Written answers

Wednesday, 31 January 2007

Department of Education and Science

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

8:00 am

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 1753: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the action she has taken or proposes to take to reduce class sizes in all primary and second level schools throughout County Kildare having particular regard to the disadvantageous pupil teacher ratio that currently prevails; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3032/07]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, there are now no less than 4,000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Furthermore, there are nearly 7,000 more primary teachers than there were in 1997. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. The number of primary teachers in Kildare has increased by 60% under this Government.

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.

While I appreciate the need to make further progress in reducing class size, it should be acknowledged just how much has been achieved.

In recent years, priority has rightly been given to providing extra support for children with special needs, those from disadvantaged areas and those that need help with their English.

Special education provision in particular has undergone a level of expansion the extent of which nobody could have predicted a few years ago- and this was only right. If we had put all 4,000 of the teachers hired since 2002 into classroom teaching, our average class size would be a lot smaller than it is now. But we would have done a great disservice to those children who need extra help the most. I am sure the Deputy would accept that we have taken the right approach.

Now that children with special needs are finally getting the support they deserve, we are providing extra teachers this year and next specifically to reduce class sizes, through a reduction in the mainstream staffing schedule.

This has meant that, whereas all primary schools were staffed on a general rule of at least one classroom teacher for every 29 children in the 05/06 school year, in the current school year there is a general rule of at least one 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, we are committed to hiring even more extra teachers in order to reduce this to a general rule of at least one teacher for every 27 children.

But we are determined to go even further, and so the 2007 Estimates include provision for another 800 primary teachers. About 500 of these will be classroom teachers, which includes our commitment to reduce class sizes.

I want to assure the Deputy that I am very conscious of the particular pressures on schools in Kildare and that addressing their needs is a priority for me.

We also acted this year to specifically address the needs of growing schools by making it easier to qualify for a developing school post. Over 280 such posts were sanctioned for the 2006/07 school year, compared to 170 in 2005/06. This change specifically addressed the needs of schools which are seeing large increases in their enrolments year on year.

On the Post Primary side allocations are approved by my Department on an annual basis in accordance with generally applied rules relating to recognised pupil enrolment. In general a ratio of 18:1 is applied in respect of recognised pupils on established Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate, repeat Leaving Certificate and Transition Year Programmes and a ratio of 16:1 is applied in respect of recognised pupils on the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme, Post leaving Certificate courses and Leaving Certificate Applied.

Each school management authority is required to organise its curriculum, teaching time-table and subject options having regard to pupils' needs within the limits of its approved teacher allocation. Significant improvements have been made in the pupil teacher ratio at post primary level in recent years. The ratio has fallen from 16:1 in the 1996/97 school year to 13.2:1 in the 2005/06 school year. The improvements we have made in school staffing in recent years are absolutely unparalleled.

I assure the Deputy that we will continue to prioritise further improvements in school staffing going forward. We will also continue our focus on measures to improve the quality of education in our schools to ensure that increased resources lead to better outcomes for our children.

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