Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 905: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she will address the long time lag between when a school (details supplied) becomes eligible for an additional teacher and when it is permitted to hire an additional teacher. [14950/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year. My Department has no plans to change this.

Data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school referred to by the Deputy indicate that the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2005 was 246 pupils. In accordance with the staffing schedule (Circular 0023/2006), which is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie, the mainstream staffing in the school for the 2006/07 school year is a Principal and 9 mainstream class teachers.

According to data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school, the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2006 was 244 pupils. In accordance with the staffing schedule (Circular 0020/2007), which is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie and a hard copy of which has issued to all primary schools, the mainstream staffing in the school for the 2007/08 school year will be a Principal and 9 mainstream class teachers.

Within the terms of the staffing arrangements for primary schools there is provision for additional posts, referred to as developing school posts, to be assigned to schools on the basis of projected enrolments for the next school year. Under these arrangements, a developing school post may be sanctioned provisionally where the projected enrolment at 30th September of the school year in question equals or exceeds a specified figure. If the specified figure is not achieved on 30th September, sanction for the post is withdrawn.