Twelve Mayo rural schools identified as being at risk of closure
The INTO is calling on families in affected communities to contact their local TDs and public representatives as part of its wider Budget 2027 campaign.
Parents, guardians and grandparents across Mayo are being urged to make their voices heard amid concerns over the future of rural primary schools in the county.
The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) has identified 12 schools in Mayo which it says are at risk of closure, based on pupil enrolment figures from last year.
The union says at least 15 rural schools have closed nationwide over the past year, while 75 small rural schools across the country are currently considered to be under severe threat of closure.
The INTO analysis is based on figures from the Department of Education and Youth which track schools with fewer than 16 pupils.
INTO President Brendan Horan is now calling on families in affected communities to contact their local TDs and public representatives.
The union has launched an ‘Email Your TD’ campaign, which allows members of the public to send an email to their representatives in around a minute.
The campaign forms part of the INTO's wider Budget 2027 campaign, which is calling for 1,000 additional primary teachers and €20 million in Government investment for primary and special education.
Concerns over rural school staffing
Mr Horan said the enrolment threshold for teacher allocations can put small rural schools in an increasingly vulnerable position as pupil numbers fall.
“As the allocation of teachers depends on the number of pupils, when enrolment declines to 16 or less pupils it becomes a really critical situation for a school,” he said.
“The small rural school creeps closer to losing its second classroom teacher and overnight questions arise about its future viability.”
He criticised what he described as the Department of Education and Youth's approach to teacher allocations, arguing that the system does not take into account the wider role rural schools play within their communities.
“Frankly, the Department of Education and Youth applies a ruthless and clinical formula which takes no account of the importance of a local primary school in a small rural community,” Mr Horan said.
He added that schools, pupils and teachers are “so often the heart and soul” of rural communities.
The INTO has said it is not naming the Mayo schools identified in its analysis at this stage, out of respect for staff and parents, unless individual schools have already spoken publicly about the issue.
Mr Horan said the statistics are known among the schools affected.
Call for Government action
The union says the Government's failure over the last three Budgets to reduce the pupil enrolment figures required for schools to retain teachers has contributed to the pressure facing small rural schools.
The INTO is seeking €20 million in Budget 2027 funding to address staffing and other issues across primary and special education.
Mr Horan also criticised Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton over comments she recently made about the importance of rural schools.
Speaking at Coláiste Bhríde in Carnew, Wicklow, Minister Naughton described rural schools as places where communities can come together, friendships are formed, and a strong sense of belonging is fostered.
Mr Horan questioned how that commitment is reflected in the Government's approach to rural school staffing.
Concerns over mainstream teacher numbers
The INTO has also raised concerns over the wider reduction in mainstream primary teacher numbers.
According to the union, the number of mainstream class teachers has fallen by more than 900 since August 2024.
Mr Horan said reductions in mainstream staffing can have consequences for children with additional educational needs, the majority of whom attend mainstream schools rather than special schools.
He said many mainstream schools have also experienced reductions in their allocation of Special Education Teachers (SETs).
The INTO President acknowledged calls from Fórsa for additional Special Needs Assistants (SNAs), but argued that increased SNA recruitment should not come at the expense of teaching posts.
“It should not be a binary ‘either/or’ choice,” he said.
“The Government is robbing Peter to pay Paul. It is our pupils and their families who are ultimately getting short-changed.”
Mr Horan is now urging Mayo families to contact their local representatives ahead of Budget 2027.
“We must halt the cull of mainstream teachers and protect our schools,” he said.
“Please use our email tool and raise your voice with TDs.”