Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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204. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline the measures taken to ensure that class sizes at primary level do not increase; if she will introduce initiatives to reduce class sizes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38777/14]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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At primary level the staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level.

The national average class size at primary level is 24.7 pupils. However, with over 21,100 classes in over 3,100 primary schools throughout the country there will always be variations in class sizes at individual school level. My Department's guidance to local school management is that such variations should be kept to the minimum.

Schools with significantly increasing enrolments are catered for within the staffing arrangements by being allocated teachers on the basis of their current pupil numbers rather than on a previous year basis which is the case for the majority of schools.

The staffing appeals process has been extended to include a new criterion which helps those schools that make a significant contribution to the provision of school places, which assists the response to demographic growth within their area, and as a result are under significant pressure on their class sizes at infants level.

Because of increasing demographics my Department requires additional resources to simply maintain existing levels of service. Between this year and last year this has involved an increase of around 2,300 teachers in our primary and post-primary schools. This is a very significant investment at a time of scarce resources. My main priority for any additional resources for the foreseeable future will be to cater for the continuing increase in demographics at all levels in the education system.