I wish to raise the issue of St. Francis Junior National School as it is set to lose one of its mainstream teachers because it was short one pupil. One teacher is going to be lost because of the lack of one single pupil. This is ridiculous, bureaucratic, box-ticking nonsense. The school appealed this decision and, in turn, that appeal was refused. It is frustrating to engage with the Department. In fact, the issue with the Department is that it does not engage but rather stonewalls any request for movement. It is important that we make it clear who will suffer here. Ultimately, it is going to be the children of the school who will be impacted by this ridiculous decision. St. Francis Junior National School is not only a DEIS school but recently got DEIS plus status. It caters for a community with social and economic challenges. Many of the children attending the school have complex needs and have not attended any sort of preschool. The school and its teachers catch any sign of relevant needs-----

Sentiment score: -0.18

We have given the school DEIS plus status and the decision to remove one teacher from it is a policy contradiction in itself. It is utterly ridiculous. I have found since I have been elected to this House that the Department of Education and Youth has been relying on circular this, circular that and circular the other. We are constrained and what is missing is common sense and practicality. It has to be reversed.

Sentiment score: -0.21