Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 1220: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if extra teaching staff will be allocated to a school (details supplied) in County Kildare based on class size and pupil numbers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25490/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule and is finalised for a particular year following discussions with 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.

The enrolment of the school referred to by the Deputy increased from 139 pupils on 30 September 2003 to 148 pupils on 30 September 2004. This latter enrolment entitled the school to a staffing of a principal and five mainstream class teachers for the school year 2005-06, an increase of one mainstream class teacher.

The agreement referred to above can only be deviated from when a school experiences rapid growth in its enrolment. Rapid growth is defined as an increase in its enrolment in one year relative to the previous year of 25 pupils plus a stipulated excess of five pupils on the appointment figure.

An application was made by the board of management of the school seeking the appointment of two mainstream class teachers for September 2005 under developing school criteria.

Provisional sanction for the appointment of the sixth and seventh mainstream class teachers was given by the primary payments section of my Department in a letter to the chairperson on 16 June 2005 based on a projected enrolment of 194.

The enrolment of the school will be reviewed in October 2005. It will be necessary for the board of management to confirm in writing to the primary payments section the actual enrolment achieved in the school on 30 September 2005. The confirmation letter must reach the primary payments section within five days of 30 September 2005.

If at this stage the projected enrolment has not materialised the post or posts will be suppressed and the teacher or teachers, if eligible for panel rights, will immediately be placed on the redeployment panel.