David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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Question 1024: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has received an application from a school (details supplied) in County Cork regarding the need to retain the existing quota of classroom teachers in the school and the appointment of an extra class teacher to the school from 1 September 2005; the present enrolment of the school and the corresponding pupil-teacher ratio; the projected enrolment for September 2005 and the expected pupil-teacher ratio; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11243/05]

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 classes in a school have numbers 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 11 mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 301 pupils at 30 September 2003. The pupil-teacher ratio for the school measures the number of pupils for each teacher in the school, including the principal and resource and learning support teachers. In addition to the having a principal and 11 mainstream class teachers, this school also has the services of a learning support teacher and a resource teacher for Travellers. 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, the enrolment on 30 September 2004 was 292 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 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 issued.