Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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600. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated annual cost of providing an additional assistant principal 1 post to 1,761 mainstream primary schools, for the academic school year 2025-2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24107/25]

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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601. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated annual cost of providing an assistant principal 2 post to each 1,116 mainstream primary schools, for the academic school year 2025-2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24108/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 600 and 601 together.

I recognise the key role school leadership in improving educational outcomes by creating a positive school climate and environment as well as motivating and empowering educators and learners within their school communities.

The Sectoral Bargaining process under Building Momentum for the primary sector has been used to increase posts of responsibility (POR) in primary and special schools by 1,450 posts.

The last two budgets have provided for an additional 1000 posts of responsibility at primary level. 500 AP II posts were allocated to primary schools in the 2024/25 school year. For the 2025/26 school year, the equivalent of 500 AP II posts is being distributed as 110 AP I and 251 AP II for the purposes of fully restoring all PORs in primary schools. A revised Post of Responsibility Schedule issued to schools last month to reflect this increase in posts of responsibility available to schools for the coming school year.

The current annual rates for Assistant Principal I and Assistant Principal II posts are €10,377 and €4,591 respectively.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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602. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of recognised primary schools in the State with four or fewer mainstream class-teaching posts, for the academic school year 2025-2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24109/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Small schools have benefitted from the recent improvements in the staffing schedule which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. A three point reduction in the retention schedule assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts.

Specific measures aimed at small schools include reduced enrolment thresholds where a school is 8km or more away from the nearest school of the same type of patronage/language of instruction and a specific staffing appeal criteria aimed at small schools which allows the school to appoint/retain a teacher on the basis of current enrolment rather than the previous 30 September. In addition, sole primary schools on our islands have a second classroom teacher allocated, regardless of enrolment.

The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains extensive data in relation to our schools including information on the number of classes in each school. The latest statistics available are for the 2023/24 school year and show that there were 1281 schools with four classes or less in that year. Information on the current school year will be published in the summer.

The allocation process for the 2025/26 school year is currently underway and will not be finalised until the Autumn, when the staffing appeal and projected enrolment processes have been completed.

Eoghan Kenny (Cork North-Central, Labour)
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603. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated annual cost of deploying a part-time for 20 hours per week cluster administration officer, based on the current executive officer salary scale, first point, to serve clusters of five such small schools, for the academic school year 2025-2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24110/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government provides for a number of measures to support small schools, including trialling new administrative supports. The Government is very aware that small schools are an important part of the life of local communities.

The small school’s project is an innovative project which aims to encourage small schools to cluster together in local groups, enabling them to collaborate and identify common challenges and trial innovative solutions.

As part of the project, two new administrative supports are being trialled. Recruitment is currently underway. The estimated annual cost of deploying a part-time schools executive officer for 20 hours per week, based on the first point of the current executive officer salary scale is €23,617.

My department is also looking more widely at the issue of school leadership and governance both at primary and post-primary level, to better support all school leaders and school communities. This work will build on and complement the work of the small schools’ project.