Written answers

Tuesday, 10 October 2006

Department of Education and Science

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

9:00 pm

Photo of Pat BreenPat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 514: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the breakdown of primary school class sizes in County Clare showing in each case the number of pupils in classes of 19 and under; 20 to 29, 30 to 39 and 40 plus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31673/06]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The information requested by the Deputy is included in the table.

As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary and post-primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc.

Children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas are getting more support than ever before to help them to make the most of their time at school.

Indeed, with the thousands of extra primary teachers hired by this Government, recent years have seen the largest expansion in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. Over the next two school years even more teachers will be put in place both for the above priority areas of disadvantage and special education and also under a reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule.

As the Deputy knows all primary schools are staffed on a general rule of at least one classroom teacher for every 28 children. Of course, 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 28 children in the school. Next year (2007/2008 school year) this is being reduced to 27 children per classroom teacher.

A further initiative that has been of direct benefit to primary schools has been the change in the criteria for developing schools. For the current school year the threshold for getting a developing school post was reduced specifically to help schools that are seeing large increases in enrolments each year, as is the case in many schools. 170 such posts were sanctioned in the 2005/06 school year, compared with 105 in 2004/05.

This Government has shown a clear determination to improve the staffing in our schools and we will continue to prioritise this issue going forward.

Number of pupils in Ordinary Classes in National Schools in County Clare in 2005/2006
Class size rangeNumbers of Pupils
0-9150
10-191,740
20-243,242
25-293,504
30-342,476
35-39640
40 and over41
Total11,793

The Deputy will be pleased to know that the school referred to in the chart as having a class of 41 teachers in 2005/06 has been allocated 2 extra teachers this year. The school had a principal and 5 other classroom teachers last year and an enrolment of 182 pupils on 30th September 2005. This year the school has a principal and 7 classroom teachers. Its enrolment on 30th September 2006 was 194 pupils. The school currently has 12 teachers in total, including 2 language support teachers and 2 learning support teachers.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.