Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. The most important thing is that we continue to invest in our schools and support our teachers to be able to provide the best education possible. We know in certain settings that the fewer pupils there are, the more targeted a teacher can be and the greater attention and focus they can give to pupils. In that regard, the Government is investing a record €11.8 billion in education and schools through our budget for this year alone. I of course hope to see that figure increase in the coming budget and will work towards that.

This record level of investment has allowed the Government to invest in tackling educational disadvantage and supporting those with special educational needs to achieve their full potential. It has enabled huge investment in the school buildings programme, curriculum reform, school leadership and continuous professional development. As the Deputy said, the programme for Government commits to aim to reduce the general pupil-teacher ratio at primary level to 19:1 over the term of this Government and introduce targeted measures in schools with very large classes. This will build on the progress made by the previous Government.

The general average of pupils to teachers in the primary staffing schedule improved from 26:1 five years ago to 23:1 for the current school year. Average class sizes in primary schools have improved from 24.1 to 22.5 through the investment we have made. The Department’s primary staffing schedule is the key factor in determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level. This school year, the primary staffing schedule operates on a general average of 23 pupils to every one teacher, which is historically the lowest ever ratio of pupils to teachers at primary level. More favourable ratios were implemented for DEIS urban band 1 schools. This happened for important reasons, so that measures can be as targeted as possible for children.

The numbers employed in our schools have now reached the highest level ever. This is important if we want to continue to reduce the overall pupil-teacher ratio. Teacher numbers at primary level have increased by over 5,600 between 2018 and 2024. This has led to a steady improvement in the pupil-teacher ratio and average class size statistics during this period. I will respond further.

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