Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The most recent data on class size available to my Department show that in the 2004-05 school year 72,581 pupils were taught in classes of more than 30 pupils. This is less than half the number of children who were in classes of 30 plus when this Government took up office.

Major improvements in school staffing have been made in recent years with the hiring of more than 4,500 additional teachers. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. The annual estimated value of the additional expenditure on these posts is more than €200 million.

In 1996-97, the average class size in our primary schools was 27. It is now 24. In 1996-97 there was one teacher for every 22 children in our primary schools. Today there is one teacher for every 17 children, the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the history of the State. Aside from decreasing average class size, the unprecedented increase in school staffing in recent years has also greatly improved the services provided for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas. While there is more to be done to reduce class sizes further, the progress that has been made in this area in recent years should be acknowledged.

While the average class size nationally has been brought down to 24, I am committed, in line with Government policy, to delivering further reductions in class sizes for children under nine. In achieving the Government target for smaller class sizes, priority must in the first instance be given to children with special needs and those in disadvantaged areas. Under the new action plan for tackling educational disadvantage which I launched last May, more children in disadvantaged schools will be in classes of 20 in the current school year.

With regard to the number of classes of over 30 in our schools, the general rule is that schools are staffed on the basis of having a maximum class size across the school of 29. Where some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is often because a decision has been taken at local level to use the teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes. Indeed, I often find that when I examine why a particular school has a class of 35 in a particular grade, the answer is that there is another class in the same school with just 15 pupils or so. Figures on the number of children in classes of over 30 should be interpreted with caution; the average class size in a particular school can be more instructive.

The number of children in classes of over 30 has halved since this Government took office, major improvements in staffing supports for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas have been put in place and further improvements will be made in the current school year.

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