Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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249. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are legal limits or guidelines regarding the number of students that may be taught in a classroom. [2769/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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School authorities are advised in the staffing schedule, which is published annually on my Department's website, 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 etc.). In particular, they should ensure, as far as possible, that there is an equitable distribution of pupils in mainstream classes and the differential between the largest and the smallest classes is kept to a minimum. With over 20,000 individual classes spread across all schools throughout the country there will always be differences in individual class sizes. Class size data for all primary schools is compiled by my Department on an annual basis and is available on the Department's website. The most recently published data relates to the 2011/12 school year. The staffing schedule is the mechanism used for allocating mainstream teaching posts to all schools. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools. Schools have autonomy on how these posts are deployed to individual classes.