Vol. 399 No. 8
132 Mr. Bradford asked the Minister for Education if she will respond to a letter (details supplied) which she received recently from the Board of Management of the Presentation primary school, Mitchelstown, County Cork, seeking the appointment of a concessionary teacher for the school year 1990-91.
The staffing of national schools for a particular year is determined by the enrolment in the school on the 30 September of the previous year. This is in accordance with the agreement between the Government and the INTO under the Programme for National Recovery. As the enrolment at Presentation primary school, Mitchelstown was 386 on 30 September 1989, the authorised staffing for the 1990-91 school year is principal plus 11 assistants. The 12th assistant at the school was, therefore, placed on the Cloyne diocesan panel for redeployment from the 1 September 1990.
All the resources available for the special scheme of teaching assistance for schools requesting a concessionary teacher on grounds of disadvantage have been allocated. Accordingly, I am not in a position to consider requests for the inclusion of additional schools in the scheme.
If the school is in breach of maximum class guidelines in September, it is possible for the school's board of management to apply to the Department for an additional teacher, at that stage.
