Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 235: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the plans she has to improve the staffing levels at a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11284/05]

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 referred to by the Deputy for the school year 2004-05 is a principal and 15 mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 439 pupils at 30 September 2003. In addition the school has one resource post, one learning support post and a temporary language support post.

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, the enrolment on 30 September 2004 in the school was 436 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 my 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.

I trust that the Deputy is aware of the proposed new system for resource teacher allocation, which involves a general allocation for all primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence special educational needs: borderline mild and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability. This system also applies to those with learning support needs who are functioning at or below the tenth percentile on a standardised test of reading and-or mathematics. My Department is reviewing the proposal to ensure that it provides an automatic response for pupils with common higher incidence special educational needs. The review involves consultation with educational interests including the National Council for Special Education before it is implemented in September 2005.