Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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470. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will confirm whether plans are in place to implement the commitment set out in the Programme for Government to reduce class sizes in primary schools to 20 pupils or fewer. [51587/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to aim to reduce the general pupil teacher ratio at primary level to 19:1 over the term of government and introduce targeted measures in schools with very large classes.

This will build on the progress which has been made by the previous Government. The general average of pupils to teachers in the Primary Staffing Schedule improved from 26 : 1 five years ago to 23 : 1 for the current school year, the lowest ever ratio at primary level. More favourable ratios are implemented for DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. Average class sizes in primary schools have improved from 24.1 to 22.2 through the investment we are making in schools.

I am considering how best to make further progress as part of the annual budgetary process in reducing the primary pupil teacher ratio in the context of Programme for Government implementation.