A two-year research project has been launched to support small rural schools.

The project will encourage the clustering of these schools in local groups, which will enable them to collaborate and identify common challenges, and come up with solutions.

A small school is one with four mainstream teachers, or fewer, according to the Department of Education.

In Ireland, 44%of all primary schools – around 1,360 – are considered ‘small’, and are attended by 14.2% of all students.

Six project clusters will be formed – two in Galway, and one in each of Donegal, Kerry, Wicklow and Waterford, consisting of between three and five schools per cluster.

This project is being developed by a working group of school-management bodies and teachers’ unions with the Department for Education.

The clusters will be supported by part-time local coordinators sponsored by the education partners, working with a national coordinator under the guidance of a steering group.

All existing scheduled staffing levels will be secured for the duration of the project. For example, if enrolment levels fall, scheduled teaching-post numbers in the schools involved will not be reduced, according to the Department of Education.

The project will result in an evaluation and a final report, including analysis of scalability of actions undertaken.

Some examples of innovative approaches that may be taken by the clusters in the research project include:

  • Sharing teaching and learning of aspects of the curriculum, including exploring how information and communications technology (ICT) can link the cluster schools;
  • Closer collaboration between for the purposes of pupils sharing and experiencing common activities and or special educational needs (SEN) provision;
  • Considering how best to support maintenance matters such as information technology (IT) systems/services and assessing and sharing procurement and costs;
  • Exploring aspects of school leadership such as a number of schools under the management of one principal, existing supports in the system for teaching principals and the empowerment of middle leadership teams across clusters; and
  • Funding will be in place for the project’s two-year lifetime and schools will not be asked to make a financial contribution to take part.

Participating schools have been communicated with and the project will commence in the new school year.

RURAL SCHOOL