Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the recommended pupil-teacher ratio for best practice; the extent to which this ratio is currently being exceeded at primary level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25715/15]

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.

It is a continuing improvement in our economic growth over a sustained period that will enable us to move to a point where we can look again at providing for additional teacher resources in schools which could bring about further improvement in PTR, class size and support for classroom teachers.

The challenge for all schools is to ensure that they utilise their allocated resources to best effect to maximise teaching and learning outcomes.