Vol. 488 No. 7
433 Mr. Farrelly asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the pupil-teacher ratio in Our Lady of Mercy primary school, Kells, County Meath; the steps, if any, he intends taking in his allocations in 1998 to improve the situation by providing extra teaching staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7333/98]
The staffing allocation of a school in any year is based on the enrolment figure at the school on 30 September of the previous year. The enrolment in the school in question on 30 September 1996 was 426 pupils. The staffing allocation of the school for the current year, based on this enrolment, consists of a principal and 15 teachers, one of whom is designated as a remedial teacher. This staffing allocation results in the school having a pupil-teacher ratio of 26.3:1 in the current school year.
No decisions have yet been taken regarding staffing allocations for primary schools for the 1998-99 school year. Any changes to the staffing situation at this school which may arise will be communicated to the school's managerial authorities.
