Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the maximum support and assistance will be given to a school (details supplied) in Dublin 5 in 2007 particularly in relation to reducing class size. [9114/07]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous year. The number of mainstream posts is determined by reference to a staffing schedule. The schedule is set out in a circular which issues from my Department to all primary school Boards of Management. Accordingly, all Boards are aware of the staffing position for their school in any school year.

Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now 4,000 more primary teachers than there were in 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. Furthermore, the Government is committed to providing even more primary teachers next year to reduce class sizes.

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 September this will reduce to 27 children per classroom teacher.

School authorities are requested to ensure that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible, taking all relevant contextual factors into account (e.g. classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment). In particular, school authorities should ensure that there is an equitable distribution of pupils in mainstream classes and that the differential between the largest and smallest classes is kept to a minimum.

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. Over 280 such posts were sanctioned in the 2006/07 school year compared to 170 in 2005/06.

The school referred to by the Deputy had an enrolment on the 30th September 2005 of 435 pupils which warranted a staffing for the 2006/07 school year of a Principal and 16 mainstream teachers. The school also has the services of 1 Temporary Language Support teacher and 2 Permanent Learning Support/Resource teachers.

The Board of Management has submitted a report indicating that there were 422 pupils enrolled in the school on the 30th September 2006. The mainstream staffing of the school for the 2007/08 school year will be determined on that figure and by reference to the staffing schedule for the 2007/2008 school year which will issue to all primary schools before the end of March 2007.

To ensure openness in the teacher allocation system at primary level, the Primary Staffing Appeal Board is now in place to decide on any appeals on mainstream staffing. This independent Appeal Board has been in place since August 2002.

The improvements we have made in school staffing in recent years are absolutely unparalleled. 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 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 primary schools to ensure that increased resources lead to better outcomes for our children.