Written answers

Tuesday, 1 December 2015

Department of Education and Skills

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Photo of Brendan GriffinBrendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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511. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will prioritise further pupil-teacher ratio reductions in secondary schools in future budgets; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42574/15]

Photo of Jan O'SullivanJan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.

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.

The allocation of a whole time equivalent of an additional 300 teachers to second level schools brings the basis of allocation from 19:1 to 18.7:1 for the school year 2016/17. This improvement of 0.3 in PTR allocation is a restoration of 50% of the teaching resources that were removed when the allocation of guidance posts was brought within quota. The delivery of the 50% restoration through a change in the PTR allocation will allow each school to determine how best to allocate the additional resources to meet the guidance needs of the school.

I am determined that education should continue to be prioritised for investment as our economy recovers and I will be seeking to agree a set of priorities for further increased investment into the future.

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

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