As the Deputy will be aware, the staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is finalised for a particular year following discussions with the education partners. The guidelines can only be deviated from where a school experiences rapid growth in its enrolment. In such cases, an additional post, referred to as a developing school post, may be sanctioned occasionally where the projected enrolment at 30 September of the school year in question equals or exceeds a specified figure. If the specified figure is not achieved on 30 September, sanction for the post is withdrawn.
The staffing schedule is structured to ensure that all primary schools will operate to an average mainstream class size of 29 pupils. School authorities should ensure that there is an equitable distribution of pupils in mainstream classes and that the differential between the largest and the smallest classes is kept to a minimum.
The mainstream staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for the current school year is a principal and five mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 155 pupils on 30 September 2003. The school was also granted a developing post for the 2004-05 school year on the basis of a projected enrolment of 180 pupils. In addition, the school has a resource post and a language support post.
According to data submitted to my Department by the board of management the enrolment on 30 September 2004 was 180 pupils. The staffing for the 2005-06 school year will be determined on the basis of this figure in accordance with the agreed staffing schedule which is expected to be notified to boards of management in February-March 2005.
With regard to the proposed building project for the school in question, this has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, which were revised following consultation with the education partners and its progress is being considered in the context of the 2005 school building programme.
The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced the first phase of the 2005 school building programme which provided details of 122 major school building projects countrywide which will prepare tenders and move to construction during 2005. This announcement is the first in a series of announcements I plan to make in the coming period on the schools building and modernisation programme that will include details of schools identified as suitable for construction under public private partnerships; an expansion of the number of schools that will be invited to deliver their building projects on the basis of devolved funding; details of schools with projects approved under the 2005 summer works scheme; schools whose projects will further progress through the design process; and schools that will be authorised to commence architectural planning.