Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 267: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will assure primary schools that the current student/teacher ratio will remain a constant of any set period of time, in view of the fact that this information will be a determining factor in small rural schools deciding if it is advisable to amalgamate with neighbouring small schools. [24878/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on my Department's website. The key factor for 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 relevant appointment and retention figures for mainstream staffing for the coming school year have been published on the Department's website in Primary Circular 0007/2012.

There is no increase in the staffing schedule general average of 28:1 for the allocation of classroom teachers at primary level. However, there is a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. As part of the Budget decisions announced, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a teaching post in small primary schools will be gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. The schools concerned are those with four or less classroom teachers.

The primary staffing circular also sets out the thresholds that will be required for those schools up to the 2014-15 school year. If amalgamations take place, they will be voluntary and follow decisions taken by local communities and by the school patron and not by my Department. This Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. However, this does not mean that small schools can stand still or never have their staffing levels changed to something that is more affordable and sustainable for these difficult and challenging times.