Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary teachers in counties Cavan and Monaghan which have 30 or more children in their classes; if she has satisfied herself that a teacher can deal with classes of up to 40 and yet give sufficient individual attention to the needs of slow or weaker children; the steps she intends to take to bring about a situation where no class would be over 30; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32528/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The most recent data on class size available to my Department shows that, in the 2004-05 school year, of the 322 ordinary classes in primary schools in Cavan, 44 classes had 30 or more pupils and of the 266 ordinary classes in primary schools in Monaghan, 40 classes had 30 or more pupils.

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 1996-97, 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. The Deputy will be happy to know that the average class size in both Cavan and Monaghan was below the provisional national average in 2004-05 at 22.9 in Cavan and 23.2 in Monaghan.

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 how much progress has been made in this area in recent years. 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 the under-nines. 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. 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.

On the number of classes of over 30 in our schools, the Deputy should be aware that 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 their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes.

The Deputy has drawn attention to the provision of support for weaker pupils. While the primary responsibility for all pupils rests with class teachers, the Deputy will be aware that additional teaching and special needs assistant supports are made available to schools to cater for pupils with learning support, special educational and special care needs.

A general allocation scheme has been introduced under which schools have been provided with learning support/resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures, to cater for children with learning support needs and those with high incidence special educational needs such as dyslexia.

My Department has issued a comprehensive circular, Sp Ed 02/05, to all primary schools regarding the organisation of teaching resources for pupils who need additional support in mainstream primary schools. The main purpose of this circular is to provide guidance for schools on the deployment and organisation of the teaching resources that were allocated under the general allocation model. Reference is also made in this circular to the deployment of additional teaching resources that are allocated to schools for the support of individual pupils with low incidence disabilities.