A national decline in enrolment at primary school level is having a strong impact across the system.
On Friday, primary schools closed for the summer holidays, but a small number of them have also officially closed forever, including five rural schools in Donegal, May, Roscommon and Waterford, with the Department of Education informed of these closures.
It is also likely that other schools are set to follow suit, a decision which has been made by their local patron, but the department has yet to be notified. Reports in RTÉ have also suggested that other small rural schools are on the brink of permanent closure.
This fall in enrolment is also affecting the future of many primary teachers across the country, with provisional figures showing that 381 primary teaching posts are set to disappear in September 2026.
It was reported that primary school enrolment had fallen by 6,700 annually.
This has had an impact on the configurations for class numbers of next year, with three class streams merged into two in some cases, meaning that children who were in a previous class of 24 pupils or less, will be in a class with 30 or more when they return in September. Each year, teachers are allocated on the basis of the number of students they had the year before.
The national enrolment is also affected by the ongoing housing crisis in Dublin, with young families being pushed out, as they are largely unable to rent or buy in the city.
The Department of Education shared provisional data with primary teacher's union, the Irish National Teachers' Organisation, which has suggested that 498 teaching posts are being suppressed this coming September, meaning the loss of 498 classrooms and 498 instances where two current classes will need to be merged together, or three classes into two in order to make up for the shortfall.
Other schools will see additional teaching posts created as a result.
It has been calculated that the overall provisional reduction stands at 381 class teacher posts.
One school affected is Stepaside Educate Together, which saw a decline in student enrolment for the first time, losing two teachers as a result.
Following this, the school has decided to merge three classes into two across junior and senior infant years. Classes of 25 pupils or less are to be replaced with classes which will be significantly larger.
