Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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136. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a stay will be put for the rest of the academic year on a school (details supplied) due to the loss of a teacher. [35663/20]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. 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, 2019.

The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of school equally.

The staffing arrangements include an appeals mechanism for schools to appeal their staffing allocation under published criteria on the basis of projected enrolments for September 2020. The school referred to by the Deputy was provisionally approved a teaching post on appeal as the school projected an increase in enrolments. The actual enrolment of the school on 30th September 2020 was less than the enrolment in September 2019 and the teaching post was suppressed at the end of October.

The school appealed the suppression of the post to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board which refused the appeal on the basis that the grounds of the appeal does not warrant the allocation of an additional post under the published staffing arrangements.

The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.