Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 230: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the drop in curricular support available to a school (details supplied) in County Donegal, Inishowen's first and only Irish language secondary school, following cutbacks to disadvantaged area posts; the way he proposes to ensure that this temporary school is not prevented from becoming permanent due to these cuts. [21402/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Teacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment.

My Department has published the staffing arrangements at post primary level for the coming school year, 2012/13. The staffing arrangements reflect the requirement for schools to manage the provision of subjects and the provision of guidance from within the standard staffing allocation. The details are set out in Department Circular 0009/2012 which is available on my Department's website.

In accordance with these arrangements, where a school management authority is unable to meet its curricular commitments within its approved allocation, my Department considers applications for additional short term support i.e., curricular concessions. My Department is currently in the process of notifying schools of the outcome of their applications for curricular concessions. The allocation processes at post primary level also includes an appeals mechanism under which schools can appeal against the allocation due to them. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final. The final staffing position for all schools at post primary level will ultimately not be known until the Autumn. At that stage the allocation process will be fully completed and any appeals to the Staffing Appeal Board will have been considered.