Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 184: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the steps she will take to address class size at primary school level; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a requirement for an additional 700 teachers to reduce the class size from 29 to 25; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9837/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The system for allocating teachers to primary schools is based on ensuring an overall maximum class of 29 in each class. Where some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is generally it has been decided at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes.

Significant improvements have been made in this area in recent years. 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 posts have been used to reduce class sizes, tackle educational disadvantage and 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.

In line with Government policy, my Department will continue to provide further reductions in the pupil teacher ratio within available resources and subject to spending priorities within the education sector. Priority will be given to pupils with special needs, those from disadvantaged areas and those in junior classes.