Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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359. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of children in special classes in primary schools and the number of teachers employed to teach them. [32107/13]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that details of the special classes which are attached to mainstream schools at primary and post primary level are detailed on a county by county, and school by school basis, on the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) website www.ncse.ie.

There are 495 special classes attached to mainstream primary schools in the current school year. At primary level, one teacher is allocated to each approved special class.

Details of any new special classes which will be opened for the 2013/14 school year will be detailed on the NCSE website once this has been finalised.

I wish to explain to the Deputy that pupil numbers vary in Special Classes on the basis of the disability categorisation of the special class, which ranges from a 6:1 to 11:1 pupil teacher ratio. It is not possible to provide an actual figure for enrolment levels in special classes, as class numbers can fluctuate throughout the school year as pupils enrol and leave special classes, while in some cases pupils are partially integrated between special and mainstream classes.