Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left)
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21. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason she has not taken steps, as a key priority, to reduce class sizes in primary schools to the European Union average; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21861/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Average class size and the ratio of teachers to students are two important measures of the resources that we make available to schools. While our average class size at primary level is over 3 pupils higher than the OECD average it is only slightly above the OECD average in relation to PTR.

My focus in Budget 2015 was on obtaining the additional funding that was necessary to provide for demographic growth which will result in an estimated 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs in our schools in the coming school year. This comes on top of an extra circa 2,300 teachers over the last 2 years.

I announced some improvements in the staffing schedule for small primary schools in February 2015. These are the only changes that I will be making to the staffing arrangements for schools for the 2015/16 school year.

In addressing the INTO Congress earlier this year, I made clear that I personally believe that improving class sizes could deliver better outcomes, and that reducing class sizes will be a personal and political priority for me during 2015. However, that is a priority that will require negotiation in advance of the forthcoming budget.