A new value for money report soon to be published by the Department of Education clouds doubt over the future of small rural schools.

According to the Sunday Business Post, the report will recommend that primary schools should have four teachers and 80 pupils, in order to balance numbers and quality outcomes. 

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Education says the report's findings did not mean it would be Government policy to close schools with fewer then four teachers. 

There are currently 600 two teacher schools in the country. 

The findings of this report comes as the traditional Easter teaching union conferences begin tomorrow.