The Department agreed to the proposed amalgamation of Scoil Bhríde Girls and Scoil Phádraig Naofa and also the re-organisation of Presentation Primary School and St. Joseph’s CBS from the start of the school year 2018/19. The proposal was agreed subject to all 5 primary school including Scoil Oilibheir Naofa agreeing a Common Application and Enrolment Policy and having a commitment to grow naturally. The Patron also agreed to ensure that all schools will not act outside the remit of the Common Application and Enrolment Policy and on this basis, schools will not be allowed to develop at the expense of other schools.
My Department has, for the first time, introduced an objective, statistics based model for deciding which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest concentrated levels of disadvantage. My Department will be in touch with the schools concerned shortly regarding DEIS status.
The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
The criteria for the appointment of an administrative deputy principal to a school, which are enrolment related, are set out in Appendix B of Circular, 0010/2018. There is no scope to deviate from these arrangements.
The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location.
The general approach taken in cases of amalgamation is that the existing staff of the pre-amalgamation schools can remain in the newly amalgamated school. Where this results in the newly amalgamated school having more staff than that warranted by the staffing schedule, a concessionary allocation is given to the school to allow all of the teachers remain in place. The concessionary post is only retained until such time as one of the existing cohort of teachers leaves the newly amalgamated school and, as such, is not a permanent allocation but is a temporary measure to assist in the amalgamation process.
