Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 427: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to review the finishing times for primary school students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21694/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Rules for National Schools specify that a school must be open to receive pupils not later than 09.30 a.m. Subject to this requirement, the decision with regard to the actual opening time of a school is a matter for the Board of Management of the school concerned. There are no proposals to change this position.

Circular 11/95 and the Rules for National Schools state that pupils in infant classes may have a school day that is one hour shorter than the length of the normal school day, (i.e. 5 hours and forty minutes). It is a matter for the Board of Management of a particular school to decide whether this concession should be applied in the case of its school. If pupils in infant classes are being given a shorter day, their parents should be notified accordingly and invited to collect them at time of dismissal.

Schools that have notified parents of their policy in this regard would be entitled to expect that parents would comply with the stated policy. However, it is acknowledged that particular circumstances can arise whereby the implementation of the shorter school day for pupils in infant classes can cause difficulties for some parents. This can be especially so where, for instance, parents have other children in senior classes in the school who would not be finished until one hour after the infant classes have concluded.

In such situations parents should make contact with the Board of Management of the school and explain the difficulties that they will encounter if the school policy is strictly implemented. The Department would request schools to take a sympathetic approach to cases where the school policy causes genuine difficulties for parents.