Written answers

Wednesday, 4 November 2015

Department of Education and Skills

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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227. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the current pupil teacher ratio at primary level; at secondary level; the pupil teacher ratio that will exist when the extra teaching resources announced in the Budget are fully in place. [38651/15]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains extensive data relating to schools at primary and post-primary level, including data relating to PTRs. The most recent published information which includes the primary PTR 16.2 and post primary PTR 14:2, relates to the 2014/15 school year. Data for the current school year, including PTRs, will be published when the national school annual census has been processed later in the current school year.

Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule currently operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils at primary level and 1 teacher for every 19 pupils at post-primary level, with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools.

The Deputy will be aware that I have made provision in Budget 2016 for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. These posts will provide for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhance the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their teaching time, an improvement to the scheme of release time for principal teachers at primary level and additional resource posts to meet special education needs.

At primary level from next September the primary staffing schedule will operate on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 27 pupils. At post-primary level the schedule will improve by .3 points, from 19:1 to 18.7:1.

The impact of these additional posts on PTR at national level will not be available until the annual census process for the 2016/17 has been completed.

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