Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 697: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if she has considered the application from a school (details supplied) in County Cork for an additional teacher for the school. [19894/07]

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 30 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. According to data submitted to my Department by the Board of Management of the school referred to by the Deputy, the enrolment in the school on 30 September, 2006 was 305 pupils. In accordance with the staffing schedule (Circular 0020/2007), which is available on my 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 11 mainstream class teachers. In addition to the mainstream class teachers, the school also has 2 permanent learning support/resource teacher posts, 1 special class post, 1 shared resource post for Travellers and 1 temporary language support post.

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 30 September of the school year in question equals or exceeds a specified figure. If the specified figure is not achieved on 30 September, sanction for the post is withdrawn. It is open to the Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board which was established to adjudicate on appeals on mainstream staffing allocations in primary schools. Details of the criteria and application dates for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule. They are also available in Circular 0024/2007 (Appeal Board for Mainstream Staffing in Primary Schools) which is available on my Department's website. Hard copies of this circular have issued to primary schools.

The Appeal Board holds three meetings per year to consider appeals. Meetings of the Board were held in May and July 2007 and a further meeting will be held on 23 October, 2007. The closing date for receipt of appeals for that meeting is the 12 October 2007. 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. The standard application form is available from Primary Payments Section or on my Department's website. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final.