Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 14 May 2015
195. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the threshold number for the retention of three mainstream teachers in an offshore island school for 2015-16; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19006/15]
View answerThe staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Department Circular 0005/2015 which is available on my Department's website at www.education.gov.ie.
Section 1 of the Circular sets out the retention arrangements for Island Schools in the event that a reduction in the pupil numbers of an island school will result in the loss of the second or third classroom teaching post and where the school is the only primary school remaining on the island. The retention threshold for the third classroom teaching post is 45 pupils where the school is the only primary school remaining on the island. The particular staffing arrangements for island schools that are set out in the published Department Circular 0005/2015 are designed to reflect the isolated nature of an island school that is only accessible by sea/air and the operational and practical difficulties that this can create for the school and, in particular, the availability of teaching staff.
