Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 102: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the effect the new primary staffing schedule recently announced will have on class sizes for the forthcoming school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13468/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Major improvements in school staffing have been made in recent years with the hiring of more than 5,000 additional primary teachers. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. There is one teacher for every 17 children, the lowest pupil-teacher ratio in the history of the State. Recently I announced that I have secured sufficient funding to provide even smaller classes in our primary schools in the next school year and the Minister for Finance has committed to a further reduction in class size in the following year. Accordingly, over the next two years, my Department will put 500 extra teachers into primary schools to reduce class size and to tackle disadvantage.

The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference 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 and so on — but the general rule is that there is at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the school. Next year this will be reduced to 28 children per classroom teacher and in 2007-08 it will be reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher. Circular 0023/2006 outlining the revised staffing schedule for the 2006-07 school year is available on my Department's website. Hard copies of the circular have been issued to all primary schools.

Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)
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Question 103: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary school children in classes of more than 40; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13325/06]

Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary school children in classes of more than 30; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13329/06]

Dan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 154: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary school children in classes of more than 35; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13327/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 103, 145 and 154 together.

Information on the number of classes of over 30, 35 and 40 pupils in the current school year is not yet available in my Department. The Government's commitment to improving the staffing in our primary schools has been unprecedented. We have put more than 5,000 more primary teachers in our schools in the last few years. These have been targeted at pupils with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas to ensure that they are getting the extra help that they need to reach their potential. This has resulted in a major improvement in the pupil-teacher ratio, which counts all the teachers in a school, including special needs teachers, school principals etc. In 1997 the pupil-teacher ratio was 22:1, meaning that there was one teacher for every 22 primary school children in our schools. By 2004-05, we had reduced this to 17:1, or one teacher for every 17 pupils.

The average class size nationally has also been reduced to 23.9, while significantly smaller class sizes have been introduced in disadvantaged schools with approximately 47,00 pupils in 243 schools participating in the Giving Children an Even Break-Breaking the Cycle programme benefitting from reduced class sizes of either 15 or 20 pupils per class. Under the new action plan for tackling disadvantage published last May, more children in disadvantaged schools will be in smaller classes in the current school year and, with the more than 600 extra resource teachers put in place this school year, children with special needs are getting more support than ever before.

We have consistently said that priority would be given in the first instance to children in disadvantaged schools and those with special needs and we have done this. In line with the Government commitment, mainstream class sizes are also being reduced. The system for allocating teachers to primary schools is based on ensuring an overall maximum class of 29 in each school. Where some classes in a school have class sizes of greater than 29, it is generally because a decision has been taken at local level to use their teaching resources to have smaller numbers in other classes. To ensure openness and transparency in the system an independent appeal board is in place to decide on any appeals on mainstream staffing. The criteria under which an appeal can be made are set out in Department primary circular 19/02, which is also available on my Department's website.

It is proposed that the first meeting of the appeal board will be held in May 2006. Further meetings will be held in July and October 2006. The closing dates for receipt of appeals are 12 May, 24 June and 18 October, respectively. Appeals must be submitted to the primary payments section, Department of Education and Science, Athlone, on the standard application form, clearly stating the criterion under which the appeal is being made. The standard application form is available from primary payments section or on my Department's website. The appeal board operates independently of the Minister and the Department and its decision is final.