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 30th September.
The school referred to by the Deputy is due to have a teaching post suppressed due to a fall in enrolments in September 2018.
The staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. It is open to Boards of Management to assess the criteria which best applies to their school and submit an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. To date, the Department has not received a staffing appeal from the school referred to by the Deputy.
Circular 0019/2019, “Staffing Arrangements in Primary Schools for the 2019/20 School Year” provides details for schools wishing to make an appeal. The next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board to consider staffing appeals for the 2019/20 school year will be held in October.