Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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99. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will intervene to prevent a school (details supplied) from having its number of teachers reduced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30982/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. This is a long-standing arrangement for allocating teaching posts to our primary schools in a fair and equitable way based on their respective enrolment. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally, irrespective of location.

Schools are currently allocated mainstream teaching posts on an average basis of 23 pupils for every one teacher. This is the lowest ratio level ever seen.

In addition, there has been a three-point reduction in the retention schedule, which will assist schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. This measure helps to ensure better teacher retention in primary schools while also ensuring that fewer pupils are required to retain or recruit a teacher.

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 enrolment for St. Kevin’s Boys National School has fallen from 315 in September 2023 to 277 in September 2024. As a result of these falling enrolments the school is due to have a reduction in the number of mainstream teachers for September 2025.

The primary school staffing arrangements for the 2025/26 school year are set out in Circular 0011/2025. These arrangements contain an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The June Appeals meeting was held earlier this week and all schools that submitted an appeal will be informed of the Appeals Board decision in the coming days.

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