Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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52. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the breakdown by county of the number of primary schools with only a principal in them, a principal and one mainstream class teacher and a principal and two mainstream teachers respectively provided in tabular form; whether she intends changing the pupil teacher ratio for small rural schools considering the challenge in teaching multiple classes in the same classroom; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45009/23]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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68. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools that had a staffing schedule of mainstream class teachers consisting of a principal plus one mainstream classroom teacher for the school year 2022/2023; the number of these that had more than 40 pupils enrolled in this school year; whether she intends lowering the threshold significantly for the retention and appointment of a second classroom teacher in primary schools in view of the challenge of teaching multiple classes with more than 20 pupils in each classroom in a "two teacher school"; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45008/23]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 68 together.

Budget 2024 has provided for an unprecedented €10.5 billion investment in Education and Schools in Budget 2024 which includes an increase of €421 million in core current funding, as well as over €80 million in core capital funding. An additional €170 million is also being provided as part of Cost of Living and COVID-19 supports. These additional funds build on significant increases in recent budgets and further enhance the investment in Ireland’s primary and post-primary education system. The significant increased investment is the largest Education budget in the history of the state and reflects government’s commitment to a quality inclusive school system and improved learning outcomes for every student.

In the 3 previous Budgets, I prioritised reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools which has brought the teacher allocation ratio to an average of 1 classroom teacher for every 23 pupils in all primary schools, the lowest level ever seen at primary level. A three point reduction in the retention schedule, which I introduced in 2021, assists schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. I also improved teacher allocations for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools which now stand at an average of 17:1, 21:1 and 19:1 for junior, senior and vertical schools respectively.

The latest figures in relation to pupil teacher ratio shows an improved ratio of teachers to pupils from 15.7:1 to 13.4:1 at primary level when comparing the 2016/17 school year to the 2022/23 school year.In the same period the primary staffing schedule improved from 27:1 to 24:1. Average class sizes at primary improved from 24.6 to 22.8 in the same period. The improvements brought about by Budget 2023 for this school year will be available in the statistical reports published at the end of the school year.

For the 2022/23 school year, 507 schools had a Principal and 1 teacher, with 56 of these schools having more than 40 pupils enrolled. The 2023/24 information requested by the Deputy is attached. It should be noted that this is provisional at this time and that final numbers will be known in November when the staffing process has completed at the end of this month.