Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 800: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when the issue of class sizes and staffing will be addressed at a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9957/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, agreed between my Department and the education partners.

The system for allocating teachers to primary schools is based on ensuring an overall maximum class of 29 in each school. Where some classes in a school are greater than 29, it is generally because a decision has been taken at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes.

In accordance with the staffing schedule, the staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for the school year 2004-05 is a principal and two mainstream class teachers, based on an enrolment of 68 pupils at 30 September 2003. The average class size in this school is 23. The Department will finalise the staffing schedule for the 2005-06 school year shortly and thereafter notify school boards of management.

According to data submitted to the Department by the board of management, the enrolment on 30 September 2004 in the school in question was 63 pupils. The staffing for the 2005-06 school year will be determined on the basis of this figure and in accordance with the agreed staffing schedule. As outlined in primary circular 19/02, an independent appeals board was established to adjudicate on appeals from boards of management on mainstream staffing allocations in primary schools. The appeals board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final. Appeals must be submitted to the primary payments section, Department of Education and Science, Athlone, on the standard application form, clearly stating the criterion under which the appeal is being made, after the schedule for the 2005-06 school year has been issued.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 801: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her Department will provide an additional teacher for a school (details supplied) where the average pupil staff ratio is 27:1. [9958/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, agreed between my Department and the education partners. The system for allocating teachers to primary schools is based on ensuring an overall maximum class of 29 in each school. Where some classes in a school are greater than 29, it is generally because a decision has been taken at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes.

In accordance with the staffing schedule, the staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for the school year 2004-05 is a principal and seven mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 185 pupils at 30 September 2003. In addition, the school has the services of a learning support teacher and three resource teachers, hence the pupil-teacher ratio is 17:1.

My Department will finalise the staffing schedule for the 2005-06 school year shortly and thereafter notify school boards of management. According to data submitted to the Department by the board of management, the enrolment on 30 September, 2004 in the school was 188 pupils. The staffing for the 2005-06 school year will be determined on the basis of this figure and in accordance with the agreed staffing schedule.