Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 839: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the reduction of classroom sizes for a school (details supplied) in County Wexford to deal with the serious overcrowding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10136/05]

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 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 have class sizes of 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 for the school year 2004-05 is a principal and eight mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 236 pupils at 30 September 2003. In addition the school has one full-time resource teacher and the services of a shared learning support 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 my Department by the board of management of the school in question, the enrolment on 30 September 2004 was 235 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.