Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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157. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will introduce a legal maximum class size for primary and post-primary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30981/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Class sizes in schools are affected by a variety of factors including enrolment fluctuations and accommodation available.

Schools are best placed to determine the appropriate numbers in any class and so the configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level.

The 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. School authorities should also, where possible, use their autonomy under the staffing schedule to implement smaller class sizes for junior classes.