Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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269. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which she is determined to improve pupil-teacher ratios in all primary and second-level schools throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45883/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools.

Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment on the previous 30 September. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.

At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. Budget 2021 implemented a further 1 point reduction for the 2021/22 school year so that primary schools will be allocated teaching posts on an average basis of 1 classroom teacher for every 25 pupils which has brought the teacher allocation ratio in all primary schools to the lowest ever seen at primary level. In addition, there has been a three point reduction in the retention schedule, which will assist schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. Lower thresholds apply to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools.

At post primary level, teachers are currently allocated at a ratio of 19:1 in the free education system and 23:1 to schools in the fee charging sector. Each 1 point adjustment to the pupil teacher ratio at post primary level would result in an additional 1150 teaching posts at an estimated cost of approx. €56.5m per annum.

Any further improvement will have to be considered in the context of the annual budgetary process.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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270. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the locations throughout Ireland most acutely affected by higher class sizes and disadvantageous pupil-teacher ratios at primary and second-level; her ongoing plans to address these issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45884/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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Please find attached the 2020-21, the latest available data, pupil-teacher ratios for primary and post primary by county as well as the average class size by county for primary.

We are currently unable to calculate class size at post primary due to the difficulty of recording discrete class sizes where pupils have different subject choices and subject levels available to them.

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

At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. Budget 2021 implemented a further 1 point reduction for the 2021/22 school year so that primary schools are allocated teaching posts on an average basis of 1 classroom teacher for every 25 pupils which has brought the teacher allocation ratio in all primary schools to the lowest ever seen at primary level. In addition, there has been a three point reduction in the retention schedule, which will assist schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. Lower thresholds apply to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. At post primary level, teachers are currently allocated at a ratio of 19:1 in the free education system and 23:1 to schools in the fee charging sector. Any further improvement will have to be considered in the context of the annual budgetary process.