Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 September 2021
279. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the extent to which larger class sizes and disadvantageous pupil-teacher ratios are evident at primary and second-level throughout north County Kildare; the extent of her proposals to address such issues in the short and medium term; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45893/21]
View answerThe average class size for schools in North Kildare is 25.4 based on mainstream pupils in mainstream classes, table attached.
|
Mainstream Pupils |
Mainstream Classes |
Mainstream Class |
|
|
Constituency |
Enrolment per Return 2020/21 |
Count Class 2020/21 |
Average Class Size |
|
Kildare North |
16025 |
632 |
25.4 |
We are currently unable to calculate class size at post primary due to the difficulty of recording discrete class sizes where pupils have different subject choices and subject levels available to them.
The primary pupil-teacher ratio including all pupils/posts in mainstream schools in Kildare North is 17.334.
The post-primary pupil-teacher ratio for the 16 post-primary schools in Kildare North is 13.519.
Under the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools.
At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. Budget 2021 implemented a further 1 point reduction for the 2021/22 school year so that primary schools are allocated teaching posts on an average basis of 1 classroom teacher for every 25 pupils which has brought the teacher allocation ratio in all primary schools to the lowest ever seen at primary level. In addition, there has been a three point reduction in the retention schedule, which will assist schools that would otherwise be at risk of losing teaching posts. Lower thresholds apply to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools. At post primary level, teachers are currently allocated at a ratio of 19:1 in the free education system and 23:1 to schools in the fee charging sector. Any further improvement will have to be considered in the context of the annual budgetary process.
