Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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487. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the student-teacher ratio at a school (details supplied) in County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36447/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Department of Education and Skills Circular 0007/2014 sets out the criteria for the allocation of teaching posts to primary schools for the 2014/2015 school year. 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 Staffing arrangements for primary schools includes the provision where schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional classroom posts on developing grounds. Donaghpatrick National Schools has been provisionally approved for 1 developing classroom post based on the projected enrolment of 125 pupils provided by the school. This post will be substantiated if the school reaches a minimum of 123 pupils enrolled on the 30 September, 2014. If substantiated, this will bring the total classroom teaching posts in the school to five.

The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria, including developing grounds, to an independent Appeals Board.

In addition, the staffing appeals process at primary level has been extended to allow schools that are not gaining an additional teaching post under the developing schools criterion to submit an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. This appeal criterion is targeted at those schools that make a significant contribution to the provision of school places and so assist the response to demographic growth within their area and, as a result, are under significant pressure on their class sizes at infants level. Circular 0007/2014 provides details for schools wishing to make an appeal.

Donaghpatrick National School submitted an appeal to the February, 2014 meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board under this new criterion – alleviating some of the pressures on class sizes. The Appeal Board considered the application on 26 February 2014 and determined that the application did not satisfy all of the published criteria as set out in circular 0007/2014.

The next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board will be held in October, 2014. The closing date for schools to submit an appeal application to the Department's Primary Allocations Section is Friday 3 October, 2014.