Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 May 2026
549. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if the Revised Estimates include any specific ring-fenced funding to support small rural schools facing enrolment pressures or potential closure; if she will commit to protecting the viability of rural schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39003/26]
View answerThe Government understands and recognises the value that small schools play in their communities and wishes to support schools to continue in this important role.
Delivering on the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a new national small schools’ project for all small primary schools, of which there are approximately 1,300, is an important element of achieving this aim.
The pilot small schools project has run since 2021 providing an opportunity for 26 small schools in six clusters to trial new ideas to support the sustainability of small schools in the longer term.
To date the department has provided funding through an innovation fund that has cost €195,000 towards the pilot. Other associated costs such as substitutional cover and retained posts are estimated to cost in the region of €1 million for the duration of the current pilot project.
A final evaluation of the project is commencing shortly and is expected to be completed by the year end.
This evaluation is an important feature of the pilot project, as learnings from the final evaluation will form the basis of developing a new plan to support the sustainability of small schools and to give effect to implementing the Programme for Government commitment.
The staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. This is a long-standing arrangement for allocating teaching posts to our primary schools in a fair and equitable way based on their respective enrolment. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally, irrespective of location.
Schools are currently allocated mainstream teaching posts on an average basis of 23 pupils for every one teacher. This is the lowest ratio level ever seen.
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.
It is acknowledged that, overall, the number of children enrolled in primary schools across the country is declining, although some areas experiencing population growth remain exceptions to this trend. This demographic change has implications for teacher numbers at school level.
In 2015, teachers were allocated to primary schools at a general average of 28 pupils for every one teacher. In the same 10 year period, average class sizes in primary schools have improved from 24.9 to 22.2 and the pupil : teacher ratio shows the ratio of pupils to teachers improve from 16:1 to 12.8:1.
In addition to the reductions in the teacher allocation ratio, a three-point reduction in the retention schedule, which was introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts.
In the case of small schools, the schedule provides particularly favourable retention thresholds. For example, a small school may retain it's second mainstream teaching post with as few as 11 pupils, it's third post at 45 pupils, and it's fourth post at 75 pupils.
