Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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355. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the status of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16303/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie.

The circular sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and also the improved appointment and retention thresholds for isolated one-teacher schools.

The Deputy will be aware that the school to which he refers is not in the same position as other island schools that are only accessible by boat or by helicopter/aeroplane. The particular staffing arrangements for island schools that are set out in the published Department Circular 0005/2015 are designed to reflect the isolated nature of an island school that is only accessible by boat or by helicopter/aeroplane and the operational and practical difficulties that this can create for the school and, in particular, the availability of teaching staff. These circumstances do not apply to the school referred to by the Deputy.

In the current school year this school has an enrolment of 58 pupils and has 3 classroom teachers (including the Teaching Principal). The number of classroom teachers is not due to change for the 2015/16 school year. The school is also the base for a shared GAM/EAL (learning/language) support post with a school on the mainland.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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356. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the threshold for the allocation and retention of a third classroom teacher in an island primary school, the only school on the island; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16304/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie. Section 1 of the circular sets out the retention arrangements for Island Schools in the event that a reduction in the pupil numbers of an island school will result in the loss of the second or third classroom teaching post and where the school is the only primary school remaining on the island.

The circular also sets out the improvements to the staffing schedule for the 2015/16 school year for small schools. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and also the improved appointment and retention thresholds for isolated one-teacher schools.

An appeals process is also available to small schools. Details of the appeals criteria are set out in the published staffing arrangements. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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357. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position in schools in relation to job-sharing, where some teachers are allowed to job share even when their school is over quota but some schools will not permit this; her views on whether this situation is particularly difficult for female teachers with young children; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16305/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In accordance with these rules each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects offered and ultimately the quality of teaching and learning are in the first instance a matter for the school management authorities. The staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year are available on the Department website. The decision to approve a job-sharing application is a matter for the authorities of the employing school.

In schools that have over-quota teachers, applications for job-sharing may be considered by the authorities of the schools concerned in the normal way. However if the school is over its staffing allocation the established rules do not allow for the automatic replacement of teachers approved for job-share arrangements. It is, of course, open to the school authority to apply to my Department for additional teaching hours by way of curricular concessions to cover part or all of the hours in respect of an approved job-sharing post. Each such application is considered on its merits.

This position is no different from that pertaining in previous years.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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358. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers hired by schools at primary and secondary level from 1 September 2014 to 31 December 2014; the number of these hired for a period of five days or less; more than five days; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16321/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The most recent information available on retired teachers employed by managerial authorities of schools relates to the 2013/2014 school year.

A total of 537 retired teachers were employed during the 2013/14 school year: 302 retired Primary teachers and 235 retired Voluntary Secondary and Community and Comprehensive teachers. Thirty eight percent of those teachers worked the equivalent of 5 days or less during the entire school year.

The employment of teachers is a matter for the school management authority. The policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that school management authorities give priority to the employment of unemployed, registered and qualified teachers when filling vacant teaching posts. My Department has issued a number of circulars underpinning this policy in recent years.