Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)

I thank you the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise the matter of the additional teaching staff required for Urlingford national school, County Kilkenny. Urlingford national school has ten teachers, including an administrative principal, a shared learning support teacher and a full-time resource teacher. At the moment the school has seven class teachers for 196 children and eight streams, giving an average of exactly 28 children per class. However, due to the necessity to divide a class and to minimise disruption in the school, there are two mixed classes — second and third class — with 34 children and a third and fourth class with 35 children. These are real figures that belie the pupil-teacher ratio figures we regularly hear about from the Minister for Education and Science. Technically, the pupil-teacher ratio of the school could be reckoned at 19.6:1 but the reality is much different.

The parents have been in contact with all public representatives in the area to highlight this matter. The current staffing numbers mean that a school the size of Urlingford national school would need another 13 children to gain another class teacher. In light of recent announcements by the Minister for Finance in the Book of Estimates, I hope the Minister for Education and Science will give priority to dealing with this difficulty which is caused by the fact that the particular class is to be divided. The Minister will understand that lower class sizes can only be achieved in a particular way in this school.

Will the Minister take account of the particular difficulties in Urlingford national school, which have been reflected in correspondence to the Department by the parents' council? I believe that public representatives generally would appeal to the Minister for Education and Science to resolve the school's dilemma in providing the best possible education to the children of Urlingford national school.

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