Written answers

Wednesday, 18 December 2019

Department of Education and Skills

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Photo of Colm BrophyColm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael)
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182. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of reducing the number of pupils which a small school requires to retain or recruit a teacher by one and two pupils, respectively. [53763/19]

Photo of Joe McHughJoe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael)
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I understand the importance of small schools and I hosted a Small Schools Symposium in June attended by the relevant Education Partners to discuss issues of concern to small schools. Securing the future of small schools is a priority for me as Minister for Education and Skills.

Budget 2020 has provided for improved teacher staffing levels for small schools. This measure will see a more favourable pupil teacher ratio in small schools from September 2020. This improved schedule will apply in two, three and four teacher schools and ensure one less pupil is required to retain/recruit a teacher.

This builds on measures in previous budgets which has seen improvements in the appointment and retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and more favourable enrolment thresholds for one teacher schools situated 8km or more from the nearest school of the same type of patronage and/or language of instruction.

Small schools have also benefitted from the 1 point improvement to the primary staffing schedule for all schools implemented in 2016 and again in 2018.

In addition, the staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria, including a specific appeal measure for small schools, to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board.

The staffing schedule at primary level currently operates on a general average of 26 pupils to every 1 teacher which is historically the lowest ever allocation ratio at primary level. Each 1 point adjustment to the pupil teacher ratio at primary level is estimated to cost in the region of €14.4m per annum.

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