Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 January 2014
63. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans with regard to allowing extra staff for schools with large infant intakes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4744/14]
View answerI am conscious that there are some schools that have a significant increase in their junior infant enrolments but are not growing rapidly enough to benefit from posts under the developing schools criteria. I want to alleviate some of the pressure on these schools by adding a bit of flexibility to the developing schools criteria. In this regard the staffing appeals process has been extended to include a new appeals criterion for those schools that make a significant contribution to the provision of school places which assists the response to demographic growth within their area and as a result are under significant pressure on their class sizes at infants level. Each application to the Appeals Board will be considered on its merits. The Appeals Board will assess whether, in its opinion, the school is deploying all its mainstream classroom teachers in an appropriate manner. The Appeals Board will prioritise those schools that, in its opinion, are under greatest pressure on their class sizes at infants level as a result of their increasing enrolments of junior infants. Any posts granted by the Appeals Board will be allocated on a provisional basis pending confirmation of actual enrolments on 30 September 2014. The operation of this new appeals criteria will be reviewed in Autumn 2014 as part of the Department's regular consultations with the relevant education partners.The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2014/15 school year, including the details on the aforementioned new appeals criterion, are set out in Department Circular 0007/2014 that was published on Friday 24 January.
