Written answers

Tuesday, 12 April 2005

Department of Education and Science

School Staffing

9:00 pm

Photo of Noel GrealishNoel Grealish (Galway West, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 804: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if an additional teacher will be provided for a school (details supplied) which has an average staff-pupil ratio of 27:1; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9961/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary 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 the 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 eight mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 207 pupils at 30 September, 2003. In addition, the school has the services of a learning support teacher and two resource teachers, where the pupil-teacher ratio is 19:1.

The school is included in the rural dimension of my Department's giving children an even break programme. The school is benefiting from supplementary funding, and has the services of a rural co-ordinator under the programme to provide additional educational supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils.

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 212 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.

Photo of Pádraic McCormackPádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 805: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if an extra class teacher will be appointed to a school (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9966/05]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary 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 the 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 eight mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 210 pupils at 30 September, 2003. In addition, the school has the services of a learning support teacher and a resource teacher.

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 209 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.

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