Vol. 458 No. 2
118 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the serious problem of overcrowding at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; her views on whether this situation is at variance with her Department's Circular 3/95; and if she will sanction the appointment of a third teacher immediately to alleviate the problem in the oldest primary school in Ireland. [16833/95]
I do not accept that there is overcrowding at the school to which the Deputy refers. The school's current enrolment of 61 pupils can be accomodated within the recommended guideline of 11 square feet of floor space per pupil. This guideline applies to all schools which were built prior to January 1965. Furthermore, the enrolment of the school is not in breach of a maximum class size guidelines as laid down in Circular 3/95.
The staffing of the school for the current school year consists of a principal and one assistant teacher. This allocation has been determined by reference to the school's enrolment of 54 pupils as at 30 September 1994 and is the appropriate staffing for the school. In the circumstances, there is no basis for allocating additional staffing to this school at this stage.
