Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 July 2019
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Pupil-Teacher Ratio
642. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of ensuring maximum class size in most disadvantaged schools is 15:1in primary and 20:1 in secondary. [34664/19]
View answerIn the 2018/19 school year there are 3,106 mainstream primary schools of which 698 (22.47%) are participating in the DEIS Programme.
Each one point adjustment to the primary staffing schedule is estimated to cost in the region of €13.5m per annum.
Appendix A of Circular 19/2019 sets out the schedule of enrolment of pupils governing the appointment and retention of mainstream class teachers and is available on my Department’s website at the following link
www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/circular-0019-2019-appendix-a.pdf.
In relation to post-primary schools, I wish to advise the Deputy that in the 2018/19 school year there are 722 post-primary schools of which 198 (27.42%) are participating in the DEIS Programme. A pupil teacher ratio of 19:1 is applied to all second-level schools in the Free-Education System.
Each 1 point adjustment to the pupil teacher ratio at post primary level is estimated to cost in the region of €63m per annum.
DEIS post-primary schools are allocated an enhanced guidance provision. The relevant Circulars governing the staffing arrangements for post-primary schools for the 2019/20 school year are available on my Department’s website at the following link:
www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/Teacher-Allocations/Teacher-Allocations-Post-Primary.html.
