Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 1181: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if her attention has been drawn to the fact that pupils commencing fourth class in a school (details supplied) in County Kildare will be amalgamated with fifth class students and may be working from the curriculum set for fifth class level in the majority of subjects; if she will investigate this matter further; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25179/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The organisation of classes within a school is a matter for the school authorities, which may choose to amalgamate pupils from different standards where it is deemed appropriate. Multi-standard class-groupings are unavoidable in a school of less than eight mainstream class teachers, such as the school to which the Deputy refers.

The Deputy should note that, even in a class where the pupils are of the same standard, aspects of English are normally taught on an individual, group or class basis. In an amalgamated class of pupils of fourth and fifth standard, mathematics is normally taught separately to the fourth and fifth class components of the group. The amalgamation of these two standards is not unusual and it is normal practice to work on a combined basis in the remaining areas of the curriculum. In delivering the curriculum to any class the teacher will plan to meet the particular learning needs of all pupils in that class.