Written answers

Wednesday, 11 October 2006

Department of Education and Science

School Staffing

9:00 pm

Photo of John PerryJohn Perry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 211: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the ongoing difficulties experienced by a school (details supplied) in County Leitrim regarding a reduced teacher allocation for 2006 and 2007 and a failure to secure a suitable site for their new community school sanctioned in 2001; if she will address the issues raised in correspondence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32154/06]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Teacher allocations to second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. Each school management authority is required to organise its timetable and subject options with regard to pupils' needs within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The rules for allocating teaching resources provide that where a school management authority is unable to meet its curricular commitments within its approved allocation, my Department will consider applications for additional short term support, curricular concessions. An application for curricular concessions was received by the school referred to by the Deputy and an extra 0.45 wholetime equivalent teacher post was allocated. An independent appeals mechanism is available to school authorities which wish to appeal the adequacy of their teacher allocation. The school referred to by the Deputy availed of this appeals mechanism and was allocated a further 0.55 wholetime equivalent teacher post. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final. As the Appeals Committee operates independently of my Department in taking its decisions, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be appropriate to intervene in any such decision.

The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, has been exploring the possibility of acquiring a site for the school referred to by the Deputy. A number of options have been considered including the possibility of using one of the sites of the existing schools as the site of amalgamation. The preferred option however is the location of the new school on a greenfield site. Over the past few years a number of sites have been identified as a possibility for the location of the proposed new school but their acquisition met with difficulties. Following a re-advertisement for possible sites, some new proposals were received. All site options have been examined by the OPW. My Department is awaiting clarification from OPW on a number of the new site proposals. Due to the commercial sensitivities of site acquisitions, it is not proposed at this stage to identify specific sites being considered.

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