Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 564: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to bring pupil-teacher ratios into line with commitments entered into at the 2002 general election at primary and second level here, with particular reference to County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13548-06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The primary pupil-teacher ratio for the 2004-05 school year in County Kildare was 20.2:1. The Deputy should note that part-time teachers and teachers in special schools are not included in those PTR figures. The information regarding the pupil-teacher ratio on a county basis for post-primary level is not available in my Department.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has dramatically improved staffing in primary schools throughout the country, including Kildare. As well as reducing average class size, the putting in place of over 5,000 extra primary teachers in recent years has also greatly improved the services provided for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas. Under DEIS, Developing Equality of Opportunity in Schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion launched last May, there will be a reduction in class sizes to 24:1 at senior level and 20:1 at junior level in 180 primary schools serving communities with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. With more than 600 extra resource teachers put in place this term, children with special needs are getting more support than ever before. It should be acknowledged how much progress has been made in the area in recent years.

At the time of the 2006 Estimates, I announced that I had secured sufficient funding to provide even smaller classes in our primary schools in the next school year, and that the Minister for Finance had committed himself to a further reduction in class size in the following year. Accordingly, over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years, my Department will put 500 extra teachers into primary schools to reduce class size and tackle disadvantage. That will be done by changing the staffing schedule. As the Deputy will be aware, the mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, which is issued annually to all primary schools.

The general rule is that the schedule provides at least one classroom teacher for every 29 pupils in the school. Schools with only one or two teachers have much lower staffing ratios than that — with two teachers for just 12 pupils in some cases — but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the school. Next year that is being reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher, and in 2007-08 it will be reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher.

In speaking about staffing in our schools, we have consistently said that priority would be given in the first instance to children in disadvantaged schools and those with special needs. We have done that and now in line with the Government commitment mainstream class sizes are also being reduced.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 565: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the way in which pupil-teacher ratios in County Kildare compare with other countries; her plans to address the issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13549-06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The primary pupil-teacher ratio for the 2004-05 school year in County Kildare was 20.2:1. The Deputy should note that the pupil-teacher calculation does not include part-time teachers or teachers working in special schools. The Deputy asked how pupil-teacher ratios in Kildare compare with other countries. Up-to-date international comparisons on pupil-teacher ratios are not available to my Department.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has dramatically improved staffing in primary schools throughout the country, including Kildare. As well as reducing average class size, the putting in place of over 5,000 extra primary teachers in recent years has also greatly improved the services provided for children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas. Under DEIS, Developing Equality of Opportunity in Schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion launched last May, there will be a reduction in class sizes of 24:1 at senior level and 20:1 at junior level in 180 primary schools serving communities with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. With more than 600 extra resource teachers put in place this term, children with special needs are getting more support than ever before. It should be acknowledged how much progress has been made in the area in recent years.

At the time of the 2006 Estimates, I announced that I had secured sufficient funding to provide even smaller classes in primary schools in the next school year, and that the Minister for Finance had himself committed to a further reduction in class size in the following year. Accordingly, over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 school years, my Department will put 500 extra teachers into primary schools to reduce class size and tackle disadvantage. That will be done by changing the staffing schedule. As the Deputy will be aware, the mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, which is issued annually to all primary schools.

The general rule is that the schedule provides at least one classroom teacher for every 29 pupils in the school. Schools with only one or two teachers have much lower staffing ratios than that — with two teachers for just 12 pupils in some cases — but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the school. Next year that is being reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher, and in 2007-08 it will be reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher.

In speaking about staffing in our schools, we have consistently said that priority would be given in the first instance to children in disadvantaged schools and those with special needs. We have done that and now in line with the Government commitment mainstream class sizes are also being reduced.