Review of smaller schools due in months

THE VALUE-for-money review of small primary schools is expected to be published within the next two months, Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn has said.

He added that it would cover approximately 600 schools with 50 pupils or less.

“The review will examine the location of small schools relative to each other and to other schools of a similar type. It will also consider the cost of running small schools and the educational outcomes associated with them.’’

Mr Quinn said the needs of local communities and wider social and cultural factors would also be considered.

The Minister was responding to a Fianna Fáil Private Members’ motion condemning cutbacks in small schools.

Mr Quinn said there were situations where schools might, of their own choosing, decide to amalgamate as many had done in the past with good outcomes. He urged communities “to have conversations’’ about whether that was possible or appropriate.

His department, he said, would be available to engage with all schools and communities wishing to make proposals about potential amalgamations or other arrangements. It was open to considering any workable proposals which would bring about greater efficiencies in small schools.

However, Mr Quinn said it was not sustainable for the department to provide a second classroom teacher for a school with 12 pupils.

Fianna Fáil spokesman on education Brendan Smith said the protection of small rural schools was a critical issue for his party given that the budget had unfairly targeted rural communities.

He added that the Government’s plans to introduce phased staff cuts in small schools with under five teachers was a cause of very serious concern in many local communities.

“The programme for government gave a clear commitment to protect frontline services. By anyone’s definition the classroom teacher is providing a frontline service.’’

He said everybody in public life should understand the role of small schools. “It is true that we have an unusually high number of primary schools in proportion to our population. This is the result of many factors, the most important of which is the fact that our national schools have always played the role of being a focal point in a local community.’’

He said where other countries took the approach of busing children long distances to meet idealised efficiency standards, Ireland had retained the community school link as a core feature.