The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. However, this does not mean that small schools can stand still or never have their staffing levels changed to something that is more affordable and sustainable for the challenging times the country has faced in recent years. The staffing schedule at primary level disproportionally benefits small primary schools. For that reason, as part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools was gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. Even when all of these phased increases are implemented, the threshold for small schools will still be significantly lower than the minimum of 28 pupils that was required for the appointment of the second teacher in schools prior to the mid-1990s. An appeals process is available to small schools affected by this budget change. A school with four classroom teachers or less which is losing a teacher or failed to gain an additional teacher as a result of the Budget 2012 measures can submit an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Details on the appeals process are made available in the published staffing schedule.
