Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 January 2013
245. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the lack of supports available to small schools attempting to amalgamate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2725/13]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the initiative for an amalgamation may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, Board of Management and in particular, the Patron. The decision making authority for any amalgamation belongs to the Patron of a school, subject to the approval of the Minister for Education and Skills.
The Deputy will also be aware that the staffing arrangements in small primary schools are considerably more favourable that other medium to larger schools, consequently, it is important to retain a sense of perspective and balance when discussing this matter. For example, a two teacher school with 32 pupils has an average class size of 1 teacher for sixteen pupils. In contrast, a typical ten teacher school with 272 pupils has an average class size of 27.2 pupils.
The numbers of pupils in these schools is relatively small, so it is not necessarily the case that capital investment would be needed to support amalgamation. However, each case is assessed on an individual basis to determine the extent and type of accommodation required taking into account the condition of buildings, site capacity etc. My Department would discuss any issues arising with the boards of management of the schools and would aim to provide an appropriate accommodation solution subject to available resources.
