Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 107: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding overcrowding in classrooms at a school (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31924/09]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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The budget measures will impact on individual schools in different ways depending on whether enrolment is rising or declining and the degree to which any one school has more teachers than it is entitled to under the allocation processes. In terms of the position at individual school level the key factor for determining the level of resources provided by my Department is the pupil enrolment at 30 September 2008. While the staffing schedule allocates on the basis of an average number of pupils each individual school decides on how to arrange its classes. Combined classes are a feature of the majority of schools in the country and this arrangement has no adverse implications for the quality of the education children receive.

In terms of class sizes 80% of primary pupils were in classes of less than 30 pupils during the last school year. With over 20,000 individual classes spread across all schools throughout the country there will inevitably be differences in individual class sizes. Some schools can have class sizes of greater than 28 but this is often because of a local decision by a school to use its teaching resources in order to have smaller numbers in other classes.

Where it is possible, I believe that principals should consider the benefits of having smaller multi-grade classes as against having particularly large differences in class sizes at different levels in the school. In general, the view of my Department is that, where combined classes are formed, mixed-ability classes are preferable and my Department recommends random selection as a fair and educationally sound approach to the assignment of pupils to such classes.

It is open to any Board of Management to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeal Board which was originally established to adjudicate on appeals on mainstream staffing allocations in primary schools. Details of the criteria for appeal of mainstream staffing are contained in the staffing schedule, Circular 0002/2009 which is available on my Department's website. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.