Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The most recent data on primary school class sizes available to my Department relate to the 2004-05 school year and is provided in the accompanying table. These figures are provisional and do not include details of pupils in special schools or pupils in special classes in ordinary schools.

Significant improvements have been made in the pupil-teacher ratio and in average class size in recent years at primary level. The most recent figure available for average class size at primary level refers to the 2003-2004 school year, when the average class size was 23.9, down from 26.6 in 1996-97. The pupil teacher ratio at primary level, which includes all the teachers including resource teachers, has fallen from 22.2:1 in the 1996-1997 school year to 17.1:1, projected, in 2004-2005.

Over 4,500 additional teachers have been employed in our primary schools since 1997. In allocating teaching posts regard is given to the commitments of the Government to reduce class size, tackle educational disadvantage and provide additional resources for pupils with special educational needs. The additional teaching posts created since 1997 have been deployed to address all of these priorities.

There are now over 5,000 teachers in our primary schools working directly with children with special needs, including those requiring learning support. This compares to under 1,500 in 1998. Indeed, one out of every five primary school teachers is now working specifically with children with special needs.

I recently launched a new action plan for educational inclusion, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, DEIS. This action plan will result in the reduction in class sizes of 24:1 at senior level and 20:1 at junior level in 150 primary schools serving communities with the highest concentrations of disadvantage.

In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, class sizes will be reduced still further. The deployment of additional posts will be decided within the context of the policy that priority will be given to pupils with special needs, those from disadvantaged areas and junior classes.

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 276: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her strategies to tackle class size in primary schools. [31110/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The general rule is that schools are staffed on the basis of having a maximum class size across the school of 29. Where some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is often because a decision has been taken at local level to use the teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes.

Major improvements in school staffing have been made in recent years with the hiring of more than 4,500 additional teachers. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. The annual estimated value of the additional expenditure on these posts is over €200 million.

In 1996-1997, the average class size in our primary schools was 27. It is now 24. In 1996-97 there was one teacher for every 22 children in our primary schools. Today there is one teacher for every 17 children, the lowest pupil teacher ratio in the history of the State.

Aside from decreasing average class size, the unprecedented increase in school staffing in recent years has also greatly improved the services provided for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas.

While there is more to be done to reduce class sizes further, it should be acknowledged that much progress has been made in this area in recent years. Under the new action plan for tackling education disadvantage which I launched last May, more children in disadvantaged schools will be in classes of 20 in the current school year.

While the average class size nationally has been brought down to 24, I am committed, in line with Government policy, to delivering further reductions in class sizes for children under nine. In achieving the Government target on smaller class sizes priority must, in the first instance, be given to children with special needs and those in disadvantaged areas.