Mr. Hubert Loftus:

I thank the Chairman and members for the opportunity to address the committee. Today we are discussing the impact of the increase in pupil-teacher ratios on small primary schools, as well as issues relating to the costs and funding in such schools.

At the outset it is important to note the Department of Education and Skills, similar to all other Departments, is operating in the context of a budgetary programme that is designed to put the public finances on a sustainable footing. It is particularly challenging to achieve savings in the education sector given the ongoing and significant increases in demographic trends across all levels. For example, at primary level pupil numbers have increased by more than 27,000 in the past four years and further significant increases are projected over the coming years into the medium term.

The criteria used to allocate teachers to primary schools are published annually on the Department's website and are commonly referred to as the staffing schedule. The staffing schedule for the 2013-14 school year has been provided in the briefing material for committee members. The staffing schedule operates on the basis of enrolment bands and does so in a clear and transparent manner. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of one classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS band 1 schools.

The staffing schedule gives significant advantages to small primary schools. For example, a two-classroom teacher school with 24 pupils has an average class size of 12 pupils. In contrast, a typical ten-classroom teacher school with 272 pupils has an average class size of more than 27 pupils. One of the savings measures in budget 2012 was a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. The impact of the budget measure means that the staffing levels in small primary schools will no longer be as favourable as they were previously but they will still be better than the staffing schedule general average of 28:1 that operates in medium to larger schools.

A new staffing appeals process for small schools was introduced as part of the budget 2012 measure. This enables small schools that are due to lose a classroom post as a result of the budget measure to retain the classroom post on the basis of then-projected enrolments. The impact of the budget measure on small schools in September 2012 was 64 posts. This figure includes the 44 schools that lost a classroom post and the 20 schools with increasing enrolments that did not gain a classroom post as a result of the increased pupil thresholds outlined in the budget measure.

In regard to costs and funding, the Department recognises the challenges faced by schools. Energy costs are a significant area of expenditure. The Department is at the forefront of design for school buildings in respect of sustainable energy efficiency. The capital investment of almost €3 billion at primary level during the past decade has transformed the standard of accommodation in primary schools throughout the country thus helping to reduce operating costs. The Department also provides guidance to schools on practices in terms of how to improve energy usage with a view to reducing school operating costs and helping the environment.

The Government has recently appointed a new chief procurement officer for the public sector and the Department is co-ordinating procurement reform across the education and training sector. In that context, the Department is consulting school management bodies on the best way to enhance procurement processes for the sector in order to achieve savings for individual schools.

The two main grants that are provided to primary schools for day-to-day running costs are known as the capitation and ancillary grants.