Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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167. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills in relation to an urban DEIS band 1 primary school in circumstances (details supplied), what recourse is available to the school; how the school might be allocated an additional teacher; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24477/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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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. Improvements to teacher allocations in recent budgets has seen the average allocation to schools reduce to 23:1 while allocations to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools, such as the one referred to by the Deputy, now stand at an average of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively.

The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board.

The appeal submitted by the school referred to by the Deputy was refused by the Appeals Board, as the grounds of the appeal did not warrant an additional allocation. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. The Department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account (e.g. classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment etc.). Due to the recent improvements in the staffing schedule at primary level, where a school has a large class, it also generally has one or more small classes.