Vol. 509 No. 1
324 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Education and Science if he has received the briefing document from the STI on the need for smaller class sizes in second level schools; and, if so, his response to their proposals. [19450/99]
I have received the document referred to by the Deputy and will be considering its contents.
This school year is seeing the first allocation of additional teachers to second level schools for some years. This year provision was made for 225 additional teachers and this, together with the retention of some 130 teachers who would otherwise have been redeployed, is enabling us to provide a remedial teaching service in every second level school and also to bring all disadvantaged schools into the home school liaison scheme. I have also made improvements in the provisions available for guidance in our schools with a guaranteed minimum allocation now available to every school.
In addition to providing for additional teachers, I have this year introduced a new retention ratio for secondary schools. The impact of this is to retain in schools teachers who would otherwise be liable to be redeployed. In all, some 150 teachers have been retained under this initiative and these teachers will continue to be available to improve the quality of education in our schools.
In the 1998-99 school year the pupil teacher ratio at second level was approximated 15.4 to 1. Allowing for the increase of some 225 teachers and a projected drop in enrolments, it is expected that the pupil teacher ratio will reduce to approximately 15.1 to 1 in the current school year. Within this, there are a large number of very small classes.
I am sure the Deputy will agree that the principal concern in relation to class size must be the impact on educational attainment. In this regard, the great body of research indicates that the major impact of class size is to be found in the early years of primary education and for disadvantaged groups in particular.
