Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for tabling this question. Under budget 2012, there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in primary schools that have 86 or fewer pupils.

The Department's published statistics show that there were 1,532 schools, or 48% of all primary schools, with fewer than five mainstream teachers. Such schools would have up to 114 pupils. One hundred and twenty-five schools were due to lose a classroom post as a result of the budget 2012 measure, and this was reduced to 79 schools following the appeals process. That would probably have indicated, in most cases, that there was due to be an increase in population rather than a decrease. The average class size in these 79 schools is currently 21.3 pupils. This compares with the national average of 24.7 pupils. A further 42 schools did not gain a classroom post as a result of the 2012 budget measure.

The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities and will continue to be so.

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