Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

Multi-grade classes are the norm in the majority of primary schools which are small schools that have four teachers or fewer. There is no evidence that being taught in a multi-grade setting is to the detriment of the child. The opposite is the case. Perhaps more principals should consider multi-grade classes where they are in the best interests of pupils who might otherwise find themselves in large classes. During this debate, we will not hear of the small rural schools that have only two or three teachers, the island schools where there is only one teacher or the very disadvantaged schools, to which I will return.

The Government accepts that smaller class sizes at junior level can make a difference. That is why we have reduced and will continue to reduce class sizes in our primary schools. However, there is considerable evidence to show reductions in class size must be accompanied by a change in teaching styles to achieve all the benefits. Teacher quality and the work the teacher is doing in the classroom are even more significant than the size of the class. The two go hand in hand.

For my part, I have prioritised increased investment in teacher professional development to ensure teachers get the ongoing training they need to stay at the top of their game and maintain the high quality we have at present. My Department has also conducted and commissioned excellent research, such as the recent report on reading levels in our schools, which provides invaluable information and guidance for teachers on practical ways to improve outcomes for pupils. Examples of best practice in a range of curriculum areas have been sent to schools and new support services have been set up to assist them. I am committed to ensuring the highest quality of education in our schools. I know all partners will work with me to ensure that this is the case, as we continue to increase the numbers of teachers in our schools.

The Private Members' motion also refers to class sizes in disadvantaged schools. I am happy to inform the House there are now in the region of 50,000 primary school children from disadvantaged areas in classes of 15 or 20 at junior level and 20 or 24 at senior level. The number of children benefiting from smaller classes was expanded with the introduction of the DEIS action plan. This plan was an independent, objective process based on information provided by schools. Teacher numbers is only one factor that impacts on children's achievement. For this reason, smaller classes is just one of the many different types of extra support being provided under DEIS.

Anybody who thinks that simply reducing the sizes of classes in disadvantaged areas is all that is needed to improve outcomes does not understand the nature of educational disadvantage and the multifaceted approach needed to tackle it. It is because the Government understands all the different factors involved that we have ensured that, in addition to smaller classes, children in primary schools serving the most disadvantaged communities are also benefiting from special literacy and numeracy programmes with intensive extra tuition to help pupils with difficulties at an early stage. In addition, after-school and holiday time supports, including homework clubs and summer camps, are provided. Extra funding has also been provided for school book schemes and school meals.

We are also conscious of the positive impact working with parents in disadvantaged areas can have on children's progress. Accordingly, the home-school-community liaison scheme has been extended. New teachers have been recruited for that scheme and a new family literacy initiative is being developed in co-operation with the National Adult Literacy Agency and other partners. We believe this comprehensive package of extra support for children and their parents will improve attainment levels in disadvantaged areas.

We know the scale of the challenges facing children and young people in disadvantaged areas but we are confident they can be overcome. Even before the DEIS plan was put in place, there was evidence that the extra investment targeted at disadvantaged areas by this Government between 1997 and 2005 made a difference. By 2005, 85.8% of Irish 20 to 24 year olds had attained upper second level education or equivalent, up from 82.6% in 2000. This has put Ireland considerably ahead of the EU average of 77.5%.

This progress is reflected in the fact that the number of young people from areas such as Finglas, Ballymun and the inner city going to third level doubled between 1998 and 2004. I accept we need to do much more to improve educational outcomes in disadvantaged areas, which we are doing under DEIS, but the progress made in recent years should be acknowledged.

I am sure Deputies will be pleased to hear there is now one teacher for every 13 students at second level, down from one for 16 in 1997. As Deputies are aware, schools are accorded a considerable local discretion in the way in which they organise matters of subject choice, teacher allocation and class size. That naturally leads to variations in the size of classes, with some being very small where not many students opt for a subject or level. The most recent edition of the OECD report Education at a Glance gave an indication of how the size of second level classes in Ireland compared with those in other OECD countries in the 2003-04 school year. The report found that the average class size at junior cycle in Ireland was, at 19.8, considerably lower than the OECD average of 23.8. While it is for school principals to decide how they organise their classes, it is clear that in the last year for which comparative data are available our second level class sizes compared well with those in other OECD states.

The motion before the House this evening also refers to special education, another area in which major progress has been made by the Government. It is the improvement in supports for children with special needs in recent years of which I am most proud. There is no doubt that the record of the State over decades in providing for children with special needs was very poor and that we are still playing catch-up. However, significant advances have been made, improving the lives of many children with special needs and their families.

There are now 15,000 adults in our mainstream primary schools working solely with children with special needs, compared with a fraction of that number a few years ago. As well as providing for substantial increases in staff, we have also improved procedures for accessing extra support. A guaranteed allocation of resource teaching hours has been made to all primary schools, replacing the need for an individual assessment for each child. That was never promised and never part of any programme for Government.

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