Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 162: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine the pupil-teacher ratio at a school (details supplied) in County Waterford with a view to retaining the existing number of teachers due to the increased numbers of pupils enrolled for the year 2011-2012. [14518/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools are published annually on my Department's website. The key factor in determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule for the 2011-2012 school year was published on my Department's website in March 2011.

The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board. It is open to any Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule, circular 0019/2011. The final staffing position for all schools will ultimately not be known until the autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed for mainstream classroom teachers and any appeals to the Staffing Appeals Boards will have been considered.