194. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Youth to report on the loss of a teacher at a school (details provided) which will result in four classes being amalgamated into three; their view regarding the suitability of a September cutoff date for enrolment figures regarding teacher numbers for the following academic year which disregard any subsequent enrolments; if she is concerned that the resulting classes will be of 29 and 30 students and in direct contradiction of the Programme for Government commitment to reduce class sizes to 19:1; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44762/26]

Teaching allocations are determined by the enrolment of the school on the previous 30 September. This process enables the Department to have in place the necessary measures to assess the accuracy of returns and thereby strengthen the integrity of the resource allocation process and the equitable treatment of schools, whilst ensuring that publicly funded resources are properly allocated.

The staffing arrangements for the 2026/27 school year are set out in Circular 0025/2026. That circular contains information and application forms on the staffing appeals process, where schools may appeal their staffing allocation to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board, including one for schools that had additional enrolments in October. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. The Department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account (e.g. classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment etc.).