sake of six months and for the post to be reinstated in September.

Ms Keohane was teaching fifth and sixth classes. This will mean that the third class teacher will have to move up to fifth and sixth classes, and third class will be split between second class and fourth class, increasing class sizes to 32 and 35, respectively. I appreciate that rules are there for a reason but what we are looking for is flexibility and compassion. I would like the Minister to address that.