Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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500. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of a case (details supplied); and if she will instruct her Department to reduce class sizes and ensure that the school has an appropriate number of teachers. [51961/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The school referred to by the Deputy had its staffing reduced by one teacher in the current school year due to a drop in enrolments, whereby the school had 23 less pupils than the previous year.

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.