The staffing of a primary school for a particular school year is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. This is in accordance with guidelines agreed between my Department and the education partners. The staffing schedule is structured to ensure that all primary schools will operate to an average mainstream class size of 29 pupils. School authorities should ensure that there is an equitable distribution of pupils in mainstream classes and that the differential between the largest and the smallest classes is kept to a minimum.
The school referred to by the Deputy has had a staffing of a principal plus ten mainstream class teachers since the 2000-02 school year. It also has the service of two learning support teachers, one special class teacher, two resource teachers, one home school liaison teacher and one early start teacher. There are no proposed changes to these posts for the coming school year.
The enrolment on 30 September 2003 entitles the school to a staffing of a principal plus nine mainstream class teachers for the 2004-05 school year. However, on the basis of the projected enrolment for 30 September 2004, provisional sanction to retain the tenth mainstream post under developing school status was given by my Department to the board of management on 20 May 2004, subject to the projected enrolment being achieved on 30 September 2004.
To ensure openness and transparency in the system, an independent appeals board is now in place to decide on any appeals on mainstream staffing. Details of the appeals procedure are outlined in Department circular 03/04.
The school was prioritised under the urban dimension of Giving Children an Even Break, GCEB, which was introduced in 2001. Schools prioritised under GCEB are in receipt of a range of additional supports including teacher posts and other non-teaching supports to be targeted at disadvantaged pupils. The types of additional supports provided reflect the level of concentration of pupils from educationally disadvantaged backgrounds in each school invited to participate.
The school in question is not eligible for additional teaching staff, based on the level of concentration of at risk pupils in the school. However, the school benefits from the allocation of supplementary grant aid towards providing additional educational supports for the children concerned.
My Department is currently finalising a review of educational disadvantage schemes, which will impact on existing schemes. I will be making an announcement in this regard once it has been completed.
