Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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66. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to examine the case of a school (details supplied) who lost a teacher due to student numbers in 2024 and risk doing so again in 2026, if the current rules on student numbers to teacher places are applied; if she agrees that this runs contrary to government commitments to reduce the pupil teacher ratio and target large class sizes; her views that larger, multi-grade classrooms are not the most appropriate scenario for pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52277/25]

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.