Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 59: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if, in view of the higher than anticipated number of teachers retiring in 2004, she will give an impact report on services, particularly class sizes and the pupil/teacher ratio following these retirements. [7753/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Each year my Department decides on the number of places to be provided on the teacher training programmes, both in respect of school leavers and postgraduate applicants, in the colleges of education, having regard to the projected demand for qualified primary teachers. Among the factors which are taken into account in arriving at the decision is the projected number of retirements.

In 2004, a large number of teachers retired. While teachers generally do not have to indicate the reason for retirement, it appears that the main reason for the substantial increase in numbers in 2004 was that many teachers, who might have otherwise retired in 2003, remained in service to benefit in retirement lump sums from the substantial pay increases due for payment in 2004. A repeat of these higher numbers retiring is not anticipated in the current year.

The total intake to the colleges of education has more than doubled since 1995/96, from 500 students in 1995/96 to 1,280 students this year. In addition, graduates of the new primary teacher training course, which is being accredited by HETAC and delivered by Hibernia College, an online third level educational company, will be recognised for the purposes of primary teaching.

The substantial increase in the number of newly trained teachers coming out of the training colleges in recent years has ensured that in addition to replacing retiring teachers, enough newly qualified teachers have been available to achieve significant reductions in the pupil teacher ratio and in class sizes. The average class size at primary level is now 23.9, down from 26.6 in 1996/97. The pupil teacher ratio, which includes all the teachers in the school including resource teachers, has fallen from 22.2:1 in the 1996/97 school year to 17.44:1 in 2003/04. Over 4,000 additional teachers have been employed in our primary schools since 1997. These additional teaching posts have been used to reduce class sizes, to tackle educational disadvantage and to provide additional resources for children with special needs.

Significantly smaller class sizes have been introduced in disadvantaged schools involved in the Giving Children an Even Break/ Breaking the Cycle programme, with approximately 47,700 pupils in 243 participating schools availing of reduced class sizes of either 15 or 20 pupils per class.