Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 11 Mar 2003

Vol. 563 No. 1

Written Answers - School Curriculum.

Kathleen Lynch

Question:

351 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Science the number of primary schools which have adequate facilities to accommodate the introduction of the new curriculum taking into account that the new curriculum recommends more than 70 square metres per classroom; if there was a survey carried out with regard to accommodation within the primary school system during the research stage for the new curriculum; if so, the findings of same; and if the report that resulted in the development of the new curriculum has been published. [7280/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

The primary school curriculum published in 1999 does not contain a recommendation concerning a minimum floor area for classrooms. Research work undertaken at the national council for curriculum and assessment, NCCA, during the development of the revised curriculum was concerned with optimising curricular content, methodology and assessment approaches. Classroom size was outside the parameters of this research. The outcome of the research and developmental work undertaken at the NCCA was published in the curriculum and its accompanying volumes of teacher guidelines in September 1999.