Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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272. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding school class sizes and funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26966/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government has a commitment to reduce class sizes at primary level and to commencing a review of teacher appointment thresholds in small schools with four teachers or less.

The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.

Budget 2012 increased the appointment and retention ratios for small schools (i.e., schools with up to four classroom teachers). Improvements to the staffing of these schools were announced for the 2015/16 school year. These improvements are improved retention thresholds for the second, third and fourth classroom teacher and also the improved appointment and retention thresholds for one-teacher schools situated 8 km or more from the nearest school of the same type of patronage and/or language of instruction.

In addition, Budget 2016 announced a one-point improvement to the primary staffing schedule which has been implemented for the current school year.

The forthcoming budget will provide an opportunity to consider the best approach to further meeting commitments in the Programme for Government.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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273. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding school class sizes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26967/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2016 made provision for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools in the current school year. These posts have provided for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhanced the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their teaching time, made improvements to the scheme of release time for principal teachers at primary level and included additional resource posts to meet special education needs.

Circular 12/2016, which is available on my Department's website, outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching principal. Under the current arrangements the number of days that principal teachers may take as release time in each school year ranges between 15 and 25 days depending on the size of the school. This is an increase on the previous school year whereby the number of release days ranged from 14 to 22 days depending on the size of the school.

The commitments in the Programme for Government, including measures to assist teaching principals, will be considered in the context of the budgetary process.