Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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16. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if her attention has been drawn to the loss of a teaching post in a school (details supplied) since the 2019-2020 school year that resulted in an increase in class size due to the amalgamation of classes; if she will review this decision in view of the Programme for Government commitment to reduce class sizes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35174/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The staffing schedule is an allocation mechanism that uses enrolment bands to determine the number of classroom teaching posts allocated to a school. This is a long standing arrangement for allocating teaching posts to our primary schools in a fair and equitable way based on their respective enrolment.

The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally, irrespective of location. For the 2020/21 school year at primary level it operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 26 pupils which is historically the lowest level.

Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools and to support small schools.

As part of the Budget 2021 measures, the Government have sought to deliver on this commitment by the announcement of a 1 point change to the primary staffing schedule and the introduction of a three point reduction in the number of pupils required to retain a teacher.

The school referred to by the Deputy is not losing a teaching post for the 2021/22 school year. The current average pupil teacher ratio in the school is 25:1.

The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. My Department's guidance to schools is that the number of pupils in any class is kept as low as possible taking all relevant contextual factors into account, for example, classroom accommodation, fluctuating enrolment etc.