Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 417: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a decision will issue in the case of a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary who have appealed a decision in relation to their request for a fourth teacher at their school. [27498/07]

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 annually to all primary schools.

According to data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school referred to by the Deputy, the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2006 was 75 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 remain as a Principal and 2 mainstream class teachers.

According to further data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school, the enrolment in the school on 30th September 2007 was 80 pupils. The staffing of the school for the 2008/2009 school year will be based on this figure and on the new staffing schedule for the 2008/09 school year which will issue from my Department early in 2008.

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 If the specified figure is not achieved on 30th September, sanction for the post is withdrawn.

As I stated in my reply to the Deputy's representation in July 2007, it was 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.

Meetings of the Appeal Board were held on 22nd May 2007, 3rd July 2007 and the 23rd October 2007. My Department has no record of receiving an appeal from the Board of Management of the school in question for consideration by the Primary Staffing Appeal Board at any of these meetings .